Shohei Imamura
In 1996 and 1997, Yakusho enjoyed several major successes. "The Eel," directed by Shohei Imamura, in which he played the eel-loving lead, won the Palme d'Or at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. Lawrence Van Gelder in the New York Times called his performance "unerring." "A Lost Paradise", about a double-suicide, was second only to "Princess Mononoke" at the Japanese box office.