Difference between revisions of "Wolf Guy/Review"
From The Grindhouse Cinema Database
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[[Sonny Chiba]] is always an entertaining actor whose movies have high nostalgia value and a huge cult following. Having been a fan of his martial arts movies, it was surprising to find this small movie sandwiched between his highly entertaining [[The Streetfighter|Street Fighter trilogy]]. Some movies live and die by their premise. No matter what happens, it can work well if you buy into the fundamental premise of the film. That's what happens in this case as Wolf Guy has a bizarre one for the ages. It has Chiba playing a werewolf detective getting in the crosshairs of supernatural cults and government agents out for his blood. | [[Sonny Chiba]] is always an entertaining actor whose movies have high nostalgia value and a huge cult following. Having been a fan of his martial arts movies, it was surprising to find this small movie sandwiched between his highly entertaining [[The Streetfighter|Street Fighter trilogy]]. Some movies live and die by their premise. No matter what happens, it can work well if you buy into the fundamental premise of the film. That's what happens in this case as Wolf Guy has a bizarre one for the ages. It has Chiba playing a werewolf detective getting in the crosshairs of supernatural cults and government agents out for his blood. | ||
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Loosely based on a manga by Kazumasa Hirai, which had already been adapted into a movie before, Wolf Guy significantly plays loose with its source material. That earlier movie is a straight adaptation of the manga, but this version of Wolf Guy plays very loose with the manga, which involved a teen student. You actually wonder why it is considered an adaptation as it is one in name alone. | Loosely based on a manga by Kazumasa Hirai, which had already been adapted into a movie before, Wolf Guy significantly plays loose with its source material. That earlier movie is a straight adaptation of the manga, but this version of Wolf Guy plays very loose with the manga, which involved a teen student. You actually wonder why it is considered an adaptation as it is one in name alone. | ||
Revision as of 15:25, 15 June 2021
Sonny Chiba is always an entertaining actor whose movies have high nostalgia value and a huge cult following. Having been a fan of his martial arts movies, it was surprising to find this small movie sandwiched between his highly entertaining Street Fighter trilogy. Some movies live and die by their premise. No matter what happens, it can work well if you buy into the fundamental premise of the film. That's what happens in this case as Wolf Guy has a bizarre one for the ages. It has Chiba playing a werewolf detective getting in the crosshairs of supernatural cults and government agents out for his blood.
Loosely based on a manga by Kazumasa Hirai, which had already been adapted into a movie before, Wolf Guy significantly plays loose with its source material. That earlier movie is a straight adaptation of the manga, but this version of Wolf Guy plays very loose with the manga, which involved a teen student. You actually wonder why it is considered an adaptation as it is one in name alone.
The movie starts with Sonny Chiba roaming a street in the night, and he meets a guy who is, to the amazement of everyone, slowly being ripped into shreds by an invisible force. Now this being a detective movie, Sonny Chiba goes around being a curious little cat trying to figure out the mystery behind the invisible ripper.
What is both fantastic and dumbfounding about the movie is the twists and turns the movie takes. Director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi (of the Karate Bear Fighter and Sister Streetfighter trilogy) has made a hell of a gonzo cocktail of all genres that caught his fancy and that somehow works in its favor as a cult movie. You cannot predict what turns the movie will take as it manages to switch genres in a single scene. It goes from a beginning with supernatural creatures and gold hearted prostitutes to, yes, all of it tying up into a government conspiracy that makes it rather stupifying. Yes, this movie is one scene away from being an incoherent mess, and it flirts with it pretty closely. But Sonny Chiba is, as expected, heroically saves the movie from itself. If there are moments where you lose the plot, he will drag you back in with style.
Take the scene after he gets kidnapped by the government agents out for his blood, so they can duplicate it and farm raise super-soldiers and werewolf soldiers. The sight of seeing him scoop his intestines back into his stomach and using his super werewolf powers is a highlight. And being Sonny Chiba, the mass paperback martial arts movie version of a best seller, makes you completely buy into that scene. It is an incoherent mess that is so deliciously enjoyable.
There is a reason expecting an excellent film while watching a movie like this might backfire. You might end up thinking you wasted your time watching a stupid movie. That's not the audience for Wolf Guy. This is one for the cult movie fans to celebrate Sonny Chiba and the experience of watching him slashing and screaming his way to grind house immortality.
Alif Majeed is a contributor to Grindhouse Cinema Database. You can find a list of all his reviews HERE.
