One Cut of the Dead

Name: One Cut of the Dead
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Released: September 13, 2019
Duration: 96 min
Rating: 86
Cast: Ayana Gôda, Harumi Shuhama, Hiroshi Ichihara, Kazuaki Nagaya, Manabu Hosoi

2019

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 14 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 54 Ratings

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7.8

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7.8	Your Score
7.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 54 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Shudder | Release Date: September 13, 2019 | Not Rated

Starring: Ayana Gôda, Harumi Shuhama, Hiroshi Ichihara, Kazuaki Nagaya, Manabu Hosoi, Mao, Sakina Asamori, Takayuki Hamatsu, Takuya Fujimura, Yuzuki Akiyama

Summary: Things go badly for a hack director and film crew shooting a low budget zombie movie in an abandoned WWII Japanese facility, when they are attacked by real zombies.

Director: Shin'ichirô Ueda

Genre(s): Horror, Comedy

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 96 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Christopher Machell

Jan 27, 2019

As much a repudiation of auteur theory as a tribute to the imperfect process of creation, One Cut of the Dead is a thrilling reminder that of the beautiful, vital lie that is cinema. Read full review

100

The Telegraph Robbie Collin

Jan 27, 2019

In its own ingenious way, One Cut of the Dead cleaves true to the most important zombie rule of all: survival has always been a team effort. Read full review

100

Carlos Aguilar

Sep 12, 2019

A master class in endless narrative inventiveness and an ode to the resourceful and collaborative spirit of hands-on filmmaking, One Cut of the Dead amounts to an explosively hilarious rarity. Read full review

Andrew Crump

Sep 19, 2019

It’s chaos, but it’s controlled chaos (even if only just), and in the chaos there’s absolute joy. Read full review

Elizabeth Kerr

Jan 27, 2019

One Cut wears its cheapness as a badge of honor, a tricky endeavor given its actual production polish; make-up effects by Kazuhide Simohata and Jyunko Hirabayashi go a long way to supplying the film-within-the-film its guerilla feel. But the pic's best effect is its ability to ensure the same jokes land just as well in their second contexts. Read full review

Empire Ian Freer

Jan 27, 2019

One Cut Of The Dead is a true original, a fresh take on the zombie apocalypse drama and much more besides. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Simon Abrams

Sep 13, 2019

For me, One Cut of the Dead is good enough. It sometimes surprised me while I waited for a payoff that Ueda basically delivered, even if he and his collaborators never made me involuntarily leave my seat. Read full review

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User Reviews

spiteandmalice

Oct 22, 2019

It's one of those films where the less you know about it in advance the better.

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

The-Arty-Dans

Sep 15, 2019

This movie is the product of a filmmaker and crew who love what they do and put all their heart and soul into making it the best they can. A shoestring budget doesn't distract you from the fantastic story, likeable cast of characters and the best first 30 minutes of Japanese horror cinema.This movie is the product of a filmmaker and crew who love what they do and put all their heart and soul into making it the best they can. A shoestring budget doesn't distract you from the fantastic story, likeable cast of characters and the best first 30 minutes of Japanese horror cinema. You're crazy if you don't watch it.

To know more, watch my YouTube review, copy this text into YT search: "REVIEW: One Cut of the Dead | Japan | 2017 arty dans"… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

JLau

Sep 25, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Director makes a live broadcast zombie film about a director making a zombie film.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

TheQuietGamer

Nov 13, 2021

Makes creative use of its meta film-within-a-film premise. It starts off on an amusing enough note as the crew of a low-budget production are attacked by the very same monsters found in their script and are thrust into danger by their unhinged director. It's not bad, but the zombie action isMakes creative use of its meta film-within-a-film premise. It starts off on an amusing enough note as the crew of a low-budget production are attacked by the very same monsters found in their script and are thrust into danger by their unhinged director. It's not bad, but the zombie action is kind of weak and there are a lot of odd moments that don't make sense until much later on in the running-time. So it's not until the second portion when the curtain is pulled back on a huge unexpected twist and it completely changes its entire game (while still remaining true to the mise en abyme concept), essentially giving us two movies in one, that I began to understand why this has received so much praise. As weird as it feels to say, things are better off without the undead.

After One Cut goes in a wholly different direction we get a much funnier tale that can be surprisingly heartwarming. What we just saw beforehand is not simply abandoned however. Rather, it's built on, enriched, and made deeper. A lot of its more questionable aspects you will have noticed are explained, adding a lot of value to a rewatch of that first segment. In the end there aren't two disparate halves here, but rather a pair of distinctive, yet similar pieces that need each other to work.

Enjoyable as it all may be though, most of the hype is coming from its novelty more so than the actual content which is merely solid. There are some good jokes, but it's never a laugh riot and while I do think it's sweet with a good heart I wasn't invested in the characters. At the same time, I haven't seen anything that's executed its ideas quite like this has and in an era where originality is harder than it should be to come by that makes the experience quite refreshing, so I understand why there are so many overstatements about its quality. Particularly given its charming attitude. This is probably the cutest thing on Shudder after all.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

ProfAmateur

Feb 3, 2023

How do I write a review without a spoil for this movie? :D
Well, let's try it like this: The first 30 minutes are absolutely trash. Afterwards you will be informed why, and it's funny!

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JLuis_001

Jun 6, 2021

“I'm fast, cheap, but average,”

No better words can describe this thing, and it should wear them as a badge of honor because even with all its shortcoming, it was quite inventive. In many professional reviews that I read, they said the film gives new life to the genre, and even though it“I'm fast, cheap, but average,”

No better words can describe this thing, and it should wear them as a badge of honor because even with all its shortcoming, it was quite inventive.

In many professional reviews that I read, they said the film gives new life to the genre, and even though it was released 4 years ago, that's something very difficult to achieve.
And not because the best attributes of this film cannot be highlighted, but because you cannot pull the same trick twice.

I didn't buy into the hype, but I'll admit that it was a very different way to absorb something new from the tiresome and overexploited zombie genre.

It represents effort, and it's more remarkable for that.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

Dangusse

Dec 13, 2022

one cut of the dead is utterly unwatchable overhyped slog. they must have spent their entire budget on paying off critics, since i do not understand how any person in their right mind or out of it could find this film enjoyable. there is not a single aspect of the production that isone cut of the dead is utterly unwatchable overhyped slog. they must have spent their entire budget on paying off critics, since i do not understand how any person in their right mind or out of it could find this film enjoyable. there is not a single aspect of the production that is redeemable. no horror, no comedy, no clever writing, not a single halfway decent actor in the cast, terrible camera work and film quality, no purpose to speak of. i legitimately would find more enjoyment from watching paint dry.

this movie is not even ironically bad, it's not bad enough that you can laugh at it, it is just a massive waste of your time, and i find it outrageous and unacceptable that a film this bad was allowed to make THIRTY MILLION DOLLARS.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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