8 Films Disowned By Their Directors Before They Were Released

3. Gunhed (1989)

Keanu Reeves Exposed
Toho Co.

Gunhed, a Japanese sci-fi about a huge robot tank with more guns attached to it than I've had hot dinners, was directed by Masato Harada and released in Japan in 1989. Much like Death of a Gunfighter, Gunhed is actually kind of a great film. There is an incredible amount of detail to be found in the model work, with the titular robot itself looking rad as hell, and it's mostly just about the aforementioned tank-robot blowing stuff up.

So, what's not to love? Well, the English dub of the film is uh... not good. It's near impossible to find it online, most likely due to how truly awful it is, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Harada hated the dub so much that he refused to have his name associated with the project, instead going under Alan Smithee for it's US release. It suffered critically and financially as a result.

Honestly though, give the subbed version a watch if you've never seen it. Provided you find a high quality version of the film, you'll probably have a blast. It's about a tank with legs blowing stuff up, how can you not enjoy that?

Contributor

Lewis Parker hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would tell you to follow him on Twitter @LPCantLose, and to make sure you stay hydrated.