Cut and Run

Starring:Willie Aames, Luca Barbareschi, Michael Berryman, Karen Black, Lisa Blount, Richard Bright, Penny Brown, Carlos De Carvalho, Ottaviano Dell'Acqua, Edward Farrelly, Valentina Forte, Roffredo Gaetani, Eriq La Salle, Richard Lynch, Barbara Magnolfi, Leonard Mann (II), John Steiner, Gabriele Tinti
Studio: Anchor Bay
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Straight from the set-'em-up and knock-'em-down school of teen-horror filmmaking, Stay Alive gives literal meaning to the parental lament, "Those games will kill you someday." Not that you'll find any parents in this gimmicky thriller set in New Orleans; they're conspicuously absent when Hutch (Jon Foster) and his hardcore gamer pals discover "Stay Alive," a mysterious next-generation computer game that has a nasty way of precipitating mayhem, horror, and death. If your character dies in the game, you're doomed to die in identically grisly fashion in real life. So, just don't play the game, right? WRONG. This being a teen horror flick with a screenplay that makes no sense whatsoever, the gamer pals (including victim #2, Hutch's boss, played with game-addicted fervor by Adam Goldberg) obsessively investigate the game and its creepy Ring-like origins in the 17th century murder spree of a woman known as "The Blood Countess." Because movies like this are best viewed on a steady diet of Pop Tarts and Ritalin, Jimmi Simpson earns top honors as the gamer pal with the creepiest behavior, and Malcolm in the Middle fans will enjoy the presence of Frankie Muniz as a gamer geek whose primary fashion statement consists of grimy T-shirts and green plastic poker-visors. While not nearly as fun or clever as the Final Destination movies, Stay Alive delivers a few good deaths while blatantly stealing most of its horror highlights from Ju-On and other Japanese horror hits. It's junk from start to finish, but its target audience of mallrats and gamers (especially those with attention deficit disorder, which helps to ignore the plot holes) won't mind a bit.--Jeff Shannon

Description

The blood runs deep in this extended director's cut of STAY ALIVE, the mind-bending thriller about a killer video game. The real world and the game world gruesomely collide when a group of friends play STAY ALIVE, a mysterious underground videogame that kills the gamer whose character dies in play. In a death-defying race against time, the survivors must solve the mystery of the game while desperately trying to stay alive. More spine-chilling gore and action, plus all-new never-before-seen material -- including a new character and subplot -- push this version way over the edge of what could be seen in theaters.

Customer Reviews:

This was a good horror flick.......2007-06-30

I liked this horror flick because it was a different kind of story. It was a story of some people getting together and playing the same game of a "ghost that was called back from the dead" only to realize that the ghost was looking for revenge to anyone that encounters it within the game. If you would "die" in the game, you would die in real life of the same circumstances. It was a good horror flick and did keep me interested through out the movie. I do highly recommend this movie to anyone that is a horror fan and likes a "different" story.

Why Not Just Destroy the Game.......2007-06-24

Stay Alive has an interesting premise and a good looking cast. The problem is that the execution (no real pun intended) is horrible. This was the last film made in New Orleans pre Katrina so I had some interest in seeing it. I must say that the City is quite possibly the best character in the film.

Hutch (Jon Foster) is an avid videogamer who inherits a prototype game from a recently deceased friend. After playing the game with a group of friends they begin to die in the way they were killed in the game. On a mission to find out how to stop the deaths the legend of the Blood Countess is revealed by an author who sounds amazingly like Elmer Fudd. What follows is standard slasher fare with the obigatory jerky girls of Asian horror thrown in for good measure.

The film looks terribly dark through most of the film and the sound design is not the best that I've heard on a new film. Add to this a weak storyline and too perfect characters and you get a film that it is better to stay away from.

Not recommended.

An OK horror flick........2007-06-09

Major points to the creators of this film for creating a horror movie that is different from the rest of the movies in its' genre (in terms of the video game aspect). That being said, this movie could be much better as it pulls ideas from many other horror movies.

So what's to like about this movie? As I said above, it's different. A group of kids must stay alive by playing a video game that controls how they die. As far as keeping my interest, it did a fair job of doing so.

What's not to like? I would have liked for the creators to have more of the actual video game in the movie. If these kids are literally trying to stay alive by playing a video game, you would think that they would show more of the actual video game to let the audience see what is going on. Also, the characters are nothing to be excited about. In general, "scary" movies" contain likeable characters so that you feel some sort of emotion when something bad happens to them. This creates a more intense movie. Unfortunately, Stay Alive's characters are incredibly unlikeable. Furthermore, if you've seen any scary movie, you'll know what's going to happen in this movie. It's very predictable.

My verdict? 3/5 stars. It's an ok movie. Nothing special. The flaws I mentioned above ruined what could have possibly been a great movie. If you really want to see this movie, I suggest renting it rather than buying it.

Some will watch it more than once.......2007-05-28

I don't know why all the negative reviews for this movie. I watched it a number of times and had fun with it. I enjoyed the characters and the way they were depicted. Rip Off of other films? Hey, in today's (especially horror)movies, what isn't? The idea is to make the next one better than the others or just as darn good. I thought Stay Alive did that.

I give it four stars for it's entertainment value, but that's just me.

Not your average horror flick........2007-05-01

I'm sure most people interested in this movie have seen the trailer at the least, which tells you most of the story right there. Dude gets a killer video game, literally, and wants to share with friends. It's interesting, the graphics decent, the acting not bad. Through most of it, I'm thinking to myself, 'It's Doogie Howser turned techno geek'. As my daughter and I watched it, I kept waiting for Sophia Bush to get 'bumped off'. While some pople think it's cliche, I thought it was a bit more innovative than that. The whole set up, of it being a killer video game, while reaching into fantasy, was actually done quite well. There isn't an overabundance of 'hack and slash' like the Jason or Freddy movies, it is somewhat unique. It's not a movie for everyone, but it is worth seeing at least once if you are into special effects and graphics. It isn't nearly as cheesy as most of the garbage that's been getting onto the sci-fi channel. I don't know if I can take another really horrible sci-fi thriller starring Casper Van Dien...Someone save us from that crappolla!!

Average customer rating:

I have wanted to see this movie since it came out earlier
boring
welcome back from oblivion
At last a unique film is restored
An Ignored Modern Classic

Dust Devil - The Final Cut

Manufacturer: Subversive Cinema
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Dark Waters
Street Trash
Masters of Horror - Imprint
Feast (Unrated) [HD DVD]
Let's Scare Jessica to Death

ASIN: B000HEWGTW
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Amazon.com

As noted by Richard Stanley fans, Dust Devil, the feature following his box-office hit Hardware, failed to find release, and when it did, a terrible edit drastically altered the story. Subversive Sinema has now released the director-approved final cut of Dust Devil, in a box set that also contains Dust Devil's working edit, the film's Sergio Leone-like soundtrack, and three riveting Stanley documentaries: The Secret Glory, Voice of the Moon, and The White Darkness. Dust Devil, a horror story based on the myth of a Namibian serial killer, looks more like a Western. Filmed on location in Africa where the murders allegedly took place, Chelsea Field plays Wendy Robinson, a woman, who under duress of leaving her husband, heads out to the desert to accidentally encounter the Dust Devil (Robert John Burke), a mercy killer who slays depressed women to save them from the dark side. According to locals, the Dust Devil is a demon, enabling Stanley's abiding interest in world folk religions to weigh heavily in on the plot, especially when the town's witch doctor visits the beyond to unlock mysteries, or when the Dust Devil displays a box containing his victims' fingers. The documentaries, however, are most exciting. The White Darkness unravels political and social aspects of Haitian Voudon, including the history of American Imperialism in Haiti, as told by skilled priest and priestess, Altes Paul and Edelle. Voice of the Moon shows footage of Afghani rebels in the late '80s, sans narrator, instead beautifully accompanied by native music and poetry, adding Herzogian emotional effect. The Secret Glory pieces together the story of Otto Rahn, an SS officer who thought he'd located the Holy Grail. In all three films, the authenticity of the subjects reign, making it more difficult to buy the magic's fictionalized version in Dust Devil. Dust Devil, though, with its cheesier horror moments, provides a dose of humor to a fairly serious package. --Trinie Dalton

Customer Reviews:

I have wanted to see this movie since it came out earlier.......2007-05-23

I wanted to see this movie but never got the chance to see it in the theaters. I was very glad to see it released out on DVD that I had to purchase it for myself. All I heard when it was released was you have to see this movie to believe it. I was very happy that I did purchase it. I have no "experience" with the director or his other movies. I am the type of person that doesn't really care who directs it or wrote the movie's story. If it a good story, I like it. What I will say about the movie is that it does start out very strange and the story unfolds very odd, but I did like it and it made sense when the movie was finished. It was a very good story I thought and being an "odd movie", made it all the more interesting. I am very glad that I did add it to my DVD horror collection. I do highly recommend this movie all to horror fans.

boring .......2007-03-12

what flick did these folks watch? I read so many good things about this,but what i saw was an overlong snooze fest.i feel ripped off by the 25 bucks I tossed away,so be damn sure you really want it. the extras are way better than the main feature,i gotta stop now,im getting sleepy just thinking about this thing again.

welcome back from oblivion.......2007-01-29

This release says a lot about the amazing times we live in with regard to the huge variety of re-releases of movies, music, what have you, that have been unfairly buried and never got a chance back in the day to reach the audiences they deserved. It's heartening that this film is getting a second chance and has received this level of care and treatment. I enjoyed Stanley's earlier Hardware but didn't think it particularly great and so I never really sought out the earlier versions of Dust Devil; not having seen the truncated previously released edit, I can't directly compare with this new version but I have absolutely no trouble imagining that it was badly butchered. (By the way, this is a much much better movie than Hardware.)

Dust Devil is not in any way a perfectly realized film and Stanley describes himself in a DVD interview various ways where censorship, the budget, shooting schedule problems, and other factors, kept this from being quite what he originally intended, even now with this newly reconstructed 2006 version. But I give this 5 stars anyway because, for all its shortcomings, this film looks and feels like very few others and such a strong personality goes a long way for me in a time where most films feel completely test marketed to death and bled of all difference and idiosyncracies. Stanley mentions that he was trying to recreate in the dust devil figure imagery from a dream he had, and I admit to being a sucker personally for any movie that tries obsessively to replicate dream or nightmare logic or feel. The film studio types who looked at this material and saw a movie that was just not going to connect with the audience they were after and who wound up hacking it to pieces were probably right (unfortunately) about the limited number of people who will appreciate this. This is not going to appeal broadly to the masses of mainstream horror fans: it is too leisurely paced, too lyrical in tone, too interested in the cultural background of the Namibian/South African location, too interested in exploring the emotional quandry of loneliness and despair that the devil finds in his victims. And, bluntly put, there's just not enough violent death here to keep the average bloodthirsty genre fan happy I expect, and some of the horror make up/effects are also a bit substandard. But for any horror devotees who gravitate to more personal and unusual films without needing a high body count (and who understand how a slower pace can work in your favor), you should absolutely watch this (especially if you are also an italian western fan, the aesthetic of which informs this film). Stanley has a fantastic eye and the film is a real visual stunner with many shots that stay in your head long after: genre fans who truly appreciate attention to framing, lighting, and camera moves should respond to Stanley's great work here.

Hopefully, the rediscovery of this film will help to give Stanley a shot at another big narrative film soon and hopefully, he gets the chance to do it as he wants this time.

At last a unique film is restored.......2007-01-19

The film making career of director Richard Stanley has to be one of the Film Industry's most wasted opportunities. Why hasn't this talented director made more films? His two complete films Dust Devil and Hardware are both visions of uniqueness and originality. It is both the Industry and the Film Goer who have lost out big time to the fact that Stanley has only made these two films and was ignominiously fired from a third - the most recent remake of The Island Of Dr Moreau.

Dust Devil was originally released in a severely edited version by its producers and distributors and with no marketing to speak of, quickly left cinemas and went straight onto video. Stanley has restored an approximately 20 mins of footage and the running time of the film is now 108 mins. The restoration is crucial because the initial release saw all the supernatural elements of the film removed, so as to make it a pure serial killer type film. Fully restored to a version as close to Stanley's original vision as is possible, given the passage of time, Dust Devil can finally take its long overdue accolade as a great film in its own right, within the genre of Horror film making.

