Wild Zero
Wild Zero | |
---|---|
Directed by | Tetsuro Takeuchi |
Written by | Satoshi Takagi[1] |
Produced by | Kaichiro Furata[1] |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Motoki Kobayashi |
Edited by | Tomoe Kubota |
Music by | Guitar Wolf |
Production company | Dragon Pictures[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 98 minutes[2] |
Country | Japan[1] |
Language | Japanese[3] |
Wild Zero is a 1999 Japanese
Wild Zero was shown as part of the Midnight Madness series at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival.
Plot
After a
Some time later, Masao, Hanako and her lover Toshi stop at a
Ace returns to the gas station and rescues Tobio from a group of zombies. They flee to an abandoned building, and once inside, share a kiss. Tobio then reveals to Ace that she is
Guitar Wolf is stopped on the road by Hanako and Toshi, who are allowed to ride with them. They go to the gas station where Hanako and Toshi last saw Ace, and are soon joined by arms dealer Yamazaki. Guitar Wolf dispatches the zombies surrounding Yamazaki using laser-like guitar picks. The group visits Yamazaki's weapons cache, where Toshi is bitten by a zombie. As alien spaceships fly around the world, Guitar Wolf set out again to find Ace. Toshi becomes a zombie, and Yamazaki shoots a bitten Hanako. Bass Wolf and Drum Wolf's car is surrounded by zombies, leaving Guitar Wolf to continue on, with Yamazaki following behind in a military vehicle.
Guitar Wolf saves Ace from a horde of zombies. Ace expresses regret for not having stayed with Tobio, receives a handgun from Yamazaki, and leaves on a motorcycle. The Captain, who tracked down Guitar Wolf with the help of the zombified Toshi, begins launching grenades at the building in which Guitar Wolf and Yamazaki are. Guitar Wolf jumps out of the building as the room he was in explodes. After a fight with Guitar Wolf, the Captain begins shooting explosive beams from his eyes, until Bass Wolf and Drum Wolf arrive and kill the Captain using a rocket launcher. Elsewhere, Ace searches for Tobio and eventually finds her at the gas station. As Ace and Tobio embrace, the zombified Toshi finds Hanako, also undead, and they kiss.
The alien
Cast
- Seiji as himself / Guitar Wolf
- Bass Wolfas himself
- Drum Wolfas himself
- Masashi Endō as Ace
- Kwancharu Shitichai as Tobio
- Yōko Asada as the voice of Tobio
- Nakajo Haruka as Yamazaki
- Kazuko Yanaga as the voice of Yamazaki
- Taneko as Hanako
- Yoshiyuki Morishita as Toshi
- Masao as Masao
- Fusamori Tawaki as Mori
- Murata Akihiko as Toshio
- Shiro Namiki as Kondo
Production
Wild Zero was directed by Takeuchi Tetsuro, who was predominantly known for shooting music videos.[1] The film was shot in Thailand with members of the Thai military and their families as zombies.[1]
Release
Wild Zero was released in Japan on August 8, 1999.[4] The film was shown at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival.[5]
Reception
Variety gave the film a mixed review, stating that "Pic has everything the midnight crowd could possibly want, although such items generally have a hard time hitting other parts of the theatrical clock."[1] Jonathan Crow of AllMovie gave the film a score of three-and-a-half stars out of five, writing that its "giddy energy and unrepentantly silly story line are a hoot and a holler of fun."[6]
Home media
Synapse Films released Wild Zero on DVD on October 28, 2003.[3]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g Eisner, Ken (November 5, 2000). "Review: 'Wild Zero'". Variety. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
- ^ "Release". BFI Film & Television Database. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
- ^ a b "Wild Zero". Synapse Films. 28 October 2003. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
- ^ "Biography". Guitar Wolf Official Website (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
- Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- Allmovie. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
References
- Sharp, Jasper (2011). Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema. ISBN 978-0810875418. Retrieved November 2, 2013.