One Cut of the Dead (2017)

I actually picked up the steelbook edition of One Cut of the Dead at Dollar Tree a few years ago — a total steal for a buck — but if you don’t have that kind of luck, you can also find it streaming on Shudder. And trust me, it’s absolutely worth tracking down.

Now, this review is going to be short and spoiler-free because One Cut of the Dead is best experienced knowing as little as possible. The less you know, the better the ride. What I knew going in — and what I’ll tell you — is that the story follows a low-budget film director making a zombie movie when his cast and crew suddenly find themselves under attack by real zombies. That’s all you need to know. Seriously.

The film was directed and written by Shinichirō Ueda (with co-writer Ryoichi Wada), and while I’m not going to go into the cast details — because I don’t want to spoil anything — I’ll just say that everyone involved delivers in surprising ways once you see where the film goes.

Here’s one big piece of advice: stick with it. The first 30 to 35 minutes might test your patience. It’s a bit rough, and you might even wonder what all the hype is about. But hang in there. There’s a payoff waiting that completely recontextualizes what you’ve seen and turns the whole experience into something special. I’ve read that some people even walked out of theaters during the first reel. Don’t be one of them. The ending is absolutely worth it.

It’s creative, funny, and a total love letter to indie film-making. Whether you watch it on Blu-ray, DVD, or streaming, just make sure you see it.