On May 23rd, Arrow Video will release the wild 1975 Japanese film, Wolf Guy, on a two-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo set. It’ll be the home video debut of this unique motion picture, which, when it came out in the ‘70s, only appeared in Japanese theaters.

Wolf Guy stars Sonny Chiba as Akira Inugami, a reporter who also just happens to be the last of a clan of werewolves. Chiba, a celluloid legend in his home country, is most famous for the Street Fighter films, a series of martial arts flicks known for their extreme violence. Chiba super-fan Quentin Tarantino cast him as Hattori Hanzo in the Kill Bill films.
 

 
Wolf Guy is a singular motion picture, one that incorporates an exciting variety of elements, including the supernatural, hallucinations, martial artistry, comic book superheroes, and Yakuza (the Japanese Mafia) crime dramas, as well as action, horror, film noir, and “pinky violence” films. All of these components are mixed together to create a mighty fine exploitation cinema stew. At its core, Wolf Guy is a well-paced mystery, with a theme of rebirth.
 

 

 

 
In the Blu-ray/DVD booklet, included with the initial, limited run of the Arrow set, is a latter-day quote from Wolf Guy director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi:

There were all sorts of riots and demonstrations back then. I wanted to show those people a world that was even more absurd and crazy…I wish there were directors around today who could make films like these.

Me, too, sir. Me, too.
 

 
Embedded below is the web premiere of the opening minutes of Wolf Guy. The film begins with a crazed and scared man frantically working his way through the streets of Tokyo. Chiba’s character appears, and the frightened fellow tells Akira he’s been cursed by a woman who has transformed into a tiger. A moment later, an invisible force is slashing the man up, as a stunned Akira can do nothing but watch.
 
Pre-order Wolf Guy by way of Amazon or MVD.
 

 

 
Arrow’s Wolf Guy trailer: