"Director's Cut" (2024)

by Joseph Perry and Mike Imboden

In our “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict” film reviews, Joseph and Mike give their thoughts on a slice of cinema. For this installment, it’s Don Capria’s Director’s Cut.

Synopsis

Excited to shoot their first music video, a punk rock band ventures into the woods of Pennsylvania, never to return.

The Good

Joseph: Writer/director Don Capria does an admirable job of presenting tension between band members in Director’s Cut, aided by good performances from Tyler Ivey, Louis Rocky Bacigalupo, Greg Poppa, and Brandy Ochoa as those musicians. Even better, the characters those performers embody were not instantly unlikeable, which has been a problem in several horror films in recent years. There’s enough oddness to the proceedings to hold interest, and viewers hoping for multiple kills in different manners should find themselves satisfied.

Mike: There’s plenty of tension in Director’s Cut to keep viewers glued to the screen, be it between band members or as a result of the situation they find themselves in when they go off to film a music video for a mysterious “Mr. Director” played wonderfully by Louis Lombardi. The band themselves initially come across as unlikable, but as the film unspools you find that even the most jerkish of them (save for one who comes across as a spoiled little girl), have some redeeming qualities, so kudos to the actors that inhabit the roles at bringing a realistic turn to their characters.

The Bad

Joseph: Well, the official synopsis pretty much gives away the fact that none of the band members are going to survive. Spoilerrific. The opening of Director’s Cut does the same. So does the film offer enough mystery or suspense to keep us engaged knowing in advance where things are headed? For me, it was the drama between the band members that I found most intriguing, which should not necessarily be the most engaging aspect of a horror film. The film is being promoted as an indie slasher. Indie it certainly is, but slasher it is not. If I’m being ultra generous, I would say that it has a bit in common with the revenge horror films of the Dr. Phibes series and Theatre of Blood, without the successful dark humor. If I’m being less generous, I’d say it is just another in the post-Saw era of fear fare showing people being killed in various ways. Although the acting by the band members is generally good, their turns at performing for the music video look less than convincing. Louis Lombardi is obviously having a good time chewing up the scenery, but his Mister Director character comes off as little more than a random guy having a henchperson (Lucy Hart) assist him in killing.

Mike: Despite the tension between the band mates and with the situation they’re in, there’s not much else holding Director’s Cut together. The hook was predictable and there were too many plot points left unexplained. Had this been a found footage film (which I thought we were getting with the spoiler-filled opening text), these points could have been explained away as there just wasn’t footage captured, but for a polished, traditionally lensed film there’s just no excuse to do some of the things herein, like make a point of showing some potentially bad dudes and then just forgetting them. Were they part of the plan all along? Also, don’t bill yourself as a slasher film if you’re going to have zero elements of the sub-genre on hand.

The Verdict

Joseph: The technical aspects, believable drama between the band members and the impressive performances of the actors portraying the musicians, and solid direction make Director’s Cut worth considering for a watch.

Mike: If you’re looking for the advertised slasher, you’re going to be disappointed. However, there’s still a decent - even if predictable - story on hand with some decent characters who are hard to hate but also hard to like. Louis Lombardi is a treat as Mr. Director and might be the one thing that makes Director's Cut worth a watch.

Stay tuned for a post-credits scene.