Wild Zero
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| Wild Zero | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Tetsuro Takeuchi |
| Produced by | Kazuhiko Tanaka |
| Written by | Satoshi Takagi |
| Starring | Guitar Wolf, Masashi Endô, Kwancharu Shitichai |
| Music by | Guitar Wolf |
| Cinematography | Motoki Kobayashi |
| Editing by | Tomoe Kubota |
| Distributed by | Synapse Films |
| Release date(s) | 2001 |
| Running time | 98 min |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The campy Wild Zero is a 2000 Japanese rock ‘n’ roll "zombie horror" classic directed by Tetsuro Takeuchi and starring the Japanese garage rock band Guitar Wolf. It borrows many elements from other popular B-movies such as Rebel Without a Cause and Psychomania.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Ace, a wannabe rock star, is on his way to a concert of the rock/punk band Guitar Wolf when aliens invade the Earth. As a consequence the dead rise to their feet in the countryside setting of Asahi, Japan, with an appetite for flesh. Enlisting the help of Guitar Wolf, Ace and the members of the band get entangled in many misadventures with crazy rock managers in very tight shorts, transsexuals, naked women shooting guns in the shower, and bloodthirsty zombies ready to tear them apart. Leather jackets, loud over-modulated music, laser guitar picks, motorcycles, muscle cars, and fire abound. Guitar Wolf, a Japanese trio signed to Matador Records in the US --and self-proclaimed coolest rock band in the world-- star as the well-coiffed hipster heroes. It is also a love story.
The music, in a garage punk vein, plays an important role in the film. This film is similar to another movie by a Spanish punk group, La matanza caníbal de los garrulos lisérgicos produced by Siniestro Total (a punk band from Vigo, Spain).
[edit] Characters
[edit] Guitar Wolf
Energetic lead singer and guitarist of the band Guitar Wolf. Rides a specially designed motorcycle (with a liquor bottle holder up front) and is the aggressive action hero of the group. Also acts as Ace's moral guide, much like Elvis guides Clarence in True Romance. Never without his guitar which turns out to house a samurai sword.
[edit] Bass Wolf
Bassist and drug enthusiast of the band. Usually rides in car with Drum Wolf.
[edit] Drum Wolf
Drummer of the band. Usually rides in car with Bass Wolf.
[edit] Ace
Self-proclaimed "biggest Guitar Wolf fan in the world" with dreams of hitting it big as a musician himself (though never seen with an instrument in the entire film). Slightly goofy, but has heart in the right place and throroughly filled with love of Rock 'N' Roll.
[edit] Tobio
Damsel in distress with a hunger for love that is usually thwarted by the fact that she is actually a he.
[edit] DVD information
- Encoding: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only).
- Format: Color, Widescreen
- Rated: NR
- Studio: Wea Corp
- DVD Release Date: September 30, 2003
- Run Time: 98 minutes
[edit] Drinking game
The DVD suggests a Wild Zero drinking game, in which a drinking symbol appears everytime a character drinks, says "Rock 'n Roll," or combs their hair, or when a head pops, something explodes, or fire shoots out of something.
[edit] External links
- Wild Zero at the Internet Movie Database
- Wild Zero at StillTwitching.com
- Official Guitar Wolf website
- A review of Wild Zero which captures the film's spirit
