''Cut'' is a 2011 Japanese

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Amir Naderi Amir Naderi ( fa, امیر نادری (), born 15 August 1946, in Abadan) is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and photographer. He is best known for '' The Runner'' and ''Vegas: Based on a True Story''. Career Amir Naderi grew up in Abada ...

, starring Hidetoshi Nishijima and

Takako Tokiwa is a Japanese actress. Career Tokiwa was nominated for the "Best Actress" award at the Japanese Academy Awards in 2005 for her performance in '' Akai Tsuki''. She co-starred with Hidetoshi Nishijima in Amir Naderi's 2011 film '' Cut''. Fil ...

Cast

* Hidetoshi Nishijima as Shuji *

as Yoko *

Takashi Sasano is a Japanese actor. Career Sasano has appeared in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's films '' Bright Future'' (2003) and '' Before We Vanish'' (2017). He also appeared in Amir Naderi's 2011 film ''Cut''. Filmography Film * '' Tora-san's Island Encounter'' ( ...

as Hiroshi *

Shun Sugata is a Japanese actor. Career Sugata was born in Yamanashi Prefecture. He starred in the 2006 film ''Confessions of a Dog''. He appeared in Amir Naderi's 2011 film ''Cut''. Filmography Film * ''Seiha'' (1982) as Nakahara * ''Kita no hotaru'' ...

as Masaki * Denden as Takagaki * Takuji Suzuki as Nakamichi

Production

''Cut'' was initially inspired by the director

's relationship with the late

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes ( ; December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. First known as a television and film actor, Cassavetes also helped pioneer American independent cinema, writing and dire ...

. After he met the actor Hidetoshi Nishijima at the

Tokyo Filmex TOKYO FILMeX (東京フィルメックス) is an international film festival established in 2000. The film festival was launched by Office Kitano, the agency and production company co-founded by leading actor-filmmaker Takeshi Kitano. TOKYO FILM ...

festival in 2002, he decided to adapt the story to Japan.

Reception

Neil Young of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' described ''Cut'' as "

's violent homage to Japanese cinema". Dan Fainaru of ''

Screen International ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global film business. ...

'' felt that the film is "certainly one of the most significant to come out this year in Venice, both in shape and content." Chris Cabin of

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

gave the film 2 out of 4 stars. He commented that Shuji might be "the most convincingly pretentious and frustrated cinephile to ever be portrayed on film" and Hidetoshi Nishijima is "admirable in conveying Shuji's caustic misanthropy without making him entirely unlikable." Meanwhile, Ben Umstead of

Twitch Film Screen Anarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...

criticized the film, noting that the film's climax is "so cinema-indulgent that it may perhaps only be tolerated by a cinephile that can knowingly take it in with a sense of humor and a great sense of empathy... and a lot in between." Mark Shilling of ''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

'' gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars. He said: "As stills from some of Naderi's 100 favorites flash on the screen amid the blows and blood, ''Cut'' becomes not only a paean to beloved films, but also a rallying cry against the forces of greed and cynicism. The ultra violence, however, threatens to drown out the message. ..Despite the many shout-outs to Japanese directors in ''Cut'', from

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

Takeshi Kitano is a Japanese comedian, television presenter, actor, filmmaker, and author. While he is known primarily as a comedian and TV host in his native Japan, he is better known abroad for his work as a filmmaker and actor as well as TV host. With th ...

, Naderi is not simply the latest foreigner trying to make a fake 'Japanese movie.' Instead he has made a Naderi movie, using Japanese cinema as an inspiration, while referencing the local culture's traditional love of the self-sacrificial hero."

References

External links

* * Films directed by Amir Naderi Japanese drama films 2011 films 2011 drama films 2010s Japanese films 2010s Japanese-language films {{2010s-Japan-film-stub