Set in Namibia, at the time of that country's independence from South Africa, Dust Devil follows the exploits of a murderous, hitchhiking nomad (played by Robert John Burke) who after butchering and dismembering his victims, retains their fingers. This nomad subsequently is revealed to be more than human, and in fact is a 'Dust Devil' from African folklore - a shape shifting demon who preys on the lonely, despondent and vulnerable, and collects their souls to buy his way into an afterlife.
A depressed housewife (well played by Chelsea Field) flees her husband in South Africa and drives into Namibia's desolate badlands, hoping to lose herself in this bleak but beautiful wilderness. However, she is drawn to the Dust Devil and soon finds that there are far worse things than depression and failed marriage to have to cope with.
Hunting this killer, is an ageing South African policeman, superbly played by Zakes Mokae (The Serpent And The Rainbow, A Dry White Season). Before long this policeman learns the nature of his quarry and living somewhat on the edge himself, following the death of his wife and child, realises that he too is a potential victim.
The films narrator is John Matshikiza who plays a Namibian shaman. He it is who advised Mokae's policeman as to the nature of the quarry that he is attempting to hunt down...
Boasting a stupendous score by Simon Boswell, the film is also visually stunning with its Namibian desert locations and real life ghost towns.
All the cast acquit themselves well as the story with its theme of desolation plays out to its grim conclusion. The walls separating reality and otherworldliness are blurred in this film, and the visions experienced by the film's principals seem to meld into real life. Destitute individuals, dying towns, and a barren and stunningly beautiful landscape combine to give a visual feast of a film which lingers long in the memory after having been viewed.

This is a five disc DVD and apart from the main version of the film, there is 115 min rough cut that features sequences that Stanley considered too far gone to actually include in this final cut of the film. Well worth a look though.
Additionally there are two documentaries on another two of these DVDs. one is The Voice Of The Moon which is Stanley's documentary that he filmed while in Afghanistan with the Mujahadin rebels during the 1980s.
The other documentary is The Secret Glory which again made by Stanley, features the story of the quest of Otto Rahn (an SS officer) to locate the Holy Grail.
The last disc though is Simon Boswell's full and magnificent score for Dust Devil.
The main disc of the film though is in 5.1 sound which coupled with these extra DVDs and CD, makes this Region 1 release by far the superior version to go for as compared to the Region 2 DVD which is a single disc and in surround sound only (why?).

For Stanley fans this is an incredible opportunity to see Dust Devil almost fully restored and at last in a format that it deserves. Newcomers to Richard Stanley's work are also strongly recommended to use this set as a starting point in viewing this outrageously underrated director's work. Thankfully though, Stanley is starting to get the recognition that is so long overdue for him, and we may see him make another film in the near future at long last too.

An Ignored Modern Classic.......2007-01-19

Imagine Sergio Leone, Dario Argento and Michaelangeo Antonioni working on a feature film together, and you'd end up with "Dust Devil." This movie is part western, part horror film, part existential exploration.

The remarkable thing is, the director, Richard Stanley, pulls this unique mix off! Despite many hardships in the making of the film! His loss of money, and production problems, meant less gory effects, less splashy action sequences--accidents which enormously benefitted the "final" version.

Stumbling across this thick box in a bookstore (of all places), I was intrigued by the five disk set. It including three documentaries, the "final" version of a feature, and the "workprint." I had seen "Hardware", the first feature by Richard Stanley, and thought it was okay--not great, but entertaining.

I just finished watching the feature. It utilizes brilliantly the haunting, desolate landscape of Namibia. The storyline has been summarized in other reviews. It is a fascinating mix of horror film, suspense film, but mostly it feels like an art film about desolation and loneliness, an existential exploration of our relationships. There is the broken relationship between the lead female across, who at the beginning of the film leaves her husband (who abuses her). There is the relationship between the Black detective and his white counterparts, containing nicely understated racial tension. There is the relationship, also, between white and Blacks. Topping it off is the relationship between magic and reality. For that matter, there is the relationship between the "dust devil" himself, who is not what he first seems, and his victims.

I've watched the extended documentary about Otto Rahn, who was recruited into the SS because Himmler thought Rahn had a bead on the Holy Grail--fascinating! I have not yet seen the other documentaries. However, I watched the interviews conducted with Richard Stanley about both the Holy Grail documentary and on making "Dust Devil"--both were fascinating interviews in their own right.

This DVD set is an excellent deal!

By the way, the video and audio quality are Criterion level.

Average customer rating:

a must!
great for a dubbed movie!
More Mayhem, Sly humor in this ultimate version of the cult classic...
Pretty crappy movie
great action effects movie!

Versus (Director's Cut)
Starring: Tak Sakaguchi , Hideo Sakaki , Chieko Misaka , Kenji Matsuda , and Yuichiro Arai
Director: Ryuhei Kitamura
Manufacturer: Tokyo Shock
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Ichi the Killer (Unrated Edition)
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Oldboy

ASIN: B000095J2Z
Release Date: 2003-07-29

Description

Deep within the mysterious Forest of Resurrection, a spectacular battle between good and evil has gone on since the dawn of time. When Prisoner KSC2-303 escapes from a maximum security facility, he enters the forest, believing it will lead him to safe haven. Instead, he finds himself a pawn in an endless struggle played out across multiple temporal planes of existence. His opponent: a mysterious man who seemingly cannot be killed. The battle to be waged: Good versus Evil in the pursuit of a beautiful woman who holds the key to eternal life. What Prisoner KSC2-303 cannot remember is whether or not he is the personification of good or the very essence of darkness

Customer Reviews:

a must!.......2007-05-13

this is a favorite movie in our houshold! i got it at an amazing price, and i got it on my boyfriends b day! awesome timing as well.

great for a dubbed movie!.......2007-04-02

I began to watch this DVD and up came japanese characters with the translation in subtitles below, and i thought, "this movie better not be all subtitles!"

You see kids, i'd rather have crappy dubbing than subtitles because with subtitles, you spend the whole movie reading it and not getting into the story at all!

More Mayhem, Sly humor in this ultimate version of the cult classic..........2007-03-25

I've waited for the official Region 1 release of this 3- disc Ultimate edition ever since I saw the Japanese region-2 release sans English subtitles. There are some wanna-be Ultimate editions made from Taiwan or Malaysia but they are not the Ultimate edition. I know the release date is listed as 3/27/2007, I got lucky and I bought mine a week earlier than this date.

VERSUS is a cult hit from the beginning. Ryuhei Kitamura's film has all the ingredients for stylish mayhem: Zombies, Guns & Gangsters, Samurai Swordplay, Slick humor, a cute chick, anime-like fantasy and mystery.
The story revolves around prisoner escapee KSC2-303(Tak Sakaguchi, from Shinobi, Death Trance, Azumi) stuck in the "Forest of Resurrection" to seek safe haven. Unfortunately, the crime lord supposed to grant him this has his own motives and he finds himself against a mysterious supernatural opponent to whom he is linked. This flick is a stylish relentless, rampaging zombie action-noir-horror hybrid that Hollywood probably wishes it thought of it first.

The difference between the R1 Ultimate Edition and the previous R1 Special edition are(actually the slip sleeve specifies scene by scene):
1) More Blood and gore.
2) It looked like all the fight scenes have been extended.
3)added: a renewal scene- Dark hero encounters zombies(3 scenes)more extended. Back-flips mayhem galore!
4)Zombies holding katana swords in the beginning scene.
5)Ohba extended zombie encounter scene
6)extended action sequence, zombie encounter- 3 Assasins going to the forest meeting a lot of zombies instead of just meeeting up with Matsuda and Ohba.
7) Katayama extended fight scene with assasins.
8) New music/new dialogue on some scenes. Added scenes appear a lot sharper than the film itself. The film itself is remastered, although it still maintains that murky look.
9)Extra CGI and color correction
And a lot more of added 11 minutes of action and mayhem!!
Special/bonus features:
Audio commentary
In the making of: Versus
Stills gallery
First Contact: Down to Hell(original title)
Nervous 1: 7 min, side story about the cop who gets agitated when called"officer"
Nervous 2: side story(not a sequel) features what happens to the little guy with the 2 cops. They suffer from psychogenic amnesia.
Trailers: DOWN TO HELL, DOWN TO HELL 2:THE RETURN(original title)among others.

This 3-DISC ULTIMATE Edition(130 min) is well worth the money, I'm trading in the old 2-disc special edition(119 min). With an added 11 minutes of more action, mayhem and gore, this is a must-have for all Versus fans!! It certainly improved the original unlike stupid "extended releases" of ELEKTRA, AVP and THE PUNISHER.
The only gripe I have is I wish it was possible to have remastered the whole film in High-definition(which is why I only gave it 4 stars), but looking at the original film's budget limitations when it was made, Kitamura managed to put every penny he can into the film.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Pretty crappy movie.......2007-03-15

This movie felt long. The special effects and filmwork were pretty bad. The acting was even worse. The voice-over actors were bad and the subtitles were generally too fast to read those and watch in Japanese.

