There is one word I can use to sum up this film: weird. It's one of those films that, even though you're thinking it's really quite slow and boring, you can't actually get up and walk out of it because it is nevertheless still gripping. Not a film I would particularly recommend for anyone to spend their hard earned cash on, but not as bad as some reviews have made out. It would probably be better watching it in the comfort of your own home.
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Donna-382 October 1999
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deloudelouvain24 March 2017The first fifteen minutes I had my doubts on whether I was going to waste my time or have a good time with this movie. But it quickly increases in a good way so that I was totally absorbed by the story. The story is actually going somewhere even though my first doubts. I even didn't see the end coming, absolutely not, I was totally surprised by it. The story is a simple but effective concept. Hidden cameras that bring the truth about the lives of a bunch of friends. We all know how people are badmouthing others when they are absent and in Final Cut it is shown to them in a sometimes provocative way. There is a lot of cursing, but it fits the movie, because I think I would curse a lot as well if it happened to me. The best performance is from Ray Winstone that plays one of the major roles, as well as Jude Law. The whole cast is perfect for this movie. Not my favorite kind of film shooting but in this case it works perfectly well.
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Siradakis5 December 2002This film is so bitter, it does not surprise me most of the comments are negative. Yet, what I saw was a big, dumbfounding answer to all these so called "reality shows" around us on tv, that we all watch so willingly.
You see, there is a huge difference between being AWARE that you are being watched and not knowing it. No one can be true when he / she is consious of being watched AND THEREFORE JUDGED.. That why this is not likeable: reality bites.
What we see is people as they REALLY are. The fact that they are forced to face their true selves leaves every single one of them devastated - even Sadie. The undeniable revelation of their self pretense crushes everyone. Even the dead -Jude- is revealed to himself and the rest, this game has gone out of his hands.
Yet, there is an objection: the film somehow finally crushes all human relationships by not making clear that not ALL people act this way. Somehow the point seems to be that we should loose faith in any friendship and all relationships in general. This is why there should be a much clearer grading of people and situations. -
luludavis26 January 2004The premise of Final Cut is interesting. A man (Jude Law) dies
and leaves behind a film for his friends to watch at his wake. His
wife (Law's real life spouse Sadie Frost) is the Mistress of
Ceremonies at this screening but we find out later that she is
much more than that. The performances are riveting and the slow
build of tension is tittilating but the pay off is a little disappointing.
some of the violence and shock is laced with a sense of humor at
first but soon it gets very serious then downright careless and
callouse. It is hard to root for any of these characters to succeed.
They seem to have no redeeming value so when something bad
happens to them you are relieved but the punishment is so easily
shaken off. Lots of mischief, revelation and loss but no hope or
redemption. -
TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews31 December 2010Jude is dead(and not in this all that much). At his funeral(note that there are almost no real introductions, you're just there and you gradually figure out what is going on, what you're seeing), his widow Sadie asks that the group of friends and couples sit down and watch the movie he was working on, and that they allow themselves to be filmed(and for some reason, while they do behave like there's a camera near them some of the time(and these operators appear to not know how to zoom, so they shove it into their subjects face instead), about half the time, they apparently completely forget it; yeah, some of this utterly falls apart beyond restoration when you stop to think about it). It turns out to be a documentary, assembled largely from footage captured with hidden recorders(there are a few interviews), and that is what we follow, as well... the two layers of fiction pretending to be fact. It'd probably work better if there were more reaction shots. Anyway, secrets come out and we see how their relationships are(are they playing themselves? Possibly). I should clarify something; this didn't bother me from the cruelty of the stunt, and the "different" style didn't ruin this for me... make your piece however you feel it should, and don't let people complain just because it isn't mainstream. The thing is, this really had potential... and still does. I'm sure this wanted to make some significant point, though it didn't get there. Yes, this is nihilistic and cynical... I didn't mind that. Others will. The pace is uneven and this comes off rather unfocused. You know, what little exposure to reality shows(yes, I hate them; that wasn't my issue with this) I've had, they actually do have plot lines and encourage continued viewing... this comes off as not wanting you to watch. I mean, you feel bad about it. OK, maybe that was the idea. If it was either real, or credible through the entire thing, maybe it would still work. Or if it didn't eventually go for a coherent story structure, at the end when it also stops being believable(and don't get me started on the anti-climax). The "twist" is so predictable you're sitting there wondering if they're serious. Winstone dominates this unchallenged... and yes, he(and the other men in this) delivers a great performance(good thing, because the women do *not*). The man is quite imposing... but you need counterweight. Some of these characters *really* don't need to be there, you could cut them out and you wouldn't miss them at all. None of them are wholly likable. This has a lot of improvisation and they used the first takes(they would add content if something was reshot... it shows). The editing is reasonable. This has odd framing and this feels "natural"(...a bit of the way, at least), with fast talking and slang(you'd better be British or have better subtitles than the copy I got as a gift did). There is a ton of strong language, a little bloody violence, disturbing content(this is gross at times) and sexuality and brief male nudity in this. The DVD comes with 8 trailers for different flicks, one of them for this. I recommend this low-budget 87 minute(sans credits) indie to those who merely want to see the concept of witnessing humanity's true ugliness... regardless of how well-executed it is. 6/10
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eweinstock17 December 2004Wow, what a sub-par movie. Just because the script is improvised isn't an excuse to skimp on plot and acting. The only redeeming aspect of this movie was seeing Jude law in his underwear for 5 seconds at the beginning of the movie, you can just turn it off after that. You know the ending as soon as you've met all the characters. Ray Winstone gives a semi decent performance but the actress who plays his wife and the Sadie Frost do a very poor job. Jude is alright I guess but then again you only really see him in snippets and half the time it's just what I'm sure he thought were wry one liners that just kind of seemed contrived on viewing. Jude doesn't make the best choices when it comes to movies (just look at Music from Another Room), and this is a prime example. Someone needs to fire their agent.
