11 Reshoots That Actually Improved Movies
6. Payback
The Reshoot: After production wrapped, Warner Bros. deemed the final product too dark, writer-director Brian Helgeland was kicked off the movie, and 30% of it was reshot to lighten the tone and rework more controversial plot elements.
How It Improved The Movie: Though there's a loyal band of fans who defend the Director's Cut of the film to the hilt, the theatrical release is a decidedly more entertaining effort, while Helgeland's version is an incredibly dour, self-consciously dark thriller which removes the icy Mel Gibson voiceover, replaces Kris Kristofferson's villain and ends in far more generic, predictable fashion.
This is a rare example of a studio knowing when a director is in the wrong, though at the same time, why approve shooting the movie in the first place if the material's too somber?