One Cut of the Dead

A low-budget zombie film is being shot at an abandoned factory once used for military experiments. When actual zombies appear and start attacking the cast and crew, the director Higurashi seizes the opportunity and keeps filming, while his actors and crew flee in genuine panic. This is the starting point of One Cut of the Dead, but the film moves in unexpected directions from there, following the production of the zombie movie from a different perspective and showing how the chaotic shoot came together.

The film is the debut feature of Japanese director Shinichiro Ueda, who also wrote the screenplay, with Koji Ichihashi producing. It preceded Ueda's later films Tamae's Super High School and Angry Squad: The Civil Servant and the Seven Swindlers. The cast includes Takayuki Hamatsu as Higurashi, Yuzuki Akiyama as Chinatsu, Kazuaki Nagaya, Harumi Shuhama, Mao and Hiroshi Ichihara.

Made for a very small budget, One Cut of the Dead went on to earn around 28 million US dollars worldwide, a large return relative to its cost. It is rated 7.6 out of 10 on IMDb from over 28,000 votes and 7.6 out of 10 on TMDB from over 1,000 votes. A film critics' rating of 8.6 out of 10 from 97 reviews places it notably higher than the audience scores.