Tetsuo II: Body Hammer

I watched Tetsuo II: Body Hammer and it’s Shinya Tsukamoto’s follow-up to his cult classic Tetsuo: The Iron Man. It keeps the same strange mix of metal, madness, and human rage, but this time it’s more controlled and easier to follow. The story is about Tomoo Taniguchi, a quiet office worker whose son gets kidnapped by violent skinheads.

During the attack, he’s injected with something that makes his body grow mechanical parts powered by anger. He becomes a living weapon searching for his son, and gets pulled into the plans of a crazed scientist and a mysterious man named Yatsu who’s connected to his past.

The film still has that raw energy from the first Tetsuo, but it focuses more on emotion and memory than pure chaos. Tsukamoto ditches the black and white nightmare look for dark, color-saturated images of Tokyo that feel sickly and cold.

The style is still fast, jagged, and loud, but there’s a clearer story here about repressed rage, lost identity, and the violent power hiding inside ordinary men. You can feel him exploring how technology and masculinity mix, and how both can destroy what we love.

Tomorowo Taguchi gives another wild performance, moving between panic, grief, and pure fury. When his transformation takes over, he’s terrifying and pitiful at the same time. Tsukamoto plays Yatsu himself, the strange villain who mirrors Tomoo’s rage. Their final confrontation is brutal but strangely beautiful, ending with an image of destruction that’s hard to forget.

The effects are bigger and cleaner than the first film, but that polish removes some of the dirty energy that made the original feel so raw. The first film had this punk edge with its stop-motion and rough editing. Body Hammer feels more like a real movie, which is both good and bad. The transformations look wild but sometimes a little silly, and it never