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Forsaken: Kiefer Sutherland Recut the Western

Father Donald Was Not Pleased With Director's Cut

One rarely knows whether a final film version represents the director's true vision or just resembles what the studio, a producer or even an influential actor wanted. That's mostly kept under wraps unless the director complains in public that the film was taken away from him or when a Director's Cut is released later on that differs so drastically from the theatrical version that it's pretty obvious what must have happened during post-production.

Another direction where such hints about an alternate version can come from an actor who didn't have too much fun on set and wanted to be in front of the camera with his son for the first time before his age doesn't allow that any more, as it happened with Donald Sutherland and the Western Forsaken. Without much compassion for director Jon Cassar, he told Collider that he wasn't too happy with the version the director delivered:

Collider: How did you find Jon Cassar, as a director?

SUTHERLAND: I saw the first cut of the film and I was appalled because it was really just a film about a gunslinger, and it was an action film. The relationship between the father and son was peripheral. I complained about that. I was so disappointed, but maybe I hadn’t talked enough with the director. I don’t know. But, Kiefer worked it out. Kiefer took it and re-edited it. I don’t know whether he talks about that. He’s probably more discreet than I am because Jon is a friend of his. Now, it fulfills what I was hoping for, and what we were working on and doing.

Cassar himself did not comment on the issue but his large experience as a TV director probably got him used to accept and act according to the decisions of showrunners and screenwriters. And since he worked with star/producer Kiefer Sutherland in more than 60 episodes of 24, he probably didn't mind that Sutherland took another crack at the film's editing.

Until now, Forsaken did only have a small release with a few US cinemas and on VOD.

Release: Feb 25, 2016 - Author: sausagemoo81 - Translator: Mike Lowrey

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