''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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Amir Naderi, starring Hidetoshi Nishijima and Takako Tokiwa.

Cast

* Hidetoshi Nishijima as Shuji * Takako Tokiwa as Yoko * Takashi Sasano as Hiroshi * Shun Sugata as Masaki * Denden as Takagaki * Takuji Suzuki as Nakamichi

Production

''Cut'' was initially inspired by the director Amir Naderi's relationship with the late John Cassavetes. After he met the actor Hidetoshi Nishijima at the Tokyo Filmex 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 " Amir Naderi'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 which also owned '' Broadcast''. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involv ...

'' 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 Yor ...

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 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 who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...

to Takeshi Kitano, 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 Japanese-language drama films {{2010s-Japan-film-stub