Wild Zero

I was told by some friends of mine, "You have to see this movie. It will rock your face off." They were right.

Wild Zero is without a doubt the most amazing Japanese Rock Zombie flick ever.

If you believe that rock and roll is here to stay, that greasers should roam the streets of Japan, and that extraneous characters should be disposed of as quickly as possible and turned into zombies, then this film is for you.

The exploding zombie head budget is high in this film, but the writing budget seems to have suffered as a result. With zombie flicks, though, you pay your money and you take your chances.

As someone who's been listening to Guitar Wolf since the early 90s and seen them live a dozen times, I near about wet myself when I first saw this many years ago. Having seen them appear in Sore Losers was funny enough but a movie centered around zombies, killer GW tracks, and schlocky FX and acting...who could resist! Certainly it's got its B-movie charm and the US DVD has the drinking game, but on some level, garage rockers and rock and rollers get this movie and rightly so. It's so over the top and nuts, and the characters have such great idiosyncrasies you can't help but love 'em. The plot isn't so great but there are some absurdities here that you'd find in some of Miike's endings (a la the end scene in Dead or Alive. WTF!) and it's enough to hold your interest and give you a wild ride. But, it's Japanese cinema so who cares, it's not always supposed to make sense. I guess the GW guys are looking for Wild Zero 2 sponsors so I hope they make a funnier sequel. ACE!

I know I use the word 'awesome' frequently in my reviews, and frequently refer to other movies as some "the awesomest movies ever" (see 'Battlefield Baseball' or 'Volcano High'). I can't help it if I watch all these awesome movies. This is where 'Wild Zero' comes in: Simply put, 'Wild Zero' is so indescribably awesome that it defies the description of 'awesome'. There is no other way to describe the awesomeness that is 'Wild Zero'.

'Wild Zero' is a documentary starring Japanese rock band Guitar Wolf. I wouldn't have thought it to do be a documentary, but Guitar Wolf said it was so*, and who am I to doubt them? They saved us from zombies and an alien invasion. All hail Guitar Wolf! 'Wild Zero' starts with Guitar Wolf (the guitarist, not the band) enraging a night-club owner, and in the middle of a stand-off, Guitar Wolf (the band) are saved by a wannabe rocker named Ace. Guitar Wolf (the guitarist) pledges to be a rock n' roll blood-brother with Ace, handing him a whistle only to be used when Ace needs the help of Guitar Wolf. On his way to a gig in Asahi, Ace and other random characters are attacked by zombies. Now only Guitar Wolf can save the world from zombies and aliens. Awesome.

I noticed other users referring to this as the 'ultimate B-movie' and whatever. I disagree. This is the ultimate awesome movie. Well, it would be if it wasn't a documentary. Either way, 'Wild Zero' has everything that all aspiring awesome movies need: rock n' roll, zombies, many exploding heads, guitar-swords, and the best reference to 'Psycho' ever. Ignore all comments about acting, Guitar Wolf are just being themselves (with alcohol and swearing toned down, so I've read). Awesome.

10/10 - some people might disagree with my comments. 'Wild Zero' may not be a well-made 'movie', but it is so incredibly awesome, and in the end, awesomeness is what really matters.

*Ok, I found that from a website reviewing 'Wild Zero'. I read through a few interviews with Guitar Wolf, and they didn't specifically say that, although they did similar things. In fact, everything they had to say was awesome.

Wild Zero is the kind of film that has received limited, but generally ecstatic, reviews from those obviously in sympathy with the makers: "The best film I have ever seen... I really can't say enough good things about Wild Zero. It's the most fun I've had at the movies in a long time." - Teleport City (sic). "It represents everything I love about film and about life. It is beyond perfection. It has transcended into a realm of unbelievable excellence." - IMDb. One suspects, however, that none of the admirers of Takeuchi's lunatic rock and roll zombie flick see it as more than a trash exercise *par excellence*, a raucous hybrid in which nothing is taken seriously and lapses of taste and judgement are understandingly forgiven. Like most junk products it is fun while around, quickly consumed, bad in excess and soon forgotten.

At the centre of the film is the iconic figure of Guitar Wolf (ably supported by his band members Drum Wolf and Bass Wolf). Guitar hails from the world of Japanese punk and rockabilly, and comes complete with sunglasses, sub-Elvis pompadour, black leather jacket, and unutterably cool attitude. This is his second big screen appearance since McCarthy's Sore Losers of a few years back which was, by all accounts, a similar sort of project (tag-line: "They wanted meat so they ate the flower children!"). How you enjoy the present film depends on appreciating Guitar's somewhat hand-me down camp persona, and your enjoyment of the cheap zombie genre. Romero's trilogy hangs heavily over things, and at one point the characters even discuss who has seen Night Of The Living Dead (1968) - ironically, few here have. There are other influences too: Burton's Mars Attacks! (1996) during the initial flying saucer scenes, or the John Woo-like stand off in the manager's office. The meteor-led incursion recalls such 1950s' invasion titles as Arnold's It Came From Outer Space (1953). That aliens would want to bring the dead back to life as part of their plans can be seen in Wood's legendary Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959), though the charm of that film is missing here.

The action takes place in the nowhere-place of Asahi-Cho, the scene of a meteor shower and shortly, we discover, to be the focus of an alien invasion. Ace is the desperate-to-be-cool character, also in black leather, glasses and rockabilly pompadour, who plans to see his hero Guitar Wolf at the local dive (where he duly performs using microphones which shoot fire). After the show there's a falling out between Guitar and the club owner who, despite having grown up with the singer, claims "Rock and Roll is dead!" Given the heavy investment in the style by all concerned it's clearly a mistaken announcement. It duly provokes a shoot out between Guitar and the owner, in which Ace plays a crucial part in helping his hero. The owner loses two fingers for his pains and vows revenge. Meanwhile Guitar makes Ace his "rock and roll blood brother" and gives him a whistle, to be blown when he is danger. Given that the town is due to be overrun by murderous zombies this is no small blessing, as one can imagine.

Meanwhile other strange characters are introduced: a female arms dealer, most comfortable in what looks like a plaid leotard; a bickering trio in a car, (one of which, Masao, goes odd and tries a blundering gas station robbery); the girl Tobio, dumped by the road after being called a 'pervert' by an unknown driver. She then strikes up a close friendship with Ace. All of these characters act strangely, and it is clear that the meteorite storm is affecting them, just as it unaccountably brings the dead back to life to roam the streets and eat people. Soon Ace discovers a grisly roadside dismemberment and has to prove his courage. Tobio (who has a remarkable secret of her own) is under threat from the zombies, and the plaid babe has to break into a stock of weapons to defend herself. All this while Guitar Wolf needs to first help Ace, fight off the angry club owner, then save the world...

Such trivial plotting and mediocre acting provide window dressing to the film's main elements: Guitar Wolf's rockabilly insouciance in the face of danger, and Ace's own rite of passage; the stumbling flesh-eaters appearing with predictable regularity, and the drug-crazed club owner, (now dressed in hot pants), hunting the singer. The result is, frankly, an entirely inconsequential mishmash, although such a criticism is irrelevant to those who would savour the throwaway lunacy of it all. Takeuchi's first time direction is mundane at best, exemplified in the couple of times he clumsily attempts cross cutting, such as between Ace battling the zombies and Tobio's calm walkabout in her trainers, which seem misplaced and unnecessary. Cross cutting to increase suspense, or to effectively showcase parallel action, is beyond a director whose visual reticence indeed often works against Guitar's screen impact. More unforgivably, while the bargain basement flying saucer effects and gory visuals of disembowelment are well done, there is no feeling of real horror in the picture, merely some vaguely tense scenes as Ace and others are surrounded. The gathering claustrophobia and social comment found in Romero's originals are entirely absent. The flourish and demonstration of a butterfly-knife at one point (a scene which would have undoubtedly been cut a few years back by the squeamish BBFC) promises some tough street fighting, which never materialises - a shame as it would have promised more immediacy and danger than we ever see here. One or two moments are effective: the sad zombie that Toschi becomes, for instance (played by a peculiarly Buscemi-like Japanese actor), wondering the streets before being reunited with his zombie girlfriend. Or Guitar's leap from an exploding room in a three-storey building, to land unscathed and then casually retune his instrument. Such wit is hard to find in a film playing like an off the wall drive-in movie and, for those not attuned, can drag terribly.

At the end of the film Guitar dispatches an alien mothership with his sword, drawn from his guitar - a striking action that, in a single move, encapsulates both the strengths and weakness of a crazy film. Standing on the roof, blade erect to slice open the metal belly, Guitar is cool without being quite convincing, the plot's climax barmy without being brilliant. If we can accept Guitar's keen edge hacking through a low flying spacecraft without laughing the wrong way, then no doubt we will accept and forgive much else seen too. Unfortunately this viewer had his doubts. In Ace's words "At the end of the road you've gotta be grateful" and I had reason to agree with him.

Guitar Wolf, Bass Wolf & Drum Wolf are the triumvirate of rock 'n roll cool. They face the greatest foe of rock 'n roll : Squares. Square are best epitomized by the Captain, who dresses in an all white, skin tight outfit at the beginning (also has a nice mop-top). Apparently he enjoys wearing short shorts (BAD THOUGHT ... unclean... unclean). He and those that he represents don't care about rock 'n roll, they only care about money and power.

One might think this is a typical rock 'n roll movie, but it isn't. After our initial showdown between the squares and the Wolf Trio, the movie takes an unexpected twist. This movie then turns into a survival horror movie. It seems that aliens are involved and they are bringing back the dead. So we end up with the Captain versus the Wolf Trio, in the backdrop of a zombie plague/alien invasion. The supporting cast consists of yakuza henchmen, bungling thieves (one of which is a Japanese Steve Buscemi impersonator and another who is a Japanese Margaret Cho impersonator), a female arms dealer, our hero who's trying to be like Guitar Wolf (Ace), Ace's "female" love interest (Tobio) and layer upon layer of various gray zombies.

This movie is a lot of fun and a twist on the zombie movie genre. The music is great. It has a rock n' roll in-your-face feel. I think Guitar Wolf provided the entire soundtrack. Some of the great scenes where the music is blasting and zombies are dropping left and right, you just want to scream and kick down some doors. A funny innovation in this movie is the pee cam (like Miike's turd cam). The finale is quite over the top. Remember watch this movie, kick ass and chew bubble gum. If you need to drink milk, put some cocaine in it first.

RIP Billy.

-Celluloid Rehab