Writer(s): Tsukamoto
Starring: Tomoroh Taguchi, Kei Fujiwara, and Shin'ya Tsukamoto
There aren’t very many movies like Shinya Tsukamoto’s Tetsuo: The Iron Man, and for most of us, that is a good thing; it eschews
any form of narrative structure, instead presenting us with a series of
abstract ideas, and letting us put everything together, based on what we think
they mean. And aside from a few
repeating sequences, we are not given much to go off of. In other words, this is definitely not
something that will appeal to the masses, but for anyone looking for something
different, this is a movie you need to see.
I won’t bother much with “plot”, because this basically
comes off as a series of random scenes, loosely intertwined by theme. Also, it’s very hard to say what, if
anything, is an absolute, concrete occurrence, as its bizarre format very
closely resembles that of a dream. But
just for the sake of being thorough, I’ll try my best: Shin’ya Tsukamoto (also the film’s writer and
director) plays a man known as “metal fetishist”, and as the film opens, he
cuts his leg open and inserts a piece of metal, which soon becomes infected,
and infested with maggots. In a panic,
he runs out into the road, where he is run over by an unnamed man, played by
Tomoroh Taguchi, who then finds himself, and often those around him, turning
into living pieces of scrap metal.
If it sounds weird, that’s because it is; it’s one of only a
couple of movies that I’ve watched with my wife, that she absolutely refuses to
finish. But there’s no denying that, no
matter what your opinion of this film is, it’s a thoroughly original, daring
work. It doesn’t concern itself with
what anyone else will think, nor does it cater to any sort of audience
whatsoever; like all of the best works of art, it was created solely for the
amusement of its creator, and it forces us, the viewer, to internalize it, and
make of it what we want. The best
“logical” explanation that I’ve seen is that this is a metaphor for how we, as
humans, rely on machines too much, and how they will one day overtake us. I’m not sure how much of that is true (I’ve
not seen Tsukamoto himself weigh in on the subject), but it’s an admirable
interpretation.
On a technical level, Tetsuo is pretty superb, given the
film’s low budget. As such, many of the
more difficult effects utilize stop-motion animation, a dying art form; while
this will probably turn off some (even by the standards of the time, the
animation comes off as rather crude), it actually serves the material
well. The makeup and gore scenes
are very well done. It was also smart of Tsukamoto to
shoot the film in black-and-white, giving the picture an urban grittiness that,
especially within its financial confines, wouldn’t have been possible in color.
The acting is sufficient but almost a
moot point, considering the limited number of lines in this movie; it’s largely
visual-driven, but the actors certainly do a good job of sweating, and looking
like they’re in pain for large stretches, which are about the only physical
requirements.
In the end, all that I ask for in a horror movie is that it
dares to be unique, push the envelope, and at least try to show me something
that I’ve never seen before. I’ll gladly
take an interesting failure over a well-made cliché any day, but Tetsuo is
the best of both worlds, and even if the manic creativity seems to slow down a
bit in the second half, it’s still a gripping motion picture that should be
required viewing for those that share my interest in the unique.
RECAP: It does slow down a bit in the second half, but Tetsuo is a brilliant, confusing work of art.
Those that require narrative structure will be completely lost—it
basically functions as a collection of loosely intertwined scenes—but anyone
looking for a one-in-a-million film should look no further. Makeup effects are fantastic, taking into
account the film’s miniscule budget, and its scant duration ensures it can’t
overstay its welcome, while its cyberpunk, fever dream atmosphere is assisted
by the gritty black and white photography.
Highly recommended.
RATING: 8.5/10
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