// The Long Cut · extended & director's cuts

Always watch
the longest cut.

A plain reference for film fanatics: the theatrical runtime next to the longest version that exists, every edition catalogued, and the exact terms to search for so you never settle for the short cut again.

// The collection in numbers
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Films in the database
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With a longer cut
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Extra minutes restored
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Longest cut on record
// Browse

Theatrical vs the longest cut.

Showing only films with a longer cut. Titles already at full length (no extended version exists) stay hidden here but still turn up when you search. Click any film to expand its editions, notes, and sources.

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// Directors

Browse by director.

Every film, grouped by who made it. Click a name for that director's page: the full filmography, which films have a longer cut, and how much runtime the longest cuts add.

// Featured
// Every director
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// Stats

By the numbers.

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Films with a longer cut
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Avg minutes added
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Hours of extra footage
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Biggest single extension
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Biggest % increase
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Distinct cut types
// Most rewarded by the longer cut
    // Longest films (by longest cut)
      // Films by cut type
        // Glossary

        The terms to search for.

        Edition names that usually mean LONGER

        Search these first. They typically add footage over the theatrical cut.

        KeywordWhat it means
        Extended Cut / EditionDeleted scenes restored. The single most reliable "longer" tag. (LOTR, Gladiator)
        Director's CutThe director's preferred, usually fuller version. Not always longer (see traps).
        Unrated / UncutContent cut for a rating restored. Often longer and gorier. (Blade Trinity, Underworld)
        RecutRe-edited, often with new footage. (Sin City)
        Special / Special Extended EditionStudio re-release with added scenes. (Aliens, T2, Independence Day)
        Ultimate Edition / Ultimate CutLongest assembled version. (Watchmen, Batman v Superman)
        ReduxReassembled longer cut. (Apocalypse Now Redux, 196m)
        Integral / Intégrale"Complete" (French / Euro term). (Leon, Cinema Paradiso)
        Roadshow VersionLong theatrical with overture and intermission. (Kingdom of Heaven DC)
        Assembly CutPre-release longer assembly. (Alien 3)
        Restored / ReconstructedLost footage put back. (Spartacus, Metropolis)

        Tags that mean better PICTURE, not longer

        Do not assume these add runtime. They are quality and format tags.

        • Remastered / 4K / UHD · same runtime, better image.
        • Anniversary Edition · usually packaging. Sometimes bundles an extended cut, so check the runtime.
        • IMAX / IMAX Enhanced · expanded aspect ratio on some scenes, not more minutes.
        • Open Matte · more picture top and bottom, same length.
        • Collector's / Limited / Steelbook · packaging. Check which cut is on the disc.
        • HDR / Dolby Vision / Atmos · color and audio, not length.

        Traps: when "Director's Cut" is NOT longer

        • Same length, just recut · Heat's Director's Definitive Edition is the same ~170m.
        • Shorter than theatrical · some cuts tighten the film instead of extending it.
        • Two competing long cuts · Apocalypse Now has Redux (196m, longest) and Final Cut (183m). Longest is not newest.
        • Disowned long cuts · Dune (1984) "Alan Smithee" TV cut is longer but the director repudiated it.
        • Always confirm with an actual runtime number, never the label alone.

        Scene-release filename tags

        Releases encode the cut into the filename. Search for these tokens.

        EXTENDEDEXTENDED.CUTUNRATEDUNCUT RECUTDC / DIRECTORS.CUTSE / SPECIAL.EDITION REDUXULTIMATEROADSHOWREISSUE

        A release tagged THEATRICAL is deliberately the short version. Noise tokens that are not about the cut: REPACK, PROPER, MULTi, HYBRID, READNFO.

        Films where the long cut has a specific name

        Know the exact term or you will never find it.

        Apocalypse NowRedux (longest)
        Blade RunnerThe Final Cut
        WatchmenUltimate Cut
        Justice LeagueZack Snyder's Justice League
        Superman IIThe Richard Donner Cut
        Kill BillThe Whole Bloody Affair
        WaterworldThe Ulysses Cut
        Alien 3Assembly Cut
        Once Upon a Time in AmericaExtended Director's Cut
        Das BootThe Uncut / TV miniseries
        LeonVersion Intégrale
        BrazilCriterion 142m (avoid the 94m cut)

        How to verify you grabbed the longest one

        • IMDb · "Technical specs" and "Alternate versions" list every cut and runtime.
        • movie-censorship.com · shot-by-shot cut comparisons with time deltas.
        • dvdcompare.net · exhaustive edition and runtime database.
        • Measure it · ffprobe -v error -show_entries format=duration file.mkv, then divide by 60.
        • Trust the measured minutes, not the filename. A file tagged EXTENDED that matches the theatrical runtime is mislabeled.
        // About

        What this is.

        Extended Movies, also known as The Long Cut, is a small, hand-verified reference for people who only want the fullest version of a film: the extended, director's, unrated, or restored cut, whichever runs longest.

        Every runtime here was checked against IMDb technical specs, movie-censorship.com comparisons, and the actual measured file, then cross-referenced before being recorded. The sources are linked under each title so you can verify any number yourself.

        No streaming guide tracks this cleanly, so this exists. It is reference only: it does not host or link to any media.