Director – Shin’ya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Tetsuo: Body Hammer)
Starring – Eric Bossick (Wasted Land, Equals), Akiko Mono (Lost in Translation, The Ramen Girl), and Yuko Nakamura (Ace Attorney, Strawberry Shortcakes)
Release Date – 2009
Rating – 2.5/5
Blu Release – 3/5
Sometime ago, a year or two now, I was lucky enough to review the sex Solid Metal Nightmares: The Films of Shin’ya Tsukamoto for Arrow Video. This magnificent set included the first two Tetsuo films, The Iron Man and Body Hammer. I had no idea that a third Tetsuo existed at the time as I continued my way through that phenomenal set.
Fast forward to a few weeks back when I received a press release for the release of Tetsuo: The Bullet Man from my friends over at Unearthed Films. It was the first time that I was aware of a third film in the series and couldn’t wait to check it out. A few days later I was fortunate enough to receive a copy in the mail from my friends over at MVD. I want to take a moment to thank Unearthed and MVD for sending this one over for review.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a father who witnesses the intentional vehicular manslaughter of his son. He is unable to cope with his son’s death and is pushed to the brink of madness when he learns that the person responsible for his death has returned to the city. Angry and seeking revenge, he slowly starts to transform in a metal killing machine hellbent on killing the one responsible for taking his son. **Spoiler Alert**
I went into this one really fucking excited for it. I really enjoyed the first two films, especially the first film but I found myself very underwhelmed. The movie still has that cyber-punk edge that made the first film so much fun but the extremely violent tone of the film is replaced with what feels like a vigilante crime thriller vibe. It had some moments and wasn’t a bad watch but it’s just another sequel that doesn’t live up to the original film.
The acting in this one is very consistent and not too bad. It’s a bit more campy than the previous two films but I actually enjoyed it. It added a little bit of humor that I can’t really tell was intentional or not. Regardless, I really liked the characters and the personalities the cast brought to life.
The story for this one is similar to the first two films but it does try to add a bit more emotion to it with the death of the son and the grieving father. However, the son’s death was comical. I’m a father and was expecting to have my heart ripped out but the way it was shot made it extremely funny. When you remove this aspect you are left with a similar story as the first without the gritty look and feel. We follow someone slowly succumbing to metal who kill those that betrayed them. Not that original and does very little to further the story along.
Finally, the film has some great make-up effects and prosthetics along with some bloody kills but the film is so fast that the viewer doesn’t really get to appreciate them or let them soak in. We do have some slight visuals in a few of the kills that are noticeable but they don’t necessarily look bad. Overall, Tetsuo: The Bullet Man is missing the gritty feel that made the original so much fun while just rehashing the same story. It doesn’t further the original story at all or give viewers anything new. It does have some laughs but, as I stated earlier, I can’t tell if they are intended or not. Sadly, this is one I have to recommend skipping.
Special Features:
Audio Commentary with Actor Eric Bossick and Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes
Tetsuo: The Bullet Man – Multi Material Version
Promotional Gallery
Trailers
