Starring Takayuki Hamatsu, Mao, Harumi Syuhama, Yuzuki Akiyama, Kazuaki Nagaya

Directed by Shinichiro Ueda

Third Window Films, out now on Bluray and DVD

When a film crew are attacked by real-life zombies in an abandoned WWII facility, the director sees the opportunity to create something very different, but does he really appreciate what he’s up against, and just how much do we as the audience know what’s really going on?

When was the last time you saw something that was totally original, where you thought to yourself ‘That’s so clever? Why hasn’t this been done before?’ And that’s not typical of the zombie movie genre, which has for many years been done to death (ahem!) and then some, with every possible iteration ‘… of the Living Dead’ shuffling onto screens. But Shinichiro Ueda’s hit indie Japanese zombie horror comedy movie has been doing big business for good reason – both on its home territory and at horror film festivals – and that’s because it’s not the film you think it is.

To say much more about this gem would be to spoil some of its surprises, and I can’t wait to see it again to pick up what I missed first time round. The opening reel is a single 37-minute single shot, an achievement in itself, and yet this isn’t the smartest part of the film, it’s just the foundations on which it’s all built. It’s not even that it’s meta or post-modern – it just does things in a way that gives you faith that there’s still something new to be said. A big shout out to Dirt in the Gate for hosting the Bournemouth screening at the Shelley Theatre ahead of the home entertainment release by Third Window Films on 28th January.

After watching the theatrical print of One Cut of the Dead we’ve also had the chance to enjoy the extras on the BluRay Limited Edition. Third Window are offering a vanilla release on VOD and DVD, but it’s the second ‘extras’ disc on the BluRay that offers the best experience, with over two hours of material.

There’s an interview with director Shinichiro Ueda (17 mins), a fun 45-minute Making Of (which is ironic, being the ‘making of’ of a ‘making of’!), short film ‘Take 8’ (20 mins), five minutes of outtakes, a Go-Pro version of the full 38-minute ‘One-Cut’ take and a hilarious instructional video about the martial arts sensation that is Pom! While a commentary track would have been the icing on the cake, I have to accept that the production team are non-English-speaking, and what we do get is comprehensive.

Verdict: Pom! If I see another film that impresses me this much this year then I’ll consider myself very lucky. Proof that you don’t need a big budget or star names to create stellar entertainment, this will not only be a perennial favourite for film fans and film-makers alike but a well-deserved cult classic – I’m just waiting for all the copycats to jump on the bandwagon. 10/10

Nick Joy