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DarthPaul8526 July 2005Maybe I'm the only one who didn't like this movie, but I found it to be really pretentious and dull. I understand that it's supposed to be "real," (hence the improvised acting and lack of professional cameras), but it just gave the film a very "film school project" look. Maybe the actors were playing pretentious people, but the lack of a "script" made the whole film just seem put-on and "artsy." I didn't feel I was watching a real movie, I felt I was watching a bunch of actors try to do something different without really succeeding.
I suppose I respect the cast & crew for trying something so different, but different is not always good. -
I knew nothing at all about this film before I went to see it, so I was very surprised by it's content. Basically, a group of friends gather at the wake of one of their friends who has died. At this wake, they are shown a video that he has produced consisting of secret film taken of them all. This video gives away some of their deepest and darkest secrets, as well as giving an insight into what they really think of each other. For about the first fifteen minutes I found myself lost as to what was going on, but then it all starts to become clear and leads up to the sting at the end. Be aware though that the language is very strong and some of the actions in it are quite explicit. Despite this, though, I found it very enjoyable and I was absolutely hooked to it for most of the time. As an aside, if you've ever watched 'Operation Good Guys' on BBC you will recognise a lot of the cast.
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iprudd14 March 2001It cannot be argued that this is not original, put some of Britains best talent together, outline the plot, and then let them improvise the rest.
Unfortunately what results is self absorbed tosh. When you find out what these "friends" do to each other I cannot believe that they would be friends anyway.
The friends all meet at Jude's place after his funeral and are shown a tape which has been put together, by Jude, using hidden cameras. It shows a group of totally self-centred individuals who do drugs and steal from each other. None of them show any redeeming features which makes it impossible to empathise with them. What a waste of some of the best British talent around -
Tyler-1313 August 1999It's a simple idea, get some actors together and improvise a film. Get them to use their real names, give them basic outlines of what to do and involve a camera crew in the story line and you've got yourself covered.
Does it work? Hell yes. This is something else. The acting is simply stunning all round, but Ray Winstone does stand out - when doesn't he?
A very simple story, Jude has been secretly videotaping his friends and at his funeral they get to see themselves on TV. Their reactions complete Jude's final film.
The interaction of the characters is very well played. It's believable, sad, funny, intense and fascinating.
I can't recommend this film any higher, except that there's a lot of swearing - it's supposed to have the highest amount of swearwords submitted to the BBFC - mainly courtesy of Mr Winstone in one very memorable scene (some of the couplings I've never heard before, yet they seem so natural streaming from Ray Winstone's mouth) -
razasyed26 August 1999Absolute drivel. I was really psyched about this movie because the posters had a great tagline -- JUDE IS DEAD -- but the actual film on display was terrible. It's this quasi-verite retroactive murder mystery -- superficially like THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT in a lot of ways, and that's sorta the problem. BLAIR is so damn good that this terrible, pretentious, fake, and causally barren film pales -- understatement -- by comparison. The characters are one-note and inscrutable, and the emotions on display are contemptibly stuck-on and just plain awful.
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oballot10 March 2001I recently watched Final Cut on video. I thought that some of the camera work was very clever and, to me, original. I was very intrigued by the premise of somebody making a film by manipulating friends as well as recording them on a candid camera. However I was hugely disappointed. The idea of letting the actor's improvise is very good, if the director/writer are able to distill that into a sharp image for the audience. I felt that that was where Final Cut falls down heavily. Ray Winstone was forced? /allowed? to dominate the film in a way which ended up as being very unbalanced.On the other hand it appeared that others were left to flounder and turn in some very hackneyed work. Some scenes worked while a large number were, for me completely irrelevant. In a number of areas my impression was that a very good and interesting premise was ruined by a lack of discipline on the part of those behind the fim.
