Wolf Guy – Arrow Video (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1975
Director: Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
Writer: Fumio Kônami
Adapted From: manga series Urufu gai written by Kazumasa Hirai
Cast: Sonny Chiba, Kôji Fujiyama, Haruki Jo, Kenji Kawai, Hiroshi Kondô, Teruo Shimizu, Saburo Date

Release Date: May 22nd, 2017 (UK), May 23rd, 2017 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 85 Minutes 57 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B (Blu-ray), Region 1,2 NTSC (DVD)
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"Chiba stars as Akira Inugami, the only survivor of a clan of ancient werewolves who relies on his supernatural powers to solve mysterious crimes. After a series of bloody killings perpetrated by an unseen force, Inugami uncovers a conspiracy involving a murdered cabaret singer, corrupt politicians, and a plot by the J-CIA to harvest his blood in order to steal his lycanthropic powers! At the same time, Inugami also discovers the truth behind his family heritage, and that he may not be the last of his kind." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "The film was remastered in high definition and supplied for this release by Toei Company, Ltd."

Wolf Guy comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 26.5 GB

Feature: 19.9 GB

The HD transfer used for this release was created from original preservation elements that were supplied by Toei. Though the source is clean, it looks dated. Colors fare well, the image generally looks crisp, black levels are adequate, and any compression issues are minor.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese and removable English subtitles have been included with this release. There are no issues with background noise or distortion, and the dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, the more ambient aspects of the soundtrack are well represented, and when it comes to the film’s score, it sounds appropriately robust.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer  (2 minutes 55 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi titled Kazuhiko Yamaguchi: Movies with Guts (10 minutes 31 seconds, LPCM stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with producer Toru Yoshida titled Toru Yoshida: B Movie Master (17 minutes 30 seconds, LPCM stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba titled Sonny Chiba: A Life in Action, Part 1 (14 minutes 31 seconds, LPCM stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art and a thirty-six-page booklet (limited to the first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Full Moon Chiba: The Resurrection of Wolf Guy written by Patrick Macias, an essay titled Monster Mashups, Japanese Style written by Jasper Sharp and information about the transfer.

Included with this release is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-Ray included as part of this combo.

Summary:

Sonny Chiba is primarily known for portraying badasses who break bones and sometimes maim or dismember their opponents. The Wolf Guy is an oddity even for Sonny Chiba, who has just come off the success of what is widely regarded as his signature character and series, The Street Fighter films.

Fortunately for Sonny Chiba fans, this is not your run of the mill werewolf movie and, without giving too much away, it is not until the last half that Sonny Chiba’s character's being a werewolf is even acknowledged. That being said, this allows Sonny Chiba for the first half to do what he does best, which is kick a lot of ass and ask for names later. Of course, when it comes to the ladies, Sonny Chiba once again plays a character that women can’t get enough of.

As mentioned before, the first half plays out like a detective story, while the second half takes on a supernatural vibe. Also, when it comes to the characters, they are all well-defined and their motivations are always clear. In other words, there are no characters that occupy the middle ground. Although everyone either falls into the good guy category or the bad guy category, and though the werewolf angle is what is going to drive most viewers to Wolf Guy, unfortunately, this plot device is woefully underused and more attention is being given to the more exploitative elements.

From a performance standpoint, Sonny Chiba once again delivers in the role of the reporter named Akira Inugami. His performance contains a ferocity and brutality that is on par with the Takuma "Terry" Tsurugi that he portrayed in the Street Fighter films. Compared to Sonny Chiba, the rest of the cast are just mere obstacles that get in his way.

Sonny Chiba’s main nemesis is a secret government organization that discovers that he is a werewolf. They capture him and try to use him to make others into werewolves. Of course, these are the same people who infected the other characters with syphilis. Needless to say, those in charge of these experiments are cut from the same cloth as so many other diabolical masterminds who always end up being their own worst enemies.

But there are things that can be improved with Wolf Guy. The end result is still a highly entertaining film that embodies the essence of 1970’s Japanese exploitation cinema.

Wolf Guy gets a first-rate release from Arrow Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a trio of informative interviews, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer