Captain America (1990) The Albert Pyun Directors Cut

Thirty five years ago Albert Pyun helmed the first big screen feature version of Captain America. The film was not well received. Pyun insisted that if we could see his cut of the film it wouldn't be as disliked as it is. Where many directors will say that about their cuts which no longer exist, Pyun could prove his point because he had a 35mm print of his cut. While the film was released as a limited edition DVD-R, the film is  now making a tour of festivals and people are finally getting a chance to not only see his cut, but getting to see it on a big screen, something almost no one has done.

I will not  get into the story behind the making of Albert Pyun's CAPTAIN AMERICA. There is simply too much to the tale for tell it quickly. All you need to know is that what was kind of released to theaters was not what Pyun wanted. The film was shortened, about 15 minutes was removed. It was also restructured so that the film was told in chronological order. This was never meant to be told that way and as a result the theatrical cult had issues.

My problem with the original cut of the film was that the best stuff was the Captain America action sequences that bookended the film. The rest of it was too talky and awkward. The pacing seemed clunky and awkward. It was a grand swing and a big miss.  Pyun's cut improves the film greatly. It's not the disaster that many feel the theatrical cut is.

This isn't to say that this version doesn't have problems, it does (there is a juvenileness to bits, and the budget resulted in a certain cheapness). However, in this cut the problems are considerably less. The story actually flows from start to finish. It's a move that shifts the plot from one about a decades long plot of the Red Skull and saddles it more toward the characters then the action. It's clear that Pyun was looking to do more than just tell a comic book story. The original structure gives the film more weight.

I actually like this version. No it isn't a great film but I think it's a good film. 

This is definitely worth a look, especially if you love the character.