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ceylonic25 June 2008I had seen "Love, Honour & Obey" some years ago and remembered it as not that bad. It wasn't as original as "Trainspotting", as funny as it wanted to be and the gory scenes seemed a little too much just wanna be provocative, because it might look great on screen. But it was OK to watch.
THIS FILM was not a little bit of of any of it. The poor quality was alright for the camera, because it belonged to the story - but unfortunately I could not find one character that could have awakened my interest. I watched a lot of stupid blokes doing stupid things and I don't belong to the people, who get off on watching women either being beaten by their boyfriends or portrayed as whores, who in the end get what they deserve. Oh - and Jude Law was so convincing that I was happy, when he eventually got killed. Actually the killing scene was not that bad.
So far: matter of taste.
The story was told in a confusing way, but you could get used to that. And why put so many characters on a film, if you then don't know what to do with them? But maybe they thought it wouldn't be necessary to develop characters because of all the cool violent scenes - why bother with a decent script? -
Fuelish26 November 2004I am a huge Jude Law fan and have seen most of his movies. I bought this movie from Amazon.com used and was sadly disappointed. There was no real plot and the acting was sub-par. Jude was barely in the "movie." This was more of a documentary then a movie, with the plot being a man making a movie of his friends from hidden cameras throughout his home. At certain points is was borderline nauseating as a woman sits on the toilet tinkling for well over a minute. Honestly I can't believe that Jude subjected himself to this punishment since the opening was his obituary and wake! If you are a Jude fan or even if you aren't my advice would be not to waste your time and money with this movie. Even if Jude Law wasn't in this movie I would call it one of the worst movies ever made.
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kickinghigh21 March 2004After watching 'Love, Honour & Obey' (one of my favourite films!) I was really looking forward to watching this. It has the general same cast minus Sean Pertwee and Jonny Lee Miller and a couple more. The theme did sound excellent and a must-see from its cover. When I watched it I did feel quite disappointed. I'm a big fan of Jude Law and Ray Winstone and while they acted as tremendously as ever the film seemed to lack a certain spark and Sadie Frost's acting was quite disappointing also. The movie also seemed to be very cheaply made which is more evident in the scene where Jude Law's character is murdered! There are some comical moments in the film that make it worthwhile anyway!
The concept was completely original and refreshing in that sense but in a couple of places seemed to have no logic. I did enjoy this nevertheless and will continue to watch it in the future and would recommend it to most people who like the substance of Brit flicks...I would just tell them not to hope/expect too much from it or to take every part literally. However, an enjoyable little number with some particularly sterling acting from Ray Winstone! -
junk-monkey23 September 2005Several vile people meet at the funeral of the utterly repulsive Jude to watch a film he has been secretly making of their lives. Many "revelations" later, and after every cast member has said "Fu*k!" about 300 times each, one of the assembled 'friends' is revealed to be Jude's murderer. The final puzzle of how the hell such an impressive cast was conned into making this piece of garbage is left unresolved.
I learnt several things from this film:
Ray Winston can say "Fu*k" more often and with more different infections in one movie than the average person will say in their whole lifetime.
Sadie Frost couldn't act her way out of a wet paper bag. Her final piece to camera is just embarrassingly awful. She is as about convincing as a distraught and grieving woman as Mother Theresa would be playing King Kong.
But most impressively, I learnt you can rip 35mm film out of a camera, drag it half-way up a London street, then have armed policemen jump up and down on it - and still be able to develop it! (How else to explain the existence of the shot of Winston's character reaching toward the camera just before leaving the flat when in the next shot, from a different angle, we see the film containing that shot being ripped out of the camera).
Avoid this movie. -
bcheers31 March 2005I hadn't heard of this film and hired it with low expectations. It was with delight, therefore, that I found myself totally absorbed by this unusual and gripping story. The male actors, especially Jude Law were superb. The character of Ray (Ray Winstone) with his barely suppressed violent nature was one of the best seen on film for some time. I found the female actors to be below average, but good direction made them almost plausible. My idea of a good film is one which sits in my subconscious for some time after viewing. I woke up this morning still processing it in my mind and I think it will be there for some time yet.
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seanhmoss620 June 2020Overall, not a bad watch. But I've seen this before. And before... and before. Some good performances. Nothing great. This movie confirmed that I've seen it all. No new ideas. The technical aspects are beyond my reach. I've rarely looked at movies that way. A story is a story. There are maybe 10 of them anyway. Goodnight... and Good Luck.
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robfwoods14 March 2002I watched the DVD last evening and found myself for the first time on hundreds of films fast-forwarding through most of it.
