TETSUO: THE IRON MAN (1989) d. Shinya Tsukamoto (Japan)
TETSUO II: BODY HAMMER (1992) d. Shinya Tsukamoto (Japan)
TETSUO: THE BULLET MAN (2009) d. Shinya Tsukamoto (Japan)
Winner of Best Film at the 1989 Fantafestival in Rome, Shinya Tsukamoto’s breakout 1989 feature Tetsuo: The Iron Man is a touchstone of cinematic cyberpunk, a relentlessly frenetic black-and-white 16mm assault on the senses and sensibilities, and a supercharged display of independent filmmaking.
Written, directed, produced, edited, photographed, and art-directed by its auteur (who also created the impressive if rugged special effects), Tetsuo has drawn comparisons to the work of David Lynch, David Cronenberg, Jan Svankmajer, Ishiro Honda, and H.R. Giger, while remaining its own defiantly original beast.
No catalog of descriptors can adequately communicate the fiery, almost violent energy that Tsukamoto brings to the screen. This is a genuine, “pure cinema” experience, one whose fairly straightforward if fanciful narrative is so deeply layered within its powerhouse visuals and incredible sound design (aided immensely by Chu Ishikawa’s industrial driving beat and bluesy torch songs) that it becomes secondary or even tertiary to the proceedings.
Instead, Tetsuo is a movie of moments, with one visceral mind-blowing sequence giving way to the next, until the end credits roll “Game Over” and the viewer is left forever changed.
The right film at the right time, Tetsuo enjoyed a successful festival run before exploding onto the Western world via home video where it quickly gained a reputation as the underground film to watch for a generation of geeks just discovering the wild world of Japanese anime, videogames, and V-cinema (with Takashi “Beat” Kitano and Takashi Miike also blazing the trail). Two sequels followed.
Join AC and his awesome panel of guests (Michelle Kisner, Grant Kuchan, Jennifer Olson) as they discuss this landmark film. Tetuso is a feature unlike any other, and for that reason alone deserves your time and attention. Love it or hate it, you won’t soon forget it.
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