Movie Review – Cut!

Travis (David Roundtree) and Lane (David Banks) are lower tier crew members who work behind the scenes on movie sets. Each aspires to do more and hope to advance their careers in the near future within the movie industry. Their desire to succeed clouds their sense of good judgement and, before they know it, ethical behavior has been replaced by a unilateral decision to do whatever it takes to be noticed. This duo attempts to create their own unique masterpiece, one in which there are no second takes. In this movie when you hear the word “Cut!” it could very well be the last thing you ever hear.

Cut! is a low budget horror/thriller flick with a dash of mystery and intrigue. As with the majority of low budget independent movies, most of the actors are relatively unknown, but that can also be an advantage. In cases like this, everyone is fair game, which allows the tension to remain at peak levels. Die hard fans of this genre may recognize Suze Lanier-Bramlett from The Hills Have Eyes (1977). Another actress with ties to older horror movies is Gabrielle Stone. She may look familiar but chances are it’s because she favors her mother very much. That would be Dee Wallace Stone of The Howling fame. She was also in The Hills Have Eyes as well as many MANY others over the last 40 years.

The only two characters that you’re fairly certain will make it to the end of the movie are Travis and Lane. Outside of those two everyone else is up for grabs. As the plot unfolds the more transparent things become. But if audiences have learned anything with these types of movies it’s things are rarely as they seem. Cut! is no exception to this as there are a few twists and turns that keep it interesting, but more importantly, it keeps viewers on their toes. The acting and effects are not those that you would probably see in a movie with a $10 million budget, but that doesn’t mean they’re not effective. David Roundtree (director/writer) and David Banks (writer) do a good job of using what they have and making the most of their financing and talent. David Banks’ character, Lane, comes across as truly disturbed to the point where I might be a little nervous to be standing next to him on an elevator.

I cannot say that Cut! is the best horror movie ever made, but it is far from the worst. I cannot stress enough that you should withhold judgement until the movie concludes. If you start watching it and don’t like it right away, be patient and give it time. It takes a while for things to become more evident. Cut! is available now to watch in the comfort of your own home via streaming, Blu-ray and DVD.