How in heavens' name can it be said that these were secretly taped scenes when half the time the subject is making google-eyes at the camera like some 12 year old?
I really think I may have seen better home videos of kids' birthday parties (surely more genuine). (Or was the 'tinkling' in the bathroom supposed to be some kind of 'high spot?') -
edpond16 November 2021There's an interesting film in here somewhere, but it needs to be thought out a bit more, and rather more subtle. The very crude and lowbrow parts just dominate and make it unable to reach the league that the filmmakers want it to be in - a Danny Boyle film say. It just isn't sophisticated enough at is core for that - partly because it isn't fully written. You can show debauched and shallow characters without sinking to their level. And for a movie supposedly about reality, it just isn't believable.
'Operation Good Guys' gets away with it because of some fine character work from David Gillespie and because it's a comedy. 'Love, Honour and Obey', again is a dark comedy about the violent world of gangsters, so it sort of works. But this is supposed to be a drama about some affluent media types in West London - yet they also act like gangsters, beating up people in restaurants over drug deals, double teaming prostitutes and sticking pool cues up their bottoms for a laugh. It is not believable, and nor is it necessary.
It has nothing intelligent to say about the seediness it depicts, it just is seedy. Indeed, Ray Burdis says in the commentary this is based on a time where the 'Good Guys' group put hidden cameras in the toilet during house parties.
Jude Law is quite charismatic in the film, but the others are basically scenery chewing. The moment that lost me (and it took me over an hour, for my sins) is where (poorly acted) Bill brutally punches a woman just because she wants to leave the video screening. I could not work out why he needed to do that or why we needed to see it. Another thing that puzzles me is surely the friends all knew that Jude was stabbed to death in his own home, so surely they would suspect something was up when the screening was called? They don't act like he was murdered at the start - more like illness or a car accident.
A waste of an opportunity and some great music. Worth a watch if you're a low budget filmmaker and want to know what pitfalls to avoid, or you are a fan of 'Good Guys'. -
DwightD15 February 2005After watching loads of movies lately, this has been a good experience for me. We see an amazing young Jude Law and his crazy he unfold on camera. The basic idea of this film is magnificent, though parts of the ending didn't quiet do it for me. The script was great and the whole "reality"-thing works a lot better here than in crappy TV-series. The story in general is very dramatic and these friends have a lot of skeletons in their closets - more that most people. But they seem "real", non the less, thanks to nice acting. The main theme "Friendship" in portrayed in a new and interesting way, it made me think of a lot of things - definitely a movie worth watching, if you're looking for something non-Hollywood.
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ufo-1318 December 2004Without a doubt, this is a fantastic film.
Jude Law puts on a fine performance only to be overshadowed by a typical, Ray Winston performance, he is just brilliant!!! I watched this film and I was gripped from beginning to end. I had no idea where it was taking me, but it was a journey well spent.
I didn't want it to end, I looked at the chapters on the DVD while watching it, only to discover, I was on the last one, :-( I was very disappointed, I wanted more and more.
Not everyone cup of tea, I suppose, but it's certainly my flavoured drink.
10/10 -
This film is utter, utter tripe.
Self indulgent nonsense - how on earth did they get anyone to finance this? Or did they do it themselves? I would guess the latter - if anyone other than cast has invested in this rubbish then I would imagine they are, quite literally, sick as a dog.
I can just imagine them all sitting down together saying 'Oh, we're the cream of the British film industry - let's do something all together! Don't care about script or plot - let's make it up as we go along! As long as Jude and Ray are in it, the public will pay to see it!'
And Law and Winstone really do give the only half-decent performances in this crap. Winstone almost looks embarrassed - as he well should.
0 out of 10. -
If you liked Love Honour and Obey you'll love this one.All the same crowd Winstone,Burdis,Jude Law,Kathy Burke,side Frost,and the little fella that got stabbed in Love Honour and obey etc etc.Lots of comedy,a good story and a twist at the end.Sadie Frost plays Judes widow and it all revolves round a video Jude was making.Sadie gets all Judes friends round at the wake of his funeral and this is where the fun starts.Lots of home truths are discovered and it isn't long before Ray (Ray Winstone) gets wound up.Everybody at the wake is in some way offended but the outcome is top notch comedy.I thoroughly recommend the film and I'm sure if you enjoyed Love ,Honour and Obey you'll like this too.
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JJohns16 February 2004It was interesting none the less. I fell asleep on it the first viewing and sat through it intrigued by the second viewing. I personally detest reality shows. It seems television has found a way to drown its audience with enough sh*t. Anyways, this movie just shows how people act. It didn't surprise me at all. It just adds meaning to the phrase, "If I could just be a fly on the wall". The walls don't need to talk.