In July 2021, David Ayer praised James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad and casually implied that his version of Suicide Squad would be among the best Director’s Cuts? Of course, the global ballyhoo caused by the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League was also an inspiration. But, when Gunn put out his version, Ayer couldn’t help but think about his movie.
It was hammered by the critics and some of the “fandom.” Yet, it made more than $746 million at the box office. Considering Gunn’s version only earned $167 million (a complete travesty committed by the DC faithful), Ayer may have a legitimate reason to complain. How can you call a movie “a flop” when it earns three-quarters of $1 billion?!
Yet, the acclaimed screenwriter of The Fast and Furious, Fury, and Training Day stresses the version Warner Bros. put out wasn’t even his. There is a Director’s Cut, and it needs to be seen! Ever since that moment, #ReleaseTheAyerCut has trended periodically, and all the while, Ayer cheers on the banana republic with party favors and high-fives.
David Ayer’s full letter is an enlightening read too:
My turn… https://t.co/E5uumAwvdp pic.twitter.com/ckr9kzeGFD
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) July 29, 2021
Full disclosure: We agree!
— Geek Vibes Nation (@GeekVibesNation) July 29, 2021
Without hesitation, this unrest that continues to this day had the listicle lovers among GVN thinking, “Would that cut be among the best Director’s Cuts ever?” and “Would it have the same mass hysteria appeal that Zack Snyder’s cut did?” Who knows, but two things are certain:
- David Ayer does indeed have a Director’s Cut that the hapless duo of DC Films and WarnerMedia should produce.
- We have a listicle ready for consumption.
And so, here are the Top 10 Best Director’s Cuts of All Time;
10. Zack Snyder’s Justice League
From five hours to three-and-a-half to eventually two miserable ones given to fans. This was the story of the Justice League. That is until nerds everywhere — the real “Us United” — banded together with the power of a hashtag. Four years of beautiful guerilla marketing later, we saw Zack Snyder’s original vision for this film, in 4:3 resolution and all.
Is this one of the best Director’s Cuts ever or an entirely different film? If you’re fair, it’s a little of both. Wherever you classify it, what it took to bring this cut to reality is a moment in motion picture history we can all be proud of. As for the other hashtag that came because of this film–#RestoreTheSnyderVerse–later.
9. Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Extended Editions
This is the pre-eminent collection of Director’s Cut films any geckaphile or cinephile can own. Time was always a precious commodity for Peter Jackson and the team. Initially, this trilogy was only an original and a sequel, but of course, there’s so much story to tell from J.R.R. Tolkien. So, we got three. The fantastic thing about this trilogy is they had the missing footage that mattered to each story. These were not throw-away scenes left on the cutting room floor.
Fellowship of the Ring had 30 extra minutes that strengthened the plot and the reason for the quest. Many argue this is the best-extended version of the three. The Two Towers contain 44 additional minutes of footage that are more fan service and minor aesthetics to the journey. The Return of the King adds a whopping 51 minutes of footage — and that was already the longest film of the three at 200 minutes (now, a massive, butt-fall-asleep 263 minutes).
This trilogy defines what an “extended version” of a film should look like—all masterpieces.
8. The Abyss: Special Edition
If you saw this James Cameron subterranean movie, you may have felt the ending cut off, leaving you without closure. Guess what? That wasn’t intentional. It turns out he filmed so much material that he ran out of time before the movie was supposed to premiere.
A decade later, Cameron released his Director’s Cut — a “Special Edition” — and gave audiences the ending they should have seen all along — and it was worth it. Virgil’s crew (Ed Harris) races against the clock to stop a nuclear warhead, and it sinks into this abyss. It’s a one-way trip, and everyone knew it, including these Day-Glo butterflies who lived there. We get much more detail in the plot and into the minds of these alien monarchs to provide an excellent film.
If you saw The Abyss but wanted more, there is plenty of that in the Special Edition. Find it. You won’t be disappointed.
7. Once Upon a Time in America: Extended Director’s Cut
“Extended” is quite an understatement.
Sergio Leone’s epic gangster film about a gang of Jewish ne’er-do-wells, precisely two lifelong friends (Robert DeNiro, James Woods) who reunited 35 years later during the Prohibition era, demanded a complete story. Complex writing and character development, namely when dealing with a generous helping of flashbacks. Something that rings true with Leone, the father of “Spaghetti Westerns.”
The theatrical version was 139 minutes long, and when you see the Director’s Cut (also known as the “Cannes Cut,” which was home of its premiere) that lasts more than four hours, you will understand why Sergio Leone was robbed in movie houses worldwide. The film, in a word, sucked. Because so many vital points were missing from that release, plotholes were left so big the entire cast could fall in and roll an ankle. The original gallivants through three time periods, two friends’ lives, and makes from one amazing trip that we all should have seen in the first place.
6. Watchmen: Ultimate Cut
Call it “man-crushing.” Call it “delirium.” That damn Zack Snyder can tell a satisfying story to nerds! The only problem with the adaptation of arguably the “most celebrated graphic novel of all time” has three versions of it out there: theatrical, Director’s Cut, and the hallowed 215-minute “Ultimate Cut.” The theatrical was nice, but the other versions unveil a complex story from the great Alan Moore.
