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

this is another of those films where i spent 5 days filming , i remember it was probably one of the best jobs i did , i had to sit at a table drinking beer watching all these Girls around me prancing around Naked , it was fantastic , i had one girl above going up and down too and fro on this giant Bannana , great great great .. give me more, what else can i tell you , i think the film had a good story line great cast but it needed a little more with the direction .. i think the film was rushed to be finished and i got the feeling that is the reason it flopped in the box office due to the fact it needed that little more extra mileage ..

If the DVD-cover states that a movie is in the style of certain others you should already be warned! Generally it's a dead giveaway for cheap imitations or failed attempts to contribute to the genre. 'Dead Fish' is a clear example of the latter, with a great cast and good production standards but yet it still fails miserably.The reason is simply because it's all a bit too improbable and over-the-top. We have Gary Oldman as the hired gun falling into love on first glance with a girl using exactly the same phone? Jimi Mistry as a pothead whose behaviour should have killed him long ago? Billy Zane whose character is the most unlikely secret agent you'll ever see? The coming back to life of Terence Stamp?And the list could be longer still, handy you're a locksmith if you carry a hit mans' phone who gets his orders from station lockers! On the positive side there's Robert Carlyle as the foul mouthed loan shark and gorgeous Elena Anaya as the love interest. But even they cannot save a movie that's just trying too hard.

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.