First off, SPOILER ALERT. The following post contains spoilers about this United Kingdom filmed horror/thriller movie entitled, W delta Z (aka The Killing Gene). So if you like dark, suspense thrillers and want to see this film without any foreknowledge on its plot twists, DO NOT CONTINUE READING.Anyone left? Okay, I’ll continue. I debated heavily on posting about this 2007 film because one of the major twists at the end is the revelation that the main protagonist homicide detective of the film is in fact a closeted Gay man in a secret relationship with a young black masculine down-low thug. However, since one of the goals of this site is to expose you to all interesting film and television depictions of Gay men of color, I felt this film was worth posting about regardless of the spoiler.

Also, given that the masculine Gay black thug in question is portrayed by the sexy British actor Ashley Walters, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to further expose his talents to more people. If you’ll recall, Walters placed high at number four on our list of The Top 15 Young Actors Who Grew Up In A Major Way.

The film is officially called W delta Z but in the United States the film was released on DVD as The Killing Gene.

In this Seven-meets-Saw-meets-Hostel horror/murder mystery, closeted Gay detective Eddie Argo, played by Stellan Skarsgård, is on the hunt for a sadistic serial killer that mutilates his victims and carves an odd mathematical equation into their flesh: (wΔz = Cov (w,z) = βwzVz). As the investigation continues, he discovers that the victims were all offered a horrible choice: kill your loved ones, or be killed yourself.


Picture

Detective Argo and his thug lover Daniel Leone embrace in a secret kiss.

 Ashley Walters plays Daniel Leone, a street thug who was arrested by Detective Argo in the past but was mysteriously released for unknown reasons. It’s later revealed that since that time, the two men have engaged in a secret love affair.

Whether or not this affair was continued by Leone in order to stay out of jail becomes a big question in the climatic ending of the film.

W delta Z is not for the faint of heart. Its a violent, graphic and gory horror/thriller that keeps you guessing throughout.

I’m a sucker for these types of films as they are complex and different from the norm. It was a satisfying shocker to see that there was a surprising yet plausible Gay angle in there as well.
While used as a plot twist, the fact that key characters are actually Gay is not treated as a big deal. What’s played up is the question of whether or not both of the men were in love with each other…or were they using each other for ulterior motives. With that question at hand, a fatal choice must be made in the final minutes of the film.

Representation Scale: 10/10 – The black gay character is masculine and far from the stereotypes we’d expect.


Check out the trailer of the film below:

– Nick D
 
Cypher Avenue Rating: 3 of 5