It's called Wolf Guy, but I feel like the main character is a guy far more often than he's a wolf, or even just showcasing some werewolf-like characteristics. The title does mislead a little by putting the wolf part first, and maybe it's on me for getting my hopes up that this action/crime/horror mash-up would have an investigator who turned into a werewolf more often while solving various murder cases. The wolf part plays a less in-your-face role in the movie, which is unusual, because the rest of the movie isn't shy about being very in-your-face.
I guess the horror elements are surprisingly underplayed, but as an action-heavy 1970s Japanese crime movie, it works pretty well. The action mostly satisfies, and there is thankfully a lot of it. Sonny Chiba could play this kind of role in his sleep, and he's great here as the lead character. The story also moves pretty quickly and provides a good deal of stuff in a runtime that doesn't exceed 90 minutes. If a scene here or there isn't working, it never lasts long, and the movie consistently pivots to new, crazy ideas, meaning that the movie's weak points never linger long enough to feel hugely detrimental.
If you want a crime thriller/action movie with a twist, Wolf Guy satisfies. Once again, I will say I wish there had been some more actual wolf stuff, but werewolf mythology is still incorporated in other ways throughout the film, and it's usually enough to make this stand out as a unique and worthwhile oddity within the broad (and exciting) pantheon of Japanese genre movies from the 70s.
