Final Cut: Remake of One Cut of the Dead in theaters now
By Carla Davis
Final Cut received a limited release in the US on July 14, something I have been feeling cautiously optimistic about. It’s a remake of the Japanese film One Cut of the Dead, which I absolutely adored, so my expectations are pretty high.
Final Cut debuted at Cannes Film Festival on opening night, and unfortunately, the reviews I have read haven’t been very favorable. Of course, we horror movie fans are used to unfavorable reviews, so it may be that the reviewers just don’t like horror…it happens all too often.
One Cut of the Dead was made on a budget of $25,000, and ended up grossing about $60 million worldwide. It’s one of those films that you don’t want to say too much about, because there are a couple of really great twists that are best experienced by going in cold. I always tell people that it is a gory film, but it’s also delightful, and I watched the whole thing with a giant grin on my face.
It opens with what looks like the filming of a low-budget zombie flick (complete with cheesy zombie makeup effects and sub-par acting) that gets invaded by real zombies. Instead of halting filming, the desperate director insists that the film crew continue shooting, and the actors continue acting. And that’s really all I want to say about the plot.
Final Cut is a French film that features Oscar nominee Berenice Bejo (The Artist), Finnegan Oldfield (Corsage) and Matilda Lutz, who played Jen in the fantastic Shudder Original film Revenge. It seems to follow the same premise as the original, and judging by the clips and the trailer, the characters have the same feel.
Here’s a clip from Final Cut:
For those who haven’t yet seen One Cut of the Dead, you can watch it on Shudder. Or, better yet, catch it on Shudder series The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs, where you get the bonus feature of Joe Bob Briggs’s commentary. He also gives a standing-ovation worthy speech at the end of the episode, imploring independent filmmakers to “keep rolling” and not give up. He encourages them to continue on, even if they feel like they are failing, and even to send him their independent films.
As far as Final Cut is concerned, I will 100% watch it when I get the opportunity. You can see the trailer here: