Product Details

• Actors: Renji Ishibashi, Nobu Kanaoka, Naomasa Musaka, Tomoroh Taguchi, Kei Fujiwara
• Directors: Shinya Tsukamoto
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Japanese
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Tartan Video
• DVD Release Date: July 12, 2005
• Run Time: 67 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000FZEQWI
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #56,134 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #25 in	Movies & TV > Horror > J-Horror
  #41 in	Movies & TV > Art House & International > Asian Cinema > Japan > Horror

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 06/27/2006

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Symbolic of Cyberpunk Cinema, September 29, 2009

By	William Hermann "Willy" (Cambridge) - See all my reviews

While Tetsuo is a really bizarre, low budget, surrealist underground Japanese cyberpunk movie, it has a number of interesting themes running through it. On a societal level, Tetsuo explores how man's technological dash to the future has resulted in an acute fear of technology, and that its ever encroaching progress is destroying our humanity. This is symbolically represented by a runner surrounded by scrap metal, and then later, a man in running gear who's slowly being taken over by machinery when competing with another machine man.

The clear message at the end is that by constantly competing with one another in our strive for perfection in an orderly society, we are destroying humanity at its core. Technology is our tool of choice for this destructive competition.

On a personal level, Tetsuo explores how guilt and repression can turn people into virtual "monsters." In this, we see an instance where an accidental car crash makes someone completely lose all sense of humanity and boundaries. This seems to fit with Asian cultures in that they are usually very reserved, but when they "cross" that line, the level of anger and craziness almost doesn't have a limit.

In combining this with the societal thought, Tetsuo posits that we are using technology as a crutch to cover up our own frailties, but that in doing so, we only serve to subvert our humanity. When this subversion is released, it becomes a perversion of immense proportions. In this sense, Tetsuo truly stretches the cyberpunk notion of "no boundaries" to its fullest.

Tetsuo is a great example of what a low-budget sci-fi film can accomplish. I thought the cinematography was absolutely brilliant. We get cool stop-motion animation, incredibly interesting shadows and film angles, and wonderful use of different shot textures. The industrial sound track furthers the bizarre mood. Truly, I can't say enough of how impressed I am by this film. Again, Tetsuo is DEFINITELY not for everyone, but it certainly belongs in the top 10 best cyberpunk films ever made!

5.0 out of 5 stars Woah, October 14, 2009

By	David L. Saraj - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

What can you say about this movie. I've heard this movie likened to David Lynch and Cronenberg and they weren't far off. It's an amazing movie full of gore and stop motion cinema. Highly suggested.

4 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very strange movie!, December 9, 2007

By	John Lindsey "John" (Socorro, New Mexico USA.) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Japanese employee Tetsuo is just having a normal day until he runs into a bizarre man with strange objects shoved into his body and gets into an accident. After that, strange things start to happen to Tetsuo as metal pieces start appearing on some parts of his body and becomes a bizarre semi-cyborg as the person that started the accident begins to taunt him through his horrifying transformation to the path of destruction.

Weird and mind-bending Sci-fi horror film from Japan contains surreal and disturbing imagery blended with bizarre special effects and stop motion animation. The plot is a little farfetched but this is a very gory and hyperactive movie that feels like a nightmare come true for the viewer in the tradition of David Cronenberg, H.P. Lovecraft and David Lynch. It's not for all tastes but still a fine shocking Japanese film for fans of Sci-fi, horror and gore.

This DVD contains excellent picture and sound with Japanese language and English subtitles and only one extra which is a first look at the director's newest movie called "Vital".

Also recommended: "Re-Animator", "The Toxic Avenger", "Basket Case", "Videodrome", "Scanners", "Akira", "Bride of Re-Animator", "Class of Nuke'Em High", "Street Trash", "Ichi The Killer", "Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky", "Battle Royale", "Men Behind The Sun", "The Untold Story", "The Devil's Rejects", "Evil Dead 1 & 2", "The Fly (1986)", "The Thing (1982)", "The Blob (1988)", "C.H.U.D", "Versus", "Perfect Blue", "Terror Firmer", "The Brood", "Cannibal Apocalypse", "Sin City", "Ghost in The Shell 1 & 2", "Dead Alive (a.k.a. Braindead)", "Fist of the North Star (Anime)", "From Dusk Till Dawn", "Grindhouse", "Hellraiser 1 & 2", "3 Extremes", "Event Horizon", "Driller Killer", "A Nightmare on Elm Street Series", "Freddy Vs. Jason", "Oldboy", "Tokyo Fist", "Bloodsucking Freaks", "Hostel 1 & 2" and "Blood Feast".