One Cut of the Dead (Kamera o Tomeru Na!)

One Cut of the Dead is a Japanese horror comedy that follows a director and his crew as they shoot a zombie film. The catch is that it is being broadcast to a live audience. There’s no cuts, no retakes, they just have to get it right. Things get harder and harder as the crew starts to fall apart and the history of their shooting location starts to rear its head.

That’s one way to put it. Another, more accurate way of putting it would be to say that One Cut of the Dead is a movie about making a movie about making a movie. It opens with a short about a making a zombie film in a WWII facility where they tried to resurrect the dead that gets interrupted by some actual zombies. The director decides that he can use the undead to his advantage and films the zombies attacking his cast and crew. It’s hilarious, gory, and a super fun ride. Then comes the opening credits of the actual film that follows the production of the short that you just watched.

While the rest of the film, in my opinion, isn’t as strong as the initial short, it is still pretty damned funny. There are some super awkward moments in the short that are explained by watching it at all come together. You get a whole new feel for the story as you watch them struggle to make it to the finish line.

All in all, would I recommend this film? Yeah I would. It’s a super fun ride from beginning to end. If you get the chance to check this one out, you definitely should.