Film Review: ‘One Cut of the Dead’

Viewers get three films for the price of one in “One Cut for the Dead,” a terrific Japanese horror-comedy that proves there’s somewhere the zombie apocalypse movie hasn’t yet gone.

Writer-director-editor Shinichiro Ueda’s cleverly conceived and executed debut feature opens with an unbroken 37-minute shot of monster mayhem before hitting the reset button and turning into a funny satire of low-budget genre filmmaking — and eventually becoming a charming family comedy-drama.

Packed with witty nods to classic horror movies, “One Cut” is a natural for genre fests and has such a warm and winning heart it could also fit into mainstream festival programs.

A limited local release is planned for June 23.Going virtually unnoticed in Japan since its late 2017 completion, “One Cut” announced itself in fine style as runner-up in the audience vote at Udine, one of Europe’s key gateway events for Asian popular cinema.

The film

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