Movie Review: Tetsuo: The Bullet Man (2009, MPI/IFC Midnight)

Shinya Tsukamoto's 1989 hit Tetsuo: The Ironman was really an original piece of cinema 21 years ago. It echoed much of David Cronenberg and David Lynch's work and really brought "cyberpunk" full circle. His sequel, Tetsuo: Body Hammer, changed things up a bit but still displayed the eye-candy that made his debut so successful. Tetsuo: The Bullet Man is the third film in the trilogy and possibly the most manic ride of the three, but is it the best?

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Anthony (Eric Bossick) is an American businessman living in Tokyo living with his wife Yuriko (Akika Mono) and young son Tom (Tiger Charlie Gerhardt). Yuriko is a paranoid mess and is on the verge of becoming a complete basket case. One foggy Tokyo day, Anthony decides to take a stroll down a busy city street with Tom. Being the responsible parent he is, he lets Tom dodge cars in oncoming traffic. The inevitable happens and is hit - purposely though. This throws Anthony into a body-changing, metal nightmare filled trip through hell. Soon Anthony becomes a metal bullet shooting machine taking out anyone getting in his way. With this newfound powerful ability, Anthony takes full advantage and attempts to hunt the creep down who rolled over his kid.

Movie Review: Tetsuo - The Iron Man

by Dineh Tom

I finally watched it. After a few weeks of having the DVD sitting around, I have at last seen what cannot be unseen! What, you may ask? Tetsuo, the Iron Man. Yes, that film directed, written, and even starring Shinya Tsukamoto. I must say those 67 minutes were a time of shocking, disturbing, squirming, inspirational, and beautiful piece of cinema I have seen for quite some time. I do not mean beautiful in the sense of a landscape perfectly lighted by the rays of the sun, and humans with animals enjoying the fruits of the earth. What I mean by beautiful is more along the lines of a piece of art crafted in a way that not many people dare to go. Creating something we may perceive of sure ugliness, but also creating it in a way that echoes how we struggle, destroy, and continue to live.

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