Mickey 17 Is The Best Possible Argument For Directors Getting Final Cut

This article contains mild spoilers for "Mickey 17."

Five years after "Parasite" dominated the Oscars and became the first South Korean film to receive any Academy Award recognition, Bong Joon Ho is back with what I firmly believe is his best English-language film yet, "Mickey 17." But a lot has changed in our world since 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic (which is still a thing, by the way) essentially shut the world down for months. The American film industry went on pause as the WGA and SAG-AFTRA dual strikes were caused by the AMPTP dragging their heels on providing a fair deal, and in recent months, America swore in a new presidential administration. Simply put, the world that existed when "Parasite" debuted is not the one we're living in now, and yet despite all of the massive changes that have taken place, "Mickey 17" proves that some things will always stay the same.

Films often experience a bit of an evolution once they enter the post-production stage. Sometimes scenes are too graphic to appease the MPA to maintain an R rating and are cut, sometimes moments that felt great in the moment just slow down a film's pace once entering an edit, and unfortunately, all too often, sometimes scenes are cut because real-life events require the film's story to change course. In some instances, these changes are the brainchild of the director, but very often, they're made at the behest of a producer or studio head.

There are no shortage of stories about directors feeling as if their vision has been hacked to bits in the editing bay by decisions made beyond their control. It is becoming shockingly rare for directors to have final cut on studio-distributed films, but Director Bong wisely made it a requirement for anyone wanting to work with him — a result of The Weinstein Company famously chopping up "Snowpiercer." This meant that Warner Bros., a studio that reportedly once said they wanted to avoid working with auteur directors who want final cut, had to accept Director Bong's vision for "Mickey 17" regardless of how the world changed around them ... and we should all be eternally grateful that he did. Let me explain.

To call "Mickey 17" a "political" movie is the understatement of the century. While Director Bong has consistently made political films, this is arguably his least subtle yet. Themes focused on the dangers of capitalism, workers' rights, the exploitation of the working class, the inherent dehumanization that occurs during colonization, and the horrific mindset of eugenics-centered fascism are loudly on display, but it's how he chose to depict the true villainy that is indisputable.

The ship of colonizers in "Mickey 17" is the brainchild of Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), a disgraced politician who has gained a cult-like following on Earth of loyal supporters who don red hats and worship him like a demigod despite him being an international joke in the world of politics. He's such a laughingstock that he has taken on the task of colonizing another planet because he clearly can't stand not being viewed as a leader back on Earth. Many of those who join them on his journey are doing so out of blind dedication, or they've fallen for the propaganda he consistently churns out, or because they are in such a desperate state of living, they feel like they have no other choice.

When I was fortunate enough to interview Director Bong, I asked him about this character, and while he didn't outright say, "Yes, this character is the embodiment of Donald Trump and Elon Musk rolled into a single entity," he also didn't not say it. "I sense the clear intentions of your question with Marshall's character played by Mark Ruffalo," he laughed. "If you ask us, is it a satire of a particular character? I think it'll be difficult for Mark and I to say, 'No, absolutely,' to that." Director Bong did acknowledge that countries all around the world are dealing with political turmoil and that in the modern age, "all of us have gone through bad leaders and political sufferings," which is incredibly true. Regardless, by looking at the mannerisms, vocal tics, and hyperfixations of Marshall's character, it's pretty undeniable that he's an avatar for Donald Trump and Elon Musk, among the other global inspirations.

Given how many studios, streamers, broadcasters, and other members of the press and media have been bending the knee to Trump and his supporters out of fear, it's shocking that "Mickey 17" has been given the space to be as pronounced as it is about the people the film is criticizing.

In an interview with Empire Magazine, Director Bong explained that "Mickey 17" was indeed his final cut, and that Warner Bros. never tried to take that away from him. "The studio respected my final cut rights," he said, but also said they were willing to provide input as collaborators, rather than overseers. "Of course, during the editing process there are many opinions and many discussions that happen," he continued. "But this film is my cut, and I'm very happy about it. It was a long process, but it was always smooth and respectful."

When Director Bong first began writing "Mickey 17," it was under the American presidential administration of Joe Biden. I can't imagine that he could have predicted that we would once again be living under a Trump administration when he wrote the character, because Marshall is very much presented like someone the rest of the world has moved on from, and are now able to look back and laugh at because he's no longer a formidable threat. But ultimately, Marshall isn't just Trump, he's every leader that has oppressed their constituents. It's a global experience that we all relate to!

By presenting Marshall as the allegorical avatar he is, "Mickey 17" stops feeling like a work of speculative fiction and becomes a warning of things to come if we aren't careful. Had Director Bong not been granted final cut, I can't imagine a studio being brave enough to have seen the results of the election, and still allowed the film to come out as is. Disney recently came under fire after cutting a transgender storyline from the Pixar series "Win or Lose," something they were apparently fine with when giving the show a greenlight but clearly got cold feet over including in the wake of Trump's re-election.

I'll admit that when I saw "Mickey 17" in the theaters, I found myself choking back tears a few times — not because it's a tearjerker of a movie or anything, but because I didn't realize how badly I needed someone (in this case, Director Bong) to put something out into the world that essentially says, "Hey, you're not crazy, you're just living under the regime of an absolute maniac and trying to maintain normalcy is an impossible ask." I hope Warner Bros. knows how important this movie is for our current time period, and I hope other studios take note and stop stifling the creative voices of the people they hire and trust them to do their job. The world is better for it.

I spoke about the movie on today's episode of the /Film Daily podcast, which features my full interview with Director Bong and a couple of the film's cast members:

"Mickey 17" is now in theaters everywhere.