One Cut of the Dead

One Cut of the Dead

Starring Takayuki Hamatsu, Yuzuki Akiyama, Harumi Shuhama, Kazuaki Nagaya

Directed by Shin'ichiro Ueda

I'm someone who really enjoys movies, if you couldn't tell.  I love the fact that they can be pretty much anything your mind imagines, and create their own unique world that takes us away from our ordinary lives and see something extraordinary.  "One Cut of the Dead" isn't a wholly magical film, nor is it really exceptionally well-done, but it does offer a very unique, stylized, and humorous look in the world of filmmaking and the zombie movie craze that's taken over cinema worldwide.

In this small-budget film, we follow a group of filmmakers who wish to make a zombie movie in an abandoned building in rural Japan, only to discover that real zombies have invaded and they have to fight for their lives for real.  This concept has been done before, but to not spoil the film, there's much more story than just this - and if you can stomach the initial 37 minutes, you'll find something remarkable and offers a very behind-the-scenes look at small-budget filmmaking.

The first 37 minutes is the beginning of the zombie invasion, and you can clearly tell that this is a b-rated zombie horror from the start.  The performances are downright silly, there's moments that don't make any sense whatsoever, and you can observe that it was done entirely on a shoe-string budget (the film itself only cost $25,000 to make, and so far has made over $25,000,000, so that's got something going for it).  While watching this first part, I wondered to myself how Rotten Tomatoes could give it the coveted 100% Fresh rating, but after that first 37 minutes is when things begin to really pick up and dissect itself in this meta-movie-within-a-movie motif.

In fact, this opening sequence is a low-key achievement all its own.  The title of the film is "One Cut of the Dead," which means that the entire first scene was shot in one continuous take - no edits, no cuts, no do-overs.  It took the filmmakers two days and six takes to make it work, but in the end they managed to go against all odds and make it work - even if it comes across as cheesy and corny.  It's not until later that we see the true fruits of their labor, and can appreciate the beginning of the film and see it in a whole new light.

When it comes to the performances, as I said earlier, they're not that great - but even that seems intentional.  The movie centers on four major characters who must endure the real zombie apocalypse while filming a fake one, and each character has moments to shine.  Yuzuki Akiyama plays Chinatsu, the female survivor who exhibits innocence and resilience.  Kazuaki Nagaya plays Ko, who is Chinatsu's love interest who turns into a zombie for the movie but then finds himself protecting himself and the others during the real invasion.  Harumi Shuhama plays Nao, who works behind the scenes but then exhibits strong survival skills when she really needs to, while also going a bit crazy.  Then there's Takayuki Hamatsu, who plays Higurashi, the director.  He will stop at nothing to make the film, even during the real zombie apocalypse as he continues filming and telling the actors to act scared when they really are, popping in and out at random moments.

You might think this is just another cut-rate b-rated zombie horror film, but the story goes much deeper than the first sequence would have you believe.  If you can last through the opening groan-fest, you'll be treated to a wholly unique look at the zombie subgenre, and maybe even appreciate the opening again after fully understanding its purpose.

The Score: A