Tetsuo (1989)

A businessman accidentally kills The Metal Fetishist, who gets his revenge by slowly turning the man into a grotesque hybrid of flesh and rusty metal.

Director:

Shin'ya Tsukamoto

Writer:

Shin'ya Tsukamoto

Stars:

Tomorô Taguchi, Kei Fujiwara, Nobu Kanaoka

2 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tomorô Taguchi	...	Man
Kei Fujiwara	...	Woman
Nobu Kanaoka	...	Woman in Glasses
Shin'ya Tsukamoto	...	Metal Fetishist
Naomasa Musaka	...	Doctor
Renji Ishibashi	...	Tramp

Storyline

Mad with pain by the festering wound in his thigh, an extreme sado-sexual "Metal Fetishist" dashes out into the street, and is accidentally hit by the car of a white-collar worker and his girlfriend. But, strangely, instead of dying, the salaryman finds himself before a mysterious and agonisingly majestic transformation--one that twists and bends the pliable human flesh, inextricably intertwining it with the strong and cold iron. Now, there is no turning back, and nothing can stand in the way of the glorious final mutation. Is this the beginning of a new era?

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Plot Keywords:

giant metal phallus | very little dialogue | experimental film | stop motion scene | body horror | 

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

18A

Did You Know?

Trivia

Portions of the film are used as a music video for Machine Gun by Portishead.

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Quotes

Metals Fetishist: Together, we can turn this fucking world to rust!

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Crazy Credits

(after end credits) GAME OVER

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Alternate Versions

Tetsuo The First Cut is an extended version released on DVD, running 10 minutes longer than the original 67 minute running time.

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Connections

Followed by Tetsuo: The Bullet Man (2009)

User Reviews

True Surreal Cinema

I heard about this movie reading a comic book magazine in elementary school. It piqued my interest and I searched for it on video for rental for several months before finding it. Also included on the video was a short film entitled "Drum struck" which didn't interest me at all. The real meat was Tetsuo.

The "plot" of this film revolves around a businessman (who apparently like to have sex with his girlfriend in public places and film it) who is involved in a hit and run auto accident with a metal fetishist. Soon the man appears to be hallucinating about people sprouting metal appendages until it begins to happen to him. Chunks of scrap metal grow like cancerous tumors. Soon, they're not random scraps but working appliances such as drills. If this isn't bad enough he soon finds out the man he hit (played by the director of the film) is in fact alive and rather peeved.

Absolutely insane violence permeates the film which retains its punch through the black and white film.

The review I read about this film compared it to Eraserhead (A film I still have not seen) which I believe says a lot about Eraserhead. To compare it to a film I've seen I'd say it reminds me of "Un Chien Andalou" with about three more lines of dialog and a lot more gore and violence.

I also recommend the sequel Tetsuo II: Body Hammer. It's similar but bigger. Color, dialog, etc.

10/10

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

1 July 1989 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Tetsuo

Company Credits

Production Co:

Japan Home Video (JHV), K2 Spirit, Kaijyu Theater

Technical Specs

Runtime:

67 min 69 min 77 min (extended cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1