I was just watching the movie Payback with Mel Gibson when I thought of this topic to blog about.  For those who don't know, the original director of Payback was fired right before the movie was finished (and the day after that director one an Oscar for his LA Confidential screenplay), leaving the movie to be finished and re-edited by some random schmuck that was probably the son-in-law of some studio executive.  Anyway, a few years back the movie got a director's cut that drastically alters the look and feel of the film to the way it was originally intended.  Situations like this aren't exactly a rarity in Hollywoodland.

This is part of the reason I love the show Entourage (outside of it being hilarious).  It shows all of the background politics that go into bringing a movie from concept to its release, and more often than not, someone gets screwed.  I find it far more engaging than "real" politics.  Getting to the point of this article, sometimes the director's vision gets tampered with, and usually its for the worse.  Thanks to DVDs, directors have been getting more and more chances to revise their movies and make them whole.  Sometimes director's cut means absolutely nothing, but sometimes, just sometimes, it means everything.

Kingdom of Heaven:
I start with this movie because it is probably the most important director's cut on this list.  I liked Kingdom of Heaven when it was in theatres but after I saw the director's cut, I honestly can't believe I liked the theatrical.  By adding 45 minutes to the film, you get more story, more character, more involvement, and even a bit more action.  For those who have seen the original, did you know the Queen has a young son who temporarily becomes king or that the priest that gets thrown into the fire at the beginning is Orlando Bloom's jealous brother?  The flow and logic of the movie makes far more sense and the end is far more rewarding.  It's long, be prepared, but it's so much better.  And don't just take my word for it, the opinion is near universal.

Lord of the Ring Trilogy:
Most LOTR fans already know this, but the extended versions are the REAL movies.  I liked the theatrical, but they were purposely stripped for shorter run times in theatres.  The added scenes add everything from context to simple book references for the original fans.  Seriously, the theatrical cuts should fade out of existence.

Troy:
With Troy, you get all the things listed in the movies above, but you also get a lot more blood.  For the gore fiends, this director's cut is gruesome and lets be honest, we all watch Troy because of its action NOT because you see Brad Pitt naked.

Dark City:
It's sad just how unknown this movie is considering it comes from the man who gave us The Crow and I, Robot.  Its very Matrix-esque in plot and tone (though it came out the year before).  The set up?  A man wakes up in a room with a dead body and blood on his hands having no idea how he got there.  The police and his wife are looking for him as well as some pale men in trench coats and black hats.  The main reason you need to see the directors cut?  Because the original version ruins the entire movie with an opening narration.   Imagine if the Matrix started off with Morpheus saying the world you see is an illusion created by machines so they can harvest are bodies.  I'm not kidding!

Blade Runner:
This is the second Ridley Scott movie on the list (the man who did Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Alien, and Black Hawk Down) and it also has a rough history.  Its original release was butchered but thankfully was given one of the first director's cuts back in 92.  However, it wasn't to a couple years back that it got a "final cut", restoring it to the vision it was meant to be.  If you read movie related stories and critiques often, I'd be surprised if you haven't heard of Blade Runner.  Just how influential is this movie?  Before Christopher Nolan shot Batman Begins, he sat the entire crew down and had them watch this movie.  When it finished he said "alright, this is the movie I want us to make."  And yes, the final cut is the way to go though I warn you, the movie arguably takes multiple views before you "get it".

Terminator 2:
The movie is great either way, but the director's cut is better.  If anything, its worth having the director's cut for the dream scene featuring Michael Bean, the main character from the first movie.  Simply put, it makes a great film greater.

Lastly, the movies DareDevil, Donnie Darko, The Watchmen and Robin Hood:Prince of Theives are more complete and improved in director's cut form.

On the flip side,in the case of movies like Gladiator and Aliens, the extended cut is not the director's cut and the scenes added aren't neccesary and were added by studios.  If I missed anything, let me know and I'll be happy to update!