(PROGRESS UPDATE 2/20/22):
Finally, guys, as promised… here it is
Below is the detailed cutlist, of all changes made to the film so far. I will probably give this cut a viewing today, before making any final little adjustments I want to add before signing off on it. Then, I’ll transcode my MP4 work-print to .AVI, add some sound-FX in a couple places, then I’ll be ready to preview it for people.
Mainly, the intent was to follow the original vision James Mangold had for the film; in accordance with statements he’s made in interviews as well as statements made by various crew members/actors on the original version of the script (I’ll definitely be cross-referencing my notes with that document, if I can locate the first draft). The main changes are that Viper is essentially no longer in this cut, and Yashida doesn’t come back to life as a giant robot later (sigh…); In this version, when he dies at the beginning? He’s actually dead. Neither the finale in the fortress, or the inclusion of Viper, were in Mangold’s original version of the film. They were added by the studio. Thus they’ve been removed, in accordance with his wishes; rendering the film more of small-scale Neo-noir set in Japan, with real world stakes and logic, as originally intended. Without furthur ado, the changes are as follows…
=== [RUNNING TIMES] ===
-- The Unleashed Extended Edition: 2h18m
-- Silver Screen Samurai Restoration: 1h50m
* * *
OLD YASHIDA INTRODUCTION
Per Mangold’s wishes, Viper has basically been removed from this film. Not completely, but all close-ups and prominent character moments have been removed unless absolutely necessary (like in the scene with Yashida and his son, implying the son payed her to kill his father). In this scene, her close-ups were replaced with the insert of the heart monitor, turning it into a visual motif of Yashida’s mortality:
(00:24:11:15)
- Removed closeup of Wolverine and Viper exchanging glances, because it foreshadows a more prominent role in the film than she'll have in this version. Bridged with gap with the insert of the heart monitor.
(00:28:33:00)
- Removed another closeup of Viper, by cutting away to a custom insert (no difference in length, just a different cutaway)
- To actually build off the motif/bookends structure, I created a sped-up version of the heartbeat monitor insert. I like this idea because then it visually shows a change from Yashida’s calmness, at the beginning of the scene, to his anxiety at the end of the scene (slow-fast heartbeat); which, as a side effect, also hides/cuts the inserts on Viper. In general, that’s how I like to work; meaningful reason for a decision first, addressing an editing/continuity problem second.
* * *
POISONING SEQUENCE
By basically reducing Viper to a featured extra, this obviously created an obstacle trying to make the poisoning scene work; since, in this version, she’s not the culprit. Now the film becomes more of a whodunnit, since we now don’t know who actually poisoned him until the (new) final act (It’s not the same culprit as the theatrical cut, as you’ll see later on):
(00:33:58:20)
- I essentially just turned into Wolverine waking up from a PTSD nightmare about the war; so now dreaming about Yashida and the bunker triggers him waking up in stress, perfectly leading into Yashida’s death.
(00:35:08:07)
- Removed the closeup of Yukio saying she “didn’t foresee” Yashida’s; partially because it foreshadows him coming back as a Samurai robot (groans), which has been removed in this cut, but also because it hurts the film’s suspense; if she can be wrong, the prophecy of Wolverine’s death has no stakes.
* * *
FUNERAL SEQUENCE
Removed various closeups of, and cutaways to, Viper; since she’s not really in this version in any prominent capacity. This included entering the temple, as well as cutaways to her during the shootout. The sequence now only establishes ONE main villain, and it’s Harada (LIKE THE COMICSs!!!); I might experiment with also removing a lot of his kills from the sequence, so more ambiguous whether or not he’s protecting Mariko. Said cuts are detailed below:
(00:35:52:17)
- Removed closeup of Viper, thus eliminating foreshadowing for the now removed robot battle (groans). So now we jump straight to the wide shot of Harada, since he’s the main villain in this cut (YOU KNOW, LIKE THE COMICS!!)
(00:36:19:03)
- Removed prominent shot emphasizing Viper, jumping from the same wide shot of Harada to a wide of Logan and Yukio entering the temple.
(00:38:03:08)
- Removed a rack-focus and cutaway to Viper, by cutting to the wide shot of Yashida’s coffin.
- Also removed Harada’s monologue, vowing to protect Mariko; since it makes his motives more ambiguous, and in turn him more believable as a villain.
(00:40:26:20)
- Removed Viper recording the fight on her phone, since who does that during a fight anyway? (plus it never comes back, it’s just a really bad Checkov’s gun).
(00:40:39:02)
- Removed Viper spitting venom in a man’s face, since she won’t be using that power later. Instead, I just use the weird wonky psychological visual and editing style of Wolverine getting shot to motivate the cut.
* * *
LOVE HOTEL SECTION
Mainly wanted to remove the various references to Viper in this section; since she’s not the one responsible for poisoning Wolverine in this cut, and essentially been removed from this cut of the film:
(00:56:30:07)
- Removed the hallucination of Viper when Wolverine is jumped.
(00:59:09:10)
- Trimmed the scene of Wolverine being stitched, to remove the conversation discussing Viper poisoning him; since she’s not the one who did it in this version, and it just repeats exposition we already know.
- Completely removed the scene where Viper and Harada discuss their plan in the rain, since it foreshadows a finale that won’t be in this cut.
* * *
THE VILLAGE SECTION
Only made one minor change here, to adhere to this cut’s continuity:
(01:02:49:17)
- Removed the backstory on Harada and Mariko being lovers, since it makes his motives too sympathetic to make a believable villain.
- Bridged this with a time cut, jumping ahead in the scene; now instead of one scene of them making dinner and eating, it’s two separate scenes.
* * *
THE KIDNAPPING SECTION
Mainly I wanted to completely remove Viper from this section, since she’s not in cahoots with the Ninjas in this version, and set up a better transition into the Ninja fight in the snow later. This also actually involved removing Harada from this section, since he seemed too genuinely concerned to work as a villain. So now we don’t know who kidnapped her until Wolverine knows.
(01:28:50:14)
- Ended the kidnapping scene slightly earlier, on that shot of Ninja yanking Mariko out the door by her arms.
- This eliminates Harada and Viper from the scene, and also leaves it ambiguous as to what happened to Shingen; we assume, via the Kushlov effect, that the Ninjas killed him offscreen, since we now don’t actually see it… making it a more surprising reveal when he shows up in the cardiac arrest sequence.
(1:31:41:17)
- Moved the cutaway to “mystery figure” (Shingen) to later, to be explained momentarily; thus rendering Wolverine turning on the medical bed and actually getting in it as one continuous scene, rather than two broken up.
(1:32:38:03)
- Deleted the dialogue exchange where Wolverine says Yukio was “wrong” about Yashida’s death; since he actually is (in fact) dead in this version.
- Also, it totally deflates the tension to suggest she might be wrong about Logan’s death RIGHT AS HE’S ABOUT TO (POTENTIALLY) DIE.
- Bridged this cut by moving the cutaway to “mystery figure” (Shingen) here, instead of earlier.
(1:35:41:05)
- Removed the line “that Viper bitch took her,” since she’s not in this version.
* * *
TRANSITION TO FINAL ACT
The new final act, in this version, is the Ninja fight. Whether or not this was ever meant to be the climax of the film is totally up for debate, but it’s clear it was always supposed to be in the film (and the fortress duel following it was not). But the thing, by completely removing Viper from this cut, the transition from Wolverine’s duel with Shingen to the finale is rendered a bit rocky. This necessitated the creation of a new transition between acts, which follows thusly:
(1:37:43:22)
- Completely removed the post-duel scene with Yukio, since it’s there solely to foreshadow the robot fight (which isn’t in this cut).
- The silhouetted shot of Wolverine, in the rain, now cuts to the establishing of him grabbing a cigar.
- Completely removed the dialogue scene in the fortress, between Viper and Mariko; once again, it foreshadows a finale we won’t be seeing (and also, in case I haven’t mentioned it, Viper isn’t this cut).
- The establishing shot of Wolverine, grabbing a cigar, now cuts to the exterior wide shot of the fortress (from deleted the dialogue scene).
- The wide shot, of the fortress, now cuts to the wide shot of Logan on a motorcycle.
- Completely removed the dialogue scene between Viper and Harada; since he’s not a hero in this version, and also VIPER ISN’T IN THIS CUT OF THE FILM.
- The wide shot of Logan, on a motorcycle, now cuts to the ninja fight
* * *
THE NINJA FIGHT
This sequence was radically reworked, in terms of continuity as well as transitioning smoothly to the final airport scene; albeit as minimally as possible, in order to preserve James Mangold’s incredible blocking and fight choreography. In this version of the fight, will all the storylines be resolved? All the mysteries solved? What are Harada’s true motives? Will we find out who poisoned Logan in this cut? The answer to those questions…
* * *
…Well, I won’t go and reveal everything in store;
I wouldn’t wanna give to much away, after all