WILD ZERO (2000)

A couple of years ago whilst staying with some friends in London, I was lucky enough to catch a show by a Japanese rock n roll band called Guitar Wolf. The gig was possibly the best I've ever seen, with the band's presence and power blowing the audience away with a combination of Ramonesesque punk, fifties surf rock and extreme guitar feedback. As soon as the show finished, we breathlessly raced back home to watch Wild Zero, the one and to date, only, B-movie starring Guitar Wolf, which one of my friends had procured with the specific intent of keeping the carnage going for the rest of the night. It didn't disappoint.

The movie commences by blasting into a 'live' gig from the ' Wolf, with lightening blazing out of the amps and flames spitting out of the microphones. It's a superb way to kick off, inducting newcomers to the phenomena that is Guitar Wolf, as well as weeding out the weak straight away with its ear splitting feedback, screaming vocals and raucously noisy guitar tones. Meanwhile backstage, Ace (Masashi Endo), a young pretender to their rock n roll throne, prepares to confront an evil club promoter in order to get himself booked on the same venue as his heroes.
He ends up stumbling into a dispute between the band and the promoter, who exchange a few Magnum rounds before Ace saves Guitar Wolf (played by himself) from a stray bullet. By way of thanks, he rewards Ace with a special whistle, informing him to blow it if he ever needs help, and after sealing a rock n roll blood pact, the band roar off into the night to their next gig. Soon after, aliens attack the earth by turning unfortunates into zombies to act as the vanguard to their invasion, with Ace, whilst unknowingly courting a Thai she-male called Tobio (Kwancharu Shitichai), caught up in the first wave. Upon being cornered in a building with his 'woman' by the ravenous ghouls, Tobio finally reveals all, and a revolted Ace abandons 'her' to the flesheaters. However, he is then berated by Guitar Wolf, who reminds him that love has no boundaries, and decides to brave the undead horde to rescue his t-girl. But, as with most good zombie movies, there's simply too many in the ranks of the necrotic army for one person to combat, and after crowbar-ing, hammering and punching many of the undead to the ground in a desperate rage, Ace is forced to use his magic whistle and the 'Wolf finally enter the fray...

Wild Zero is a total cheesefest from start to finish, punctuated by some supremely loud performances from a great band, not to mention the obligatory poses, gum chewing, hair combing and beer drinking that only Guitar Wolf are cool enough to actually pull off. And that's really the point of the movie; there's no particular plot to speak of, the acting is simply bad and the effects poor. This is arguably reflected in the cast and crew involved in its production, as the likes of director Takeuchi and writer Takagi have neither worked before or since on any other features (at least, to this writer's knowledge).
However, none of this really matters, because in the cold light of day, the person who decided to put a band like Guitar Wolf in their very own zombie movie is nothing short of a genius. If, like me, you enjoy watching cool bands, zombies, aliens or downright bad b-movies, Wild Zero offers total entertainment from start to finish. For the uninitiated it's a chance for a crash course induction into the wild, loud, greasy world of Jett rock n' roll, and for those who know the band, it's a must watch. Either way, when you watch it, make sure you watch it LOUD!

Guitar Wolf are currently in the process of putting a sequel together, although the film won't feature Bass Wolf, who tragically died of a suspected heart attack at the end of March 2005. A message on their website states that the band are looking for sponsors to support the film, so if you've got a few quid or know someone who does, you could do a lot worse than looking there in return for eternal rock n roll credibility.