What editions are available?
- Theatrical Cut (109 min.)
- Extreme Extended Cut (135 min.)
The British gangster movie Rise of the Footsoldier from 2007 was released in a Extreme Extended Cut on Blu-ray in 2012. The theatrical cut is available on DVD in the States and Britain but the extended cut is only available on Blu-ray in the UK. Director Julian Gilbey says the following in the commentary on the extended cut on Blu-ray:
“I was actually really happy with the original cut of the 2007 cut of Rise of the Footsoldier. I would never call this edition the director’s cut because I was happy with the cut at the time. I wasn’t forced by anybody, Optimum or Carnaby, to cut the original down..”
“I think that the perfect cut of the Rise of the Footsoldier is probably I would say 2/3 the new cut, 1/3 the old cut. The truth of the matter is that there isn’t a perfect cut of it. Because it’s not perfect film but I celibate it for it’s imperfections..”
Source: Julian Gilbey’s commentary track for the Extreme Extended Cut of Rise of the Footsoldier on Blu-ray
The director’s preferred edition: Extended
Comparison of the editions with courtesy of Movie-Censorship.com
