Wild Thing

Taking cues from Batman and Tarzan, and throwing in a little of The Warriors for good measure and then sprinkling a bit of The Crow on top, this is a thoroughly enjoyable vigilante fable set in a barely recognsible to modern eyes New York.

Yes, this bizarre feature was written by John Sayles. Shot in Toronto, it's yet another '80s era feature about the dangers of the urban jungle, where the police fear to go and the homeless and the criminal classes are the only inhabitants. Into this mix comes the myth of Wild Thing, a feral young man raised by a bag lady after his parents were murdered by a dirty cop on the take (Maury Chaykin) and Chopper, the local crime lord (Robert Davi). Stir in the local do-gooders (priest Sean Hewitt and clueless social worker Kathleen Quinlan), and you have a recipe for some rather unexciting action sequences. Davi is the standout amongst the cast, and cinematographer Rene Verzier does a pretty good job. Otherwise this is a rather lumpen action pic that won't satisfy action fans and will leaves Sayles' admirers slack-jawed.

Robert Davi and the guy who plays a crooked cop in a everything he's in, kills two hippy types after they pick up a hitchhiker who is wanted for something or another. Turns out there was a little child in the van, and he ends up being looked after by some kindly old bag lady. She gets gangrene in her leg and dies, and he's left to fend for himself... Should have been a slice of pure campy fun, and seeing Davis name on the credits excited me all the more, but unfortunately, despite flashes of genius, its boring, and the titular character is far from wild. I was expecting some sort of violent comic book Grindhouse movie, a little like a semi serious Kick Ass, but instead, we get a hero who watches people make out, steal fruit, and look bewildered for the majority of the film. Quintana plays the main heroine, but she is giving very little to do, other than get captured by Davi, or stand there looking bewildered. There is a lot of bewilderment going on in this film, but very little else.

this is more than a Sat. afternoon special. Exremely well written if very low key there is a lot here if you look for it. Catch the cat companion/scout for instance. It not only could have been a comic book it should have been a comic book. The comic industry (as well as the film's publicists) missed the boat on this. One of the least know really great films. A great script by John Sayles is a strong point but the acting is good as well. Probably the best "super hero" film I've ever seen. Short on special effects but long on believability. This one's a keeper. I have never seen a DVD of this film but i used to own a VHS version. Good hunting

Hey, John Sayles wrote the screenplay -- that alone is a good reason to check out this little-remembered film. While other 80's films such as the Marc Singer classic "Beastmaster" and Christopher Lambert's "Greystoke" fit nicely into the hunky men in loincloths oeuvre, this one had a nice twist in that it gave the Tarzan legend a modern spin, and in addition threw in a sort of Robin Hood/Batman urban legend quality. All in all, an extremely interesting venture.

True, this is not John Sayles finest film (Brother From Another Planet) but it is not entirely forgettable either, if not for any other reason than its message. Like Batman, Wild Thing's parents were murdered in front of him, leaving him to fend for himself in 'The Zone,' a corrupt section of an unnamed city where greed and violence reign supreme. Instead of falling in with the likes of Chopper (Robert Davi) Wild Thing fights for justice, using his powers of Tai Chi and eerie cat impressions, occasionally lighting himself on fire. He becomes something of an urban legend, a modern day Robin Hood, and a hero for the ages. 1987 at its finest, WILD THING LIVES

Well, it is different. I complain about movies that make no sense. I complain about movies that simply repeat other movies. The 2nd is no problem with this flick. It's goofy, it's just a B movie, and it's not very deep but, if you're in the mood for such a tale, set in a world not far from what goofballs of the '80s found popular to imagine homeless people & homeless life being like, constructed around its own superhero, then you may find this entertaining. Quinlan and Davi can act. Ignore that Knapper thinks the way to play ingenuous is to appear unable to act. Don't look for deeper humor than a joke about sex "hurting" because of the associated noises of the participants. Unless you find low-life hoods, after committing a murder and fleeing, taking care to put on their seatbelts, to be funny. Quinlan deserved an Oscar for making us believe she was romantically attracted to the Wild Thing. Why was there no sequel? from the message board: "It was a bit outdated of course" what???