Tetsuo II: Body Hammer

Director - Shin'ya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Haze)
Starring - Tomoro Taguchi (Doctor X, Danger Dolls), Shin'ya Tsukamoto, and Nobu Kanaoka (The Adventures of Denchu-Kozo, Tokyo Fist)
Release Date - 1992
Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi
Tagline - "Destruction is all I need!"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     I had originally set out to have a 10 movie marathon last week while I was on vacation.  I wanted to sit down and watch the Solid Metal Nightmares box set that was recently released by Arrow Video.  However, after watching Tetsuo: The Iron Man I had to take a break to watch a few indie flicks that was sent my way.  However, the second I was finished with those it was time to focus on the set.  I was really impressed with Tetsuo: The Iron Man and couldn't wait to dive into the 1992 follow up, Tetsuo II: Body Hammer.

     The film follows a man who watches a group of metal fetishists kidnap his family.  Beaten and broke he turns to himself and finds inner strength in the form of a bio-mechanical gun.  The same people that kidnapped his son try to capture him in order to study him but that only further pushes him to change in to a dangerous weapon.  

     

     The first film was a little difficult to follow and more arthouse than substance but this follow up was leagues better in terms of narrative and storytelling.  Honestly, I feel foolish for waiting so long to check these two films out.  The acting in this one is a little better than the first film.  The characters do have much more personality than the previous film but the reading of the subtitles does take your attention away during a few of the scenes.  Nevertheless, the cast does a fantastic job.  The story for this one is mostly a similar premise to the first film except the story is more straight forward instead of feeling like a fever dream.  The film almost has that superhero vibe but with a cyberpunk tone.  I really enjoyed what it delivered and how it was able to build upon what was established in the first film.  Finally, this film is full of amazing costumes and practical prosthetics.  It does have some blood and several on screen deaths but the costumes and weapons are the clear focal point of the film. Overall, Tetsuo II: Body Hammer is the bloody action film you were looking for.  It doesn't require the first film to enjoy this one but I would highly recommend watching them both back to back.