I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

What a film! Sono has done it again. This film has it all.First, the plot. It is the tranquil setting of a family that is anything but as soon the silence is shattered with events that make the unit fall apart.There are normal and usual films. Nowadays these are whatever Marvel fantasy Disney is releasing every second week or the usual film with Helen Mirren or Samuel Jackson jumping around for no consequence.Then there are films that give you violence, blood, sexiness and zaniness. Many do not like these films but have to give it to the rest of us that these films are at least a break from the ordinary and in this case quite masterful. Let me freely admit that as a man the power of those legs, breasts, long hair and hiked skirt sex makes me excited, but Cold Fish is just a cut above.

Cold Fish, in so many words is 'Straw Dogs (1971)' taking a jet to Japan, into fish stores that look like LSD drain-houses and makes it shake hands with guts and gore. Dustin Hoffman broke-down and so did his glasses; break, and he ended up defending his cottage and anestranged, mischievous wife from the hillbillies and killed some in the process, including the nerdy mathematician disposition. In 'Cold Fish',the small; meek; acquiescent; hesitant and bespectacled protagonist finds himself in a situation of sorts - which take sharp turns and puts Syamoto (Mitsuru Fukikoshi) in a place which reeks of psychosis and rot. His wife is young and disenchanted by the whole deal. The stereotype teenage daughter has her hormones boiling at a 1000 degrees. What is wrong with these kids?The director shows this to us as if in a dream. The camera pans slowly, it zooms in and out at snail's pace and tries to relish every emotion, each delivery and prop in most of the the frames. All this is done brilliantly, however, if the movie was a tad-bit shorter, I would have liked it even more.The manic Murata (Syamoto's business partner, in some ways), played by Denden is a complex creature. The part is not an easy one and hats off to Denden for bringing Murata to life on the screen. The exercise is nothing short of passion; a study in strenuous acting sequences being thrown at the audience without contrition or self reproach. He puts on Murata's skin and does not take it off, even when he offers a severed 'something' to our 'hero' to feel it. If 'Straw Dogs' was a shocker for the seventies, 'Cold Fish' is a wake up call; digging into the audiences' minds by using the voluptuous Megumi Kagurazaka as Taeko, the wife of Syamoto and the inciting Hikari Kajiwara. Both ladies are a treat to watch, all of it; the brains and the booty. Freud would be grinning too.Not for the squeamish though,one scene reminded me of 'Itchi the Killer (2001)' and that's notpleasant, even in a funny way, even if a woman is hysterically laughing, covered in blood; not her own.

I decided not to read any reviews of Cold Fish before I watched it. And I'm pleased now that I didn't. I'll begin by saying it's a long film, clocking in at almost 2 and a half hours and in the early stages you may feel you're watching some whimsical Japanese drama until it's dark underbelly starts to reveal itself. The story begins with a timid tropical fish shop owner and his second wife being called to a store where his daughter has been caught shoplifting. It's here he meets the owner of another, much larger fish store a few miles away and his journey to hell begins.I recently read Jon Ronsons "Psychopath Test" and I must say the character of Murata (the owner of Amazon Gold, the larger fish store) is text book psychopath. One minute he's charming, the next a deranged killer, all angled to get his evil way. The part is played wonderfully and within a very short space of time we get to see just how psychopathic he really is, and it turns out his crazy wife Aiko is pretty much the same as him.Im not going to give anything away, but this movie has gore, rape, misogyny, and a few other sordid tasty bits that many may find unsettling. There are moments of great dark humour as well however. I enjoyed every bit of it and the last act is just brilliant. It's such a shame that so many "movie lovers" shun films with subtitles as there's a world of untapped gems lurking out there. It's a sad fact too, that only 10% or less of movies made in a year ever hit our multiplexes, and only 20% of those (or less) are worth wasting your time on. For the extreme cinema/horror fan Japan, France, and even Spain, have taken over the genre crown (where Italy held it in the 70s and early 80s). It's interesting though that movies like Cold Fish were passed uncut in the UK by our wonderful censors, yet some flicks from way back when still haven't been passed in uncut versions here. Is there a market for extreme horror in our multiplexes? Who knows. But given that so many remakes have been tried (of successful foreign horror movies) someone out there thinks we should see them (although someone needs a good slapping if that rumoured Martyrs remake ever happens). I just can't imagine a movie like Cold Fish getting remade and released to UK cinemas however as I can see the Daily Mail headline "ban this filth" already. Maybe it's better then that those in the know get to enjoy them quietly on our own while multiplex audiences continue to flock to "scary" "horror films" like the Conjuring and Insidious 2 lol.

Cold Fish, in so many words is 'Straw Dogs (1971)' taking a jet to Japan, into fish stores that look like LSD drain-houses and makes it shake hands with guts and gore. Dustin Hoffman broke-down and so did his glasses and he ended up defending his cottage and an estranged, mischievous wife from the hillbillies and killed some in the process, including the nerdy mathematician disposition. In 'Cold Fish', the small; meek; acquiescent; hesitant and bespectacled protagonist finds himself in a situation of sorts - which take sharp turns and puts Syamoto (Mitsuru Fukikoshi) in a place which reeks of psychosis and rot. His wife is young and disenchanted by the whole deal. The stereotype teenage daughter has her hormones boiling at a 1000 degrees. The director shows this to us as if in a dream. The camera pans slowly, it zooms in and out at snail's pace and tries to relish every actor, every delivery and props in most of the the frames. All this is done brilliantly, however, if the movie was a tad-bit shorter, I would have liked it even more. The manic Murata (Syamoto's business partner, in some ways), played by Denden is a complex creature. The part is not an easy one and hats off to Denden for bringing Murata to life on the screen. The exercise is nothing short of passion; a study in strenuous acting sequences being thrown at the audience without contrition or self reproach. He puts on Murata's skin and does not take it off, even when he offers a severed 'something' to our 'hero' to feel it.If 'Straw Dogs' was a shocker for the seventies, 'Cold Fish' is a wake up call; digging into the audiences' minds by using the voluptuous Megumi Kagurazaka as Taeko, the wife of Syamoto and the inciting Hikari Kajiwara. Both ladies are a treat to watch, all of it; the brains and the booty. Freud would be grinning too. Not for the squeamish though, one scene reminded me of 'Itchi the Killer (2001)' and that's not pleasant, even in a funny way, even if a woman is hysterically laughing, covered in blood; not her own.