Snyder is known for holding back on material, filming too much material, or playing puzzles with all his material. Or, do we need to remind you of the “Ultimate Edition” for Batman V. Superman?
Both versions offer a cornucopia of more miniature scenes, but each is important to highlight the catharsis of each antihero — most importantly, the death of Hollis, the original Nite Owl. Nihilism is the thing, but if you need a definition (and a beak full of some good old-fashioned fan service), watch either one of the extended versions; both are among some of the best Director’s cuts ever.
5. Kingdom of Heaven: Ultimate Edition
Ridley Scott is another man who can make an epic film. (More on him later.) He has a particular panache for the historical period piece. Gladiator, The Martian, American Gangster, and this film are among his accolades. When he makes a movie, they are never short of vision. However, they can be short on tape because if you saw Kingdom of Heaven in theaters or even on cable, you didn’t get precisely what Scott prepared.
This could be one of his best movies you never saw. Kingdom of Heaven is about the Holy Crusades in Jerusalem against the mighty Persian Empire. The film’s crux is a boy’s path to manhood and destiny. You see, Scott wasn’t happy with the studio cuts, so he put back more than an hour’s worth of footage into the best Director’s Cut of this film.
The extra footage completes character arcs and provides a gripping tale about Balian of Ibelin and his plight during the 12th century. This 210-minute version is fantastic and deserved to be seen — just as the man wanted it to be in the first place.
4. Almost Famous: The Bootleg Cut
Cameron Crowe, director of Jerry Maguire, is superb at telling stories. He understands what draws people to a film, whether about sports agents or this coming-of-age story. Almost Famous was a great film that won four Oscars. It was so celebrated Crowe determined a Director’s Cut would be a grand idea. It was.
It already had the perfect soundtrack, but this “Bootleg Cut” gave us everything we never knew we needed out of this movie. We get more time with William (Patrick Fugit) and much-needed minutes with Rolling Stone journalist and hippie lettuce connoisseur Lester Bangs (the great Phillip Seymour Hoffman). The movie alone is terrific, but the Bootleg Cut makes it even better and adds a few more classic rock greats to the soundtrack.
3. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
The title almost looks incomplete without “The Richard Donner Cut” after it, huh? That is how popular this mythic Director’s Cut has become over the past decades. Richard Donner was unceremoniously fired midway through the production, as the story goes. Richard Lester took over, and it sucked, even though it’s still excellent. Funny how Warner Bros. couldn’t get out of its way even then?
What makes this one of the best Director’s cuts of all time is that it’s tremendous and depressing at the same time. We see how the continuation of one of the best origin CBMs should have been told. Lester left a ton on the floor, but in 2006, Michael Thua, Tom Mankiewicz, and Donner, put the band back together. This is the version of Reeve’s Superman fans richly deserved to see. Again, a WB comic book movie cradled to the pressure of fans.
The Richard Donner Cut provides us a more adult perspective, not as ham-handed as the Lester version. We see a detailed glimpse into the boy from Krypton and the man of Earth. There is a theme here. Too bad no one from WarnerMedia pays attention.
2. Blade Runner: The Final Cut
This very well could be the reason fans clamor for the best Director’s Cuts at all. Ridley Scott had some free time on his hands, so he reimagined his own masterpiece to fill any plotholes full of wet concrete. Of course, Warner Bros stuck their nose where it didn’t belong here, as well as many DC Comics films, as their interference with this movie is the stuff of urban legend.
There are seven — yes, seven — versions of this film. None of them get it completely right until the “Final Cut,” which removes much of the narration and made this cult classic even better. Don’t believe me? Wait for the final shot. It’s spectacular and shows us why this exploration of the human condition took 25 years to get it right.
Thank God they did. There’s a reason this film is an honored classic. This Final Cut is why.
1. Apocalypse Now: Redux
This is the standard-bearer as one of the best Director’s Cuts ever made. The “Redux Cut” is almost a different film because the crew studied the original and the “Redux” version” to create a better experience. And it’s so much better. Critics and fans consider this Francis Ford Coppola Vietnam epic one of the best movies of all time. This is a must in any collection with a revised sound mix and crisper cinematography.
There is almost an hour of new material, including fallout from the noted “French plantation scene” and more gripping scenes riverside following the chaotic USO concert. The extra footage makes this plot, story, and superb characterization stronger with a more profound vision and reason for parking your butt on a couch for your spare time.
Since he saw ‘Dune’ in the $1 movie theater as a kid, this guy has been a lover of geek culture. It wasn’t until he became a professional copywriter, ghostwriter, and speechwriter that he began to write about it (a lot).
From the gravitas of the Sith, the genius of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, or the gluttony of today’s comic fan, SPW digs intelligent debate about entertainment. He’s also addicted to listicles, storytelling, useless trivia, and the Oxford comma. And, he prefers his puns intended.
