Final Cut makes it’s way to the States in limited theaters this week, that manages to be heartfelt and touching, even if the remake wasn’t needed.
A so-so director tasked with making a zombie film, unleashes real zombies upon the cast and crew in order to make his work stand out. If something about this sounds familiar to you, that’s because Final Cut, is a French remake of the 2017 Japanese film, One Cut of the Dead.
Final Cut (Coupez!)
Directed By: Michel Hazanavicius
Written By: Michel Hazanavicius
Starring: Romain Duris, Bérénice Bejo, Grégory Gadebois, Matilda Lutz
Release Date: July 14, 2023
Here’s the thing though…these aren’t actually zombie movies. The real heart and story of the film(s) is about how that film gets made. Yes, the zombie movie that sits at the heart of the film’s overt marketing and presentation isn’t the ‘real’ movie you’re watching. It’s a movie within the movie and ultimately provides a meta-commentary on how film/art can be powerful even if it’s cheesy.
I know, it sounds more confusing on paper than it actually is and I normally avoid any story spoilers…but this feels important to mention right off the bat. The first 30-ish minutes of the film is the full version of this B-movie zombie flick and it’s presented in a way that makes it feel like this is the movie you’re engaging with.
It’s rough. But it’s supposed to be rough. It’s supposed to come across as low-budget schlock, and the reasoning comes through as the film’s actual story comes into focus. To be entirely honest, with both of these films, I was awfully close to tapping out early on if only because that initial section is tough to get through. There’s just enough humor and absurdity to keep you watching, but when that initial “movie” wraps up, you feel just about ready to be done.
Don’t do that, however, as you’ll end up missing out on a seriously touching and funny story that will leave you cheering. That’s exactly why I’m telling you this now. Trust me, you’ll want to hang on and watch the whole thing.
The gore-filled meta movie morphs into a behind the scenes look at how the director, Rémi (Romain Duris), takes on the seemingly impossible task—filming this movie live in a single take—in order to reconnect with his daughter. We get to see how he comes into the job and the work he puts into getting the production off the ground, before the final third of the movie dumps us back to the beginning on the set of their crappy B-movie.
This time around, however, we’re shown the making of the film from a completely different perspective. Through this new approach, we see exactly why certain parts of the initial flick are so weird/schlocky, and it makes the overall experience more hilarious and gripping. Even though we start the film seeing the “final” product, it’s impossible to not get caught up in the drama that unfolds behind the scenes. There’s a tension you wouldn’t expect, and as they somehow manage to pull it off, you find yourself cheering along with them.
Truly, I came away from the film remembering why I love movies. Even having a background in film production (and schooling), it’s neat to see a movie that’s essentially about how “the sausage gets made.” In this way, it’s a genuine love letter to making movies and hammers home the idea that all movies, regardless of the final cut’s quality, can be a labor of love and worth something.
In an industry where it’s easy to get chewed up and burnt out (especially now as we see strikes happening and hear horror stories about mistreatment on sets), there’s something beautiful about seeing it presented this way. It makes you, the audience, care for the people working behind the scenes in a way that’s too easy to forget when we discuss most films.
You may notice, I’ve done a lot of talking about these films together…that’s because Final Cut is almost exactly the same as the Japanese original, One Cut of the Dead. Seriously. Pretty much the only thing changed has been the actors and language!
In some ways, this itself is a meta commentary on filmmaking, as the premise revolves around Rémi being tasked with remaking the Japanese film. It’s a fun/cheeky reference to the original that plays out in some fun ways. At one point, he attempts to change up the script, only to be told by the Japanese investors to keep it exactly the same…hence why the movie we’re watching is pretty much a beat-for-beat remake.
It’s impressive how director Michel Hazanavicius manages to still infuse this remake with plenty of heart. It’s not a lifeless copy and manages to be just as engaging and heartfelt which is no mean feat considering it’s almost the exact same film as the original.
Even so, it feels like a tough sell and something that might only appeal to people with no knowledge of the original movie. For years, I’ve long argued against the need for remakes of foreign language films, especially as they’re far more readily accessible to watch these days. Final Cut manages to be one of the better remakes around, and capturing the magic of the original better than most, but it still feels a tad unnecessary. As dedicated as it is to the original, I couldn’t help wondering why I just didn’t watch One Cut of the Dead again?
