What a waste of my time!!!

Don't Believe the Hype

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The following is a two-in-one review, one from the first time I watched it, and one from several viewings later. I hope this will help put into perspective why you need to see this more than once.1 Viewing:I have never been so on the fence about a film that I felt the need to write a review about it, as is the case for Dead Fish. I purchased this movie in a convenience store bargain bin earlier today, squealing with joy at the sight of my favourite actor, Gary Oldman, looking sexy as hell on the DVD case. I was already vaguely familiar with the wide-spread opinion about Dead Fish - that opinion being that it was, well, a dead fish. However, after sitting through Lost in Space with my IQ still in tact (thanks to Mr.Oldman), I figured that this could not possibly be that bad. It wasn't. To it's credit, Dead Fish is a fun, up-beat and wonderfully eccentric British film that had me giggling out loud every now and then. The set design is very compelling, particularly the room with the billion or so dirty light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. As an added bonus: GARY OLDMAN SINGS!!!!!! That alone makes this film worthy of purchase.As for the acting, though perhaps not exactly Oscar worthy, was solid throughout the entire cast. Robert Carlyle was hysterical as Danny, Elena Anaya was a fiery Mimi, and of course, Gary Oldman rocked it once again as the conscience-free, love-sick hit man Lynch. Granted, Lynch is not a very strong character, but Oldman flawlessly manages to breathe life into him. Also praise-worthy was Jimi Mistry as the eternally-high-as-a-kite Salvador. His performance was responsible for at least 40% of aforementioned giggles. Billy Zane, I wanted to punch in the face - just like in Titanic - but I guess that feeling is appropriate for his smug, pompous character.And I suppose Andrew Lee Potts played his part as the hero up to par.Yet Dead Fish is certainly not without its flaws. The main problem is that, while the plot idea is cute and shows much potential, it was not executed very effectively. The notion of an average Joe getting his phone switched with a hit man who falls in love with his girlfriend could have gone to a much higher level, but fell short due to irrelevant plot twists and completely useless action sequences. The characters were not quite developed as much as they should have been in relation to the storyline, and it took a while to realize just who these people were and why they were doing what they did. Half the time I wasn't even sure what was going on. There is also the issue of suspension of disbelief, but let's not delve into that right now. All-in-all, Dead Fish is a fun, entertaining film with a great cast and a great idea behind it. If it could just tone down the unnecessary details and focus more on the central plot, this film would be an instant classic.6/102.5 Viewings:After exploring some of the other reviews for Dead Fish, I noticed that a few of them suggested that the film needs to be viewed numerous times in order to be understood. So I waited for a rainy day and decided to give it a second chance. The reviews were right. Here's why:Fact: The characters are poorly introduced. Fact: The plot can seem confusing and irrelevant. BUT - both of these problems are not even apparent the second time around. See, by the time you finish watching Dead Fish for the first time, you already have a firm grasp of who the characters are and what their intentions are. That means that when you watch it for a second time, you can focus more of your attention on the plot and dialogue. I got so much more out of it during my second attempt simply because I wasn't continuously asking, "Now who the hell is this guy?" or "Why did they just do that?". As it turns out, the storyline is pretty straight-forward, yet complex enough to be interesting and original. If there is one problem that wont go away, it's the Virgil and Dragan scenes. Honestly, they're just an endless stream of uninspired insults and failed attempts at "witty" comebacks. if I were you, I would fast forward through them all - except for the short moment when they bump into Oldman's character at his hotel room. That there is a classic of cinema. So there you go. If you saw this film and didn't like it, please please please watch it again! If you still don't like it, then it's either because it's one of those "love it or hate it" sort of deals, or you didn't listen to me when I told you to fast forward the Virgil/Dragan bits. 9/10

It seemed like someone took the brown acid when they wrote this. It's a crazy wacky ride with a unique vision. If you want to see tremendous performances by Gary Oldman, Billy Zane and the rest of the cast - tune in. If you like something different and off the wall - tune in. If you sometimes laugh when others don't get it - tune in. If you only like mainstream movies - tune out. This is not a movie in the normal Hollywood box and indeed has little to do with the U.S. This is a must own - for those who collect brand new visions. Note for parents: brief topless scenes.To summarize - A mix-up leads to many lives connecting. It sounds like you've heard it before, but not like this. A Dynamic cast nails their parts seamlessly, and while the movie has moments of mediocrity it stands out as a movie to beat in excellence. This will not be for everyone. Steer clear if you only watch Hollywood blockbusters and dislike festival movies or unique screenplays. I must repeat that Billy Zane and Gary Oldman really show off their dynamic talent.

I watched this movie on pay-per-view recently, which is what i do when i'm not sure if a movie is worth going to the theatre for/buying. I realised I wouldn't watch it if someone paid me to! The setting seems interesting - unlikely people getting mixed up with each other - the kind of storyline that you can make a really good comedy film out of. Which is why it's shocking how boring, pointless and NOT FUNNY the movie is. None of the actors came close to being convincing except for Elena Anaya, who played her role as Mimi very well, but then Mimi was pretty much a minor character. Virgil(Billy Zane) said his lines so slowly it makes you want to throw something at him. Andrew Lee-Potts as Abe did little more than run around with a constant expression of panic throughout the movie. But Robert Carlyle as Danny Devine was the height of unbearability. An annoying loud guy that pops up on the screen every 3 mins cribbing about his '****ing money' is enough to make you want to rip your hair out and bury yourself alive. And of course, what could be worse than a movie with a bunch of crazy characters, than a movie with a bunch of crazy characters that's NOT AT ALL FUNNY? But I definitely recommend this movie if you like 1. listening to people ranting all day 2. watching kinky scenes no matter how bad the rest of the movie is 3. Elena Anaya enough to not mind the torture of the scenes she is not in.

I Love Oldman, Stamp and Zane. They play their parts exceptionally well, however the film itself is still a lemon. If you love Oldman et AL, then do not watch this, it will ruin your opinion of them. AVOID.Oldman sold me on True Romance and Leon, then after all this time he does this, his ability cannot save this lemon of a film. Don't waste your rental money on this tripe. For those of you who rave about this film, were you watching the same film as me???The actors did their best but this was never going to get off the ground. Please let this die in peace and lets pretend Mr Oldman was never in this at all.