The Best “Not a Zombie Movie” Ever Made

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MOVIE REVIEW
One Cut of the Dead
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Genre: Horror, Comedy
Year Released: 2017
Runtime: 1h 36m
Director(s): Shin'ichirô Ueda
Writer(s): Shin'ichirô Ueda, Ryoichi Wada
Cast: Takayuki Hamatsu, Yuzuki Akiyama, Harumi Shuhama
Where to Watch: Streaming on AMC+, Shudder, Available on Blu-ray from Third Window Films, order here www.amazon.com (region 2)

RAVING REVIEW: Action! ONE CUT OF THE DEAD is a whacky Japanese zombie movie that redefines the zombie flick genre! From start to end, this film will leave you speechless because of how many walls it breaks and will make you chomp at the bits for more.

When I first turned on this film, I was… underwhelmed, to say the least. Though the idea of a film being shot in one shot is fun and has worked well with other films, such as Hitchcock’s “Rope” and “1917. I thought the acting was awkward, the camera angles chosen were a bit disorienting and nauseating, and the picture quality and lighting were awful. The story follows a director who sets out to make a zombie film, and then an actual zombie apocalypse starts while he is filming. He uses the “real” zombies to get “real” reactions from his actors. This is an original plotline, but it is executed poorly. For thirty-five minutes, I sat and watched this film and became convinced that everyone who’d told me how incredible it was had to be taking any number of seriously hard drugs. Then, the credits rolled. “What?!” I thought to myself as the camera roughly raised to a bird’s eye of the final girl. “Surely that’s not all there is! What a load of… “*Screen fades* “One month earlier” appears on the screen. I was left utterly shocked as the realization consumed me; I had just watched a half-hour zombie flick from the director, who is the main character of the actual film. The movie hadn’t started yet. It pulled a total “Scream” move on me where it showed me “Stab 74” before letting me see Neve Campbell kick some butt. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

What starts as a shotty zombie flick turns into a heartwarming and hilarious adventure about a director who is seemingly satisfied with being average, taking on the absurd task of creating a half-hour live zombie show that is shot entirely in one take. The film takes the audience on a tour of how films are made. The whole thing kind of plays out like a behind-the-scenes featurette. We get to see the reasons why all the mistakes happened in the first part of the film. All the disastrous circumstances that led to changes in the film are shown. Every single time you think, “Oh, why are the characters acting so awkward here,” or “It looks like the cameraman fell on the ground, why are we just seeing a shot of their feet?” is explained.

Overall, this “not a zombie film” lived up to its hype and so much more. While the direction and actual camera work weren’t anything to write home about, the acting was great, and the entire premise and idea behind the film and how it destroys the 4th wall time and time again are impressive and brilliant. The idea of a zombie apocalypse breaking out during the shoot of a zombie flick is clever enough, but to fake the audience out and show that they’re watching a movie about making that movie was so unexpected and refreshing. The Zombie genre has been so dull for a long time, and it’s wonderful to have a film inject such originality and life into it once more. There hasn’t been a zombie movie that felt this original since Dawn of the Dead.

[photo courtesy of THIRD WINDOW FILMS]

MY SAG-AFTRA/WGA STRIKE STATEMENT:
As an advocate for creators, actors, and writers, I firmly stand with SAG-AFTRA and the WGA in their current strike. The entertainment industry is built on these individuals' extraordinary talents, and their contributions must be appropriately recognized and rewarded. They deserve fair compensation, sensible work hours, and respect for their creative rights. I believe in the power of unity and collective action, and I'm steadfast in my support for their fight for better working conditions and fair remuneration. Together, we can shape a more equitable future in the entertainment world.

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