One Cut of the Dead (2017) Review

“One Cut of the Dead” Theatrical Poster

Director: Shinichiro Ueda
Cast: Takayuki Hamatsu, Mao, Harumi Syuhama, Kazuaki Nagaya, Manabu Hosoi, Hiroshi Ichihara, Shuntaro Yamazaki, Shinichiro Osawa, Yoshiko Takehara
Running Time: 95 min.

By Paul Bramhall

I’m not sure if there’s a single person out there that would willingly raise their hand to being a fan of the Japanese zombie micro-budget genre. The standard traits of such productions usually consist of uninspired stories, enough budget to try and make 1 blood bag last the whole movie, laughable zombie make-up, cheap titillation, and CGI so bad it looks like it was created before computers existed. These movies exist to fill a gap in the market I’m not sure is even big enough to warrant worrying about, but nevertheless, if you’ve drained Netflix dry of zombie outings, or just want to enjoy watching scantily clad ladies hacking away at the undead, they’re out there. If you don’t believe me, just look up Attack Girls’ Swimteam vs. The Undead.

With that being said, the 2017 micro-budget production One Cut of the Dead has quickly gained cult status, almost entirely thanks to the positive word of mouth it’s achieved on the festival circuit. Made for just $25,000 and shot in 8 days, it’s already raked in over $25,000,000 globally, equating to a 1000% return on investment. Not bad for a movie which is in fact the bi-product of an ENBU Seminar, a school in Toyko that conducts workshops on acting and directing. It’s fair to say that those who enrolled for this particular workshop could have no idea they’d become such an integral part of the productions runaway success.

One Cut of the Dead’s unconventional journey to the screen has also brought with it some controversy on its native soil. Established studios were quick to frown upon the fact that, from a certain perspective, it could be argued its cast actually paid to feature in the movie. While this is technically true, the seminar did come with an enrolment fee, it’s since been confirmed that everyone that was cast has received a cut (no pun intended) of the productions success. So how did a movie with an unknown cast, using a genre that’s been milked for all its worth, on a budget that wouldn’t cover a week’s catering in Hollywood, become so popular?

It was a question I was keen to find the answer to, and spurred on by a trusted friend who’d already seen it, I found myself sitting down to give One Cut of the Dead a watch. In all honesty, within the first 30 minutes I came close to turning it off twice. Sure, the story contained a spark of originality. A film crew visit an abandoned water treatment facility, where they intend to shoot a zombie flick. The director, played by Takayuki Hamatsu, has secured himself the gig by assuring the producers of his reputation for being “fast, cheap, but average.” However his cast are giving him issues, from his female lead (Yuzuki Akayama) to the main zombie (Kazuaki Nagaya), the inability to get a successful take leads to plenty of high pitched yelling as only the Japanese can.

However the facility hides a dark secret, as it’s revealed that during World War II it was originally used by the Japanese army to conduct “human reanimation experiments”. It gradually becomes clear that the director knows more about this dubious history than he’s letting on, and with the sudden appearance of real zombies crashing the set, the resulting panic from the cast is met with glee from Hamatsu, who deliriously yells “Don’t stop shooting!” The announcement is also the direct translation of the Japanese title, and the cameraman duly obliges, resulting in an unbroken 37 minute one-take shot that opens the movie.

The single shot took a total of 2 days to complete over 6 takes (apparently the cast nailed it on the 2nd take, but technical difficulties with the camera resulted in the footage being unusable), and it’s an admirable effort. Of course I’m sure fellow Japanese director Koji Shiraishi would hunt me down if I neglected to mention that his 2014 production, A Record of Sweet Murder, consisted of an 80 minute one-take shot, so he’s still the guy to beat! Admirable as it may be though, One Cut of the Dead can’t escape the trappings of what it is – a micro-budget Japanese zombie movie. Relentlessly irritating screaming, shoddy acting (at one point a character simply walks out of shot for no reason), clunky pacing, and dialogue that sometimes sounds as if it’s being made up on the spot. The only real factor that kept me watching was a promise I made to my friend, who’d insisted that I had to “stick with it.”

Stick with it I did, making me thankful that I (usually) keep the promises I make. After the epic single take wraps up, One Cut of the Dead hoodwinks the audience in a way which can only be described as pure genius. To go into any level of detail as to what the remaining hour consists of would only involve spoilers, and dampen the experience for any potential viewers who’ve yet to check it out, so I’ll avoid mentioning any specifics. Needless to say though, the popularity that this particular zombie flick has garnered is well earned, and that’s in no small thanks to director and writer Shinichiro Ueda’s killer concept.

Ueda debuted in 2011 with the entertainingly titled Rice and Boobs, a debate movie which posed the (decidedly male-centric) question of, if one of the two had to disappear from the world forever, which would you choose? It’s a question I’m sure Chow Yun Fat’s character from A Better Tomorrow 2 would be happy to weigh in on. Since then he’s stuck with directing shorts, the most recent of which was Take 8, which revolves around an actor that’s due to play the father at the shoot of a wedding not turning up, and the drama that follows. While thematically very different, the framework of using a film shoot as the basis for telling a story is one that’s carried over to One Cut of the Dead, and is used much more dynamically with the benefit of a feature length runtime.

Perhaps most interestingly, as much as I started watching One Cut of the Dead expecting to draw comparisons to the likes of I Am a Hero and Train to Busan, the movie that I was left most reminded of once the credits rolled was Hong Sang-soo’s Tales of Cinema from 2005. While both fall into very different genres, what they share in common is a structure that plays with the traditional narrative to go in unexpected directions. For Hong Sang-soo, he used a similar technique as a pivot to shift into increasingly challenging territory, however for Ueda, his blindside is used to shove his unassuming cast onto a path which proves to be both unexpectedly hilarious, while also delivering a surprisingly feel-good factor.

It’s safe to say that the One Cut of the Dead train has plenty of mileage left it in at the time of writing. The rights may have been bought for a US remake, however it’s difficult to imagine how to transpose such a unique offering without losing the originals magic. But then again, I’m the guy that upon hearing Ringu was going to receive an American remake back in the early 00’s, confidently declared that it would never work. What I can say with confidence though, is that a Hollywood set TV spin-off has already hit Japanese TV screens, titled One Cut of the Dead Spin-Off: In Hollywood and features many returning cast members. While Ueda stuck to screenwriting duties, he handed the directorial reigns for the spin-off over to One Cut of the Dead’s 2nd unit director, Yuya Nakaizumi. At the time of writing it’s yet to receive any English subtitles, however here’s hoping we’ll see them sometime soon.

While both the zombie genre and Japanese cinema overall have seen better days, it’s an adrenaline rush to find movies like One Cut of the Dead out there that not only want to please audiences, but are also daring enough to toy with them. Those expecting a bloodbath splatter fest will likely find themselves disappointed with what Ueda’s production really has to offer, however for anyone that classes themselves as a fan of cinema, there’s plenty to enjoy. Ueda already has his next gig lined up with a production called Aesop’s Game, which he wrote and co-directed with his One Cut of the Dead collaborators Yuya Nakaizumi and Naoya Asanuma, so here’s hoping that same level of originality is maintained moving forward. If I can give one piece of advice to anyone hesitant to check out this diamond in the rough, then it would be “Don’t stop watching!”

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 9/10