Watch 54: The Director's Cut

54: The Director's Cut is a drama film directed by Mark Christopher, released in 1998. The movie presents a fictionalized portrayal of the infamous New York discotheque Studio 54 in the late 1970s. The movie stars Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Neve Campbell, Mike Myers, and Sela Ward in lead roles. Shane O'Shea (Ryan Phillipe) is a young New Jersey boy who moves to New York City to pursue his dream of becoming a famous actor. Due to a lack of resources and connections, he ends up getting a job as a bartender at the popular nightclub, Studio 54. The discotheque is owned by Steve Rubell (Mike Meyers), a flamboyant and volatile character who runs the club like a kingdom.

Shane is introduced to the glamorous and hedonistic lifestyle of the clientele - celebrities, models, socialites, and counter-culture figures who flock to the club for the drugs, sex, and music. He captures the attention of Julie Black (Neve Campbell), a coat-check girl who dreams of being a singer. She encourages his acting aspirations and the two start a romantic relationship.

Meanwhile, Shane is pursuing a romantic relationship with Anita Randazzo (Salma Hayek), a bold and confident bartender at the club who is in control of her own sexuality. She introduces Shane to the darker side of the club, where drugs are openly used and sexual acts are performed in front of an audience. Shane is initially hesitant about this scene, but soon becomes enamored with the idea of being part of this world.

As Shane's star rises in the club, he begins to see the corrupt and exploitive nature of Steve Rubell's regime. He sees how the nightclub's success is built on the backs of the vulnerable young people who Shane works with. The club's bottom line is always put before the well-being of its employees, and those who fall out of favor with Rubell are quickly disposed of.

As the New Year's Eve party of 1979 approaches, things come to a head at Studio 54, and Shane is faced with difficult choices about his loyalty, his future, and his relationships.

54: The Director's Cut boasts a terrific ensemble cast, with Ryan Phillippe delivering a nuanced portrayal of a young man who is both seduced and repelled by the pleasures of nightlife. Salma Hayek is magnetic as Anita Randazzo, a strong-willed woman who refuses to compromise her dignity even in the face of exploitation. Mike Meyers is unrecognizable under a mountain of makeup and hair as the outrageous Steve Rubell, portraying him as a tragic figure rather than a caricature.

The film is also notable for its depiction of the cultural landscape of New York City in the late 1970s, with its social upheaval, artistic experimentation, and the arrival of AIDS. The soundtrack of the film features classic disco tracks from the era, which are skillfully interwoven into the narrative.

54: The Director's Cut was initially released in 1998 in a truncated version that had been heavily edited by the studio. After years of requests by fans, director Mark Christopher was finally allowed to release his original, uncut version in 2015. The new cut restores over 40 minutes of footage and substantially alters the tone and structure of the movie.

In conclusion, 54: The Director's Cut is a vivid and entertaining examination of a tumultuous time in New York City's history, and an exploration of the darker side of the pursuit of pleasure. It is a movie that will appeal to fans of disco, drama, and history alike.

54: The Director's Cut is a 1998 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 46 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.9 and a MetaScore of 33.