Almost ten years in the past, Nicolas Cage starred in Military of One, a comedy primarily based on the real-life story of Gary Faulkner, an ex-construction contractor who believed that God had despatched him on a mission to seize Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. That sounds prefer it may have been implausible, however sadly, the movie was completely eviscerated upon launch. Almost everybody hated it. The movie was disowned by director Larry Charles, who stated it was closely recut by Bob Weinstein. In the event you’ve been dying to know what Charles’ unique imaginative and prescient for Military of One was, he’s uploaded the unreleased director’s lower on YouTube. Really, he uploaded it practically a yr in the past, but it surely doesn’t seem like many individuals have watched it (due to World of Reel for the heads-up!)
You possibly can try the director’s lower of Military of One beneath, however be warned, it runs a whopping 2 hours and 40 minutes. For comparability, the theatrical model ran 93 minutes
As you possibly can inform, the standard isn’t the very best, but it surely’s watchable, particularly for those who’re curious to search out out what Charles initially envisioned again in 2016.
In his assessment of the theatrical lower of Military of One, our personal Chris Bumbray found out early on that it could not be his cup of tea. “To offer him credit score, Cage goes all-in right here,” Bumbray wrote. “This isn’t USS Indianapolis, the place he appears to be like embarrassed to be in such a low-rent manufacturing. He actually tries, however Charles’s course doesn’t assist in any respect. It’s as if he directed Cage to behave like he’s Sacha Baron Cohen, however that’s not the place Cage’s skills lay. Having him play slapstick doesn’t work, and moderately than discovering the observe that might endear him to us, his Faulkner is agonizing to look at, an issue in your predominant character.“
He continued, “It’s actually a disgrace Military of One turned out so poorly because it’s chockfull of expertise. This ought to have been good, and the premise is bold. Ultimately, the germ of a good suggestion wasn’t practically sufficient to maintain a function, and this is sort of a unhealthy Humorous or Die sketch stretched to feature-length. Solely die-hard Cage followers want apply.” You possibly can try the remainder of his assessment proper right here. Maybe he’ll just like the director’s lower just a little extra.