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Tetsuo, the Iron Man (1989)
"Tetsuo" (original title)

Not Rated  |   |  Horror, Sci-Fi  |  1 July 1989 (Japan)
7.0
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Ratings: 7.0/10 from 13,460 users  
Reviews: 122 user | 94 critic

A strange man known only as the "metal fetishist", who seems to have an insane compulsion to stick scrap metal into his body, is hit and possibly killed by a Japanese "salaryman", out for a... See full summary »

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Edit

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tomorowo Taguchi ...
Man
Kei Fujiwara ...
Woman
Nobu Kanaoka ...
Woman in Glasses
...
Metal Fetishist
Naomasa Musaka ...
Doctor
Renji Ishibashi ...
Tramp
Edit

Storyline

A strange man known only as the "metal fetishist", who seems to have an insane compulsion to stick scrap metal into his body, is hit and possibly killed by a Japanese "salaryman", out for a drive with his girlfriend. The salaryman then notices that he is being slowly overtaken by some kind of disease that is turning his body into scrap metal, and that his nemesis is not in fact dead but is somehow masterminding and guiding his rage and frustration-fueled transformation. Written by Serdar Yegulalp <syegul@ix.netcom.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

1 July 1989 (Japan)  »

Also Known As:

Tetsuo, the Iron Man  »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| | (extended cut)

Sound Mix:

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on a play that Shin'ya Tsukamoto had written, directed, and performed in college. See more »

Quotes

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

Crazy Credits

(after end credits) GAME OVER See more »

Connections

Referenced in Crash (1996) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

True Surreal Cinema
22 August 2004 | by (Vista, California, USA) – See all my reviews

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


19 of 24 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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