I'm a fan of this genre of movie usually and I thought this would be a good one - but this is one to pass on, especially considering how much it costs.

great action effects movie!.......2007-03-10

Cool story, crazy fight scenes, amazing graphic effects, awesome atmosphere and great plot twist. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Three and a Half
reasonable film and DVD
Violence Is Fun!!!
Average euro-cannibal thrills
from Fringe Video Fanzine Issue #005

Cut and Run
Starring: Willie Aames , Luca Barbareschi , Michael Berryman , Karen Black , and Lisa Blount
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Cannibal Apocalypse
Massacre in Dinosaur Valley
Cannibal Holocaust
Baby Blood
Eaten Alive (Mangiati Vivi)

ASIN: B00005R24F
Release Date: 2002-01-08

Description

A cameraman and a reporter head into the jungle searching for the missing son of a TV producer hoping to find a big story. What they get caught up in is a drug war that threatens to take their own lives.

Customer Reviews:

Three and a Half.......2003-09-19

Here's something a little new, yet a little different. Yes, it's Ruggero behind the camera again with his buddies, the cannibals. Ths time around he decided to use his flair for the gruesome to make an 80s Cannon-esque action flick. You can tell this film had a so-so budget; It looks and plays out like on old Charles Bronson/Chuck Norris type flick. It's not bad. Richard Lynch(still unable to escape playing a crazy villian) does a good job though he can't have more than ten minutes of screen time. The plot seems awfully similar to Apocalypse Now(watch it and you'll see), but Italian directors have never been the mark of originality. Michael Berryman (as usual) is great to watch, I wish we'd seen more of him. The other actors are nothing special, though it is cool to see Eriq Lasalle as a pimp. Check it out, but don't spend too much.

reasonable film and DVD.......2002-11-16

Although I always found the movie a little on the dull and plotless side, I do have to admit that it has enough well-edited good gore scenes to warrant a couple viewings. The cast is pretty good too, but it doesn't seem like any of them are used to the best of their abilities, especially Berryman, who needed much more of a dramatic exit than he gets at the end of the film.

The DVD is a mixed bag. They erroneously claim that a lot of the dialog was never dubbed in English, but I have the European uncut version on tape and it has all the dialog in English. This makes watching the DVD an infuriating experience as actors constantly switch from using English to Italian and back at random. Also, the DVD often looks quite shabby, such as the scene where Steiner gets ripped in half by the jungle trap. It's obvious that they took that scene from a video source and unsuccessfully tried to mix it in with the film. It's distracting, and with the dubbing thing only reflects laziness on Anchor Bay's behalf.

However the rest of the DVD looks good with bright, crisp colors, good sound, and a silly introduction by Ruggero Deodato in which is literally brags about the fact that he was dating Valentina Forte at the time.

Violence Is Fun!!!.......2002-11-08

Anchor Bay's 'Uncut and Uncensored' release of Ruggero Deodato's (Cannibal Holocaust, Jungle Holocaust,
House on the Edge of the Park, Body Count) CUT AND RUN (1985), is a brutal kick in the face, to say the least.

Previously seeing the butchered version a few years back, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this 'hard' version of the film.
The man being torn in two is quite inventive and should quench most gore freaks blood-lust. There are a couple of graphic rapes that had me wincing, so you've been warned if that ain't 'yo cup 'a tea. Be prepared, this movie is only for people with strong stomaches and an appreciation for gory special effects.

Also, the cut scenes from this film were never dubbed into English on initial production (there was no point), only Italian,
and are therefore restored into this version in Italian with English subtitles.

The story in my opinion, was lacking, focusing on two news reporters trekking to the Amazon in search of a renegade Colonel (Richard Lynch) in charge of a drug cartel, yet also to find the long lost son (Willie Aames) of their boss, who just coincidently happens to be caught up in the whole mess. Come on!

It's obvious Richard Lynch put his whole heart into this role as the evil drug lord and is quite convincing as a man totally in his own world from too much Blow. The biggest downer to this film is having to sit through the scenes with Willie Aaames
(In the featurette of the DVD 'Uncut and Run', Deodato explains he was having problems), who pretentiously acts as if he could have received an Oscar, HA!

The DVD itself is great, though, with a cool interactive menu, containing a fifteen minute featurette 'Uncut and Run', the original theatrical trailer, a lengthy Ruggero Deodato bio, and an introduction from Deodato himself at the beginning of the film.
Good work Anchor Bay.

On a final note, if you are considering purchasing the film from Amazon.com, and have not yet seen this uncut version,
avoid watching the featurette first, as they expose all the cut scenes from previous versions. Watch the film first. Enjoy!

Average euro-cannibal thrills.......2002-07-07

Deodato's semi-follow-up to his notorious "Cannibal Holocaust" is pretty much a mess of clashing genres. It's all over the place and doesn't really make a heck of a lot of sense, but there's enough graphic violence to satisfy the more patient gorehound (that is, if you can take watching Willie Aames running around the jungle in a Mickey Mouse t-shirt for 90 minutes). This DVD presents the uncut "hard" version of the film for the "first time ever in America" (what about the uncut bootlegs that have been floating around for 10 years???). Ya, all the beheadings and the complete man being ripped apart scene are now available to see in digital glory. How fun. All of that was edited from the original R-rated cut of the film, of course, thanks to the MPAA censors. It was cool to track down uncut boots of the film years ago, but now after all these years, the gore just doesn't have any impact and looks fake...especially after all we've seen since as well as the film itself just being so unbelievable. This ain't no "Cannibal Holocaust", that's for sure.

The DVD looks great, though. Fantastic job all the way. Extras include a featurette called "Uncut and Run" which is somewhat interesting. Deodato talks about working with the various actors (Willie was "having problems at the time") and discusses his disinterest in making "Cannibal Holocaust 2". He made this instead. Whatever. Also included is a neat trailer for the original New World release of "Cut and Run" which definitely makes the film look better than it actually is. But the funniest thing on the DVD is Deodato's brief introduction before the film itself where he basically brags that he was dating the voluptuous actress Valentina Forte at the time. Who cares? Oh, those crazeeee Italians!

If you're a cannibal junkie, this dvd is essential, of course. Others would be advised to skip it and run.

from Fringe Video Fanzine Issue #005.......2002-06-08

This eruo-sludge film is the closest thing to a splatter and gore Cannibal Holocaust (1979) sequel that you are ever going to get from director Ruggero Deodato. After losing all mainstream respect by releasing the nasty cannibal films, and House on the Edge of the Park (1980), he decided to tone things down "a little" after taking over this project from soon to be Hollywood super director Wes Craven Nightmare On Elm Street (1984). I would consider this film to be Deodato's best work. Close to Joseph Conrad's Hearts of Darkness tale that was touched upon in Apocalypse Now (1979). A South American jungle cocaine operation is brutally shut down by Indio tribesmen, under the command of a mute assassin [played by Michael Berryman / The Hills Have Eyes (1977)]. After killing everyone in sight, nailing some women to the floor and raping them, our eyes are now awakened to the brutal world of the drug trafficking. A Miami reporter hot on the story somehow connects the drug murders with a Colonel Horne, seen in an old news clip of Jim Jones. The reporter flies to the jungle to interview the Colonel, make the connection to Jonestown, and help save the kidnapped son [played by Willie Aames / Eight Is Enough (1977)] of the owner of the network. Broadcasting "live" from the drug manufacture's camp, among hundreds of corpses (The result of an ongoing drug war), Horne is determined to carry on in the footsteps of the cult leader. Much like Deodato's previous Cannibal Holocaust (1979), this film also use's the documentary type style, and film within a film technique. The director places actor [Richard Lynch / God Told Me To (1977) / Invasion U.S.A. (1985)] into real stock footage of a Jonestown news reel, then also places himself in the same scene. Many thanks go out to Anchor Bay for restoring this film from many vault collections. The censored scenes can now be seen (in Italian with Subtitles), finally giving North Americans the chance to see the "hard" version of this film. Complete with disembowelments, beheading's, and a guy being ripped completely in half. Feature contains clips from director Ruggero Deodato, Writer Dardano Sacchetti, Star Richard Lynch and Music Composer Claudio Simonetti / Goblin.

Average customer rating:

Cut and Run
Starring: Narrated by Marshall Dodge
Director: Richard Searls
Manufacturer: Northeast Historic Film
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Documentary | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0006TQ81A
Release Date: 1980-04-08

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