The Independent Recommends: Film

BY TURNS lyrical and brutal, erotic and absurdly comic, The Eel is a slippery film to categorise, but will please those who like to swim against the Hollywood mainstream. The latest work by veteran director Shohei Imamura, it stars Koji Yakusho as a Tokyo salaryman who spends eight years in prison for murdering his wife.

On selected release

Like its lead character, Snake Eyes (left) is big and flashy but just a little bit cold around the heart. Still, director Brian de Palma executes his complex cliche of a plot with technical brilliance - the film's worth seeing for his breathtaking opening shot alone.

On general release