Wilding

My review was written in June 1991 after watching the movie on AIP video cassette.

Subject of random teen violence is given the low-road exploitation treatment in "Wilding", a trivial video release.

Filmmaker Eric Louzil updates the '50s wild-teens genre with sex and violence in this unconvincing depiction of kids from good homes going bad.

Pic is set against the backdrop of the famous April 1989 Central Park jogger incident, but action takes place in Los Angeles where teens led by good guy Steven Cooke and bad apple Derek Annunciation segue from terrorizing folks to thrill killing.

Cooke's parents cornily enlist older brother Chris McLeod to try to turn Cooke's life around. As in countless previous films, kids complain about their elders while amorally causing mayhem.

Wings Hauser is typecast as a hot-headed cop, and Joey Travolta has a nothing part as his more level-headed partner. Pic provides no insight into the alarming social problem and has a fake concluding scene.

Production values featuring Yuma, Arizona locations are routine.

This story is so off, I'm surprised the video didn't smell. Wish it had, then I wouldn't have paid one whole Australian dollar for it.

The only redeeming feature is a couple of goodlooking gang members. Unfortunately their characters are so poorly written that they don't come across as real.

Astro Boy has more credibility than this tosh.

All I can say is this is probably the BEST dumb teen gangland movie filmed in Yuma. I'm not just saying that because it's my only screen credit on IMDb. Really. Of all the dumb teen gang movies shot in Yuma with me having screen credit, this is by far the BEST. Really. I got free food, free beer, got beat up by Travolta's cousin, and (the coolest bit) was taught to "stage fight" by Marky Desade from Unforgiven, a very unknown '70's punk band. Not only do you get to see me with my chick-loving long hair, you can also see many of my friends as extras and my house in the background in of a couple of scenes. I was also in Class of Nuke 'Em High 2 and 3, though apparently I wasn't good enough to get credit for those "roles."