ONE CUT Of THE DEAD
film extras out now DVD, BD extras Making of, interview, short Film, outtakes, GoPro version
do we really need another cheapo zombie movie splattered with bad acting and technical glitches? For the first 37 minutes of this Japanese entry to the overcrowded sub-genre, you might well wonder, as a DIY film crew struggles to shoot a gory Z-flick only to be attacked, for real, by the walking dead. It’s hardly a new gimmick, and nor is the decision to shoot in one take.
But that’s just the first couple of layers to a horror movie that really does know its filmmaking onions. In fact, you’re best off ditching this review here and just watching director/writer/editor Shinichiro Ueda’s inventive picture – there’s a reason it’s bitten off 250 times its $27,000 budget at the Japanese box office, and devoured prizes whole on the festival circuit.
Still here? OK, then you should know that to get to the braaains of the piece, you need to survive the first act. Following that, One Cut Of The Dead
flashes back to show director Higurashi (Takayuki Hamatsu) land the gig of shooting a live Z-movie for TV. We witness his painstaking prep and his cast and crew becoming a family… and then re-witness that opening act from a remove, privy to team members scuttling just out of shot to ensure the show goes on.
Suddenly all of those glitches and duff line-readings make sense, and Ueda’s micro-horror reveals itself as a movie-biz satire. Infectious fun. Jamie Graham