Before you watch director Michel Hazanavicius’s Final Cut, it’s a good idea to watch the film that it is remaking; One Cut of the Dead. It’s a zombie comedy featuring a small film crew that is in the middle of shooting a low-budget zombie movie. As the director (Romain Duris) attempts to get his cast to perform at the level he needs, things go badly for them all as they are attacked by real zombies. The big conceit of the film, which is in the title of the original, is that there is a 30-minute long take that opens the film. It’s impressive for a multitude of reasons – both in the original and in the remake.
Movies about filmmaking work for me. It’s one of the things that really grabbed me about One Cut of the Dead. However, I’ll admit that going into Final Cut/, I was apprehensive that it could live up to the source material. At first, it doesn’t. I wasn’t sure if it was the tone or the possible changes in some comedic elements that weren’t clicking. There is a bit of meta-commentary on the process, as this time the cast is remaking a Japanese film – but that bit doesn’t really pay off enough. Yet, whether it’s the cast or just the undeniable essence of the artistry of cinema, this movie won me over completely.
Alongside Duris are Bérénice Bejo, Grégory Gadebois, Finnegan Oldfield, Matilda Lutz, Raphaël Quenard, and Luàna Bajrami, among some others. Duris has a great presence in the role; h emanates an uncomfortable director. There is a passion in his performance that implies he wants to be a filmmaker, but he takes any work he can get. It’s the relationship with his daughter that really sells the overall story for me. She loves movies and wants to be a filmmaker, but is constantly being stifled. The two have a clear tension that is resolved in a truly satisfying way.
If the audience doesn’t know exactly how the story will unfold, they’re in for quite an experience. The movie is broken up into three clear acts. The first act is the premise above and features the 30-minute long take. The second act jumps back to before the film crew is making the movie, and a little bit of context is given. In the third act, the movie really kicks into the meta elements of filmmaking that truly sell the overall presentation. The film’s structure is a big part of why it works so well. Despite the odds, Final Cut somehow manages to be a decent remake of an excellent movie.
Final Cut will have a limited theatrical release beginning on July 14.
Rating: Decent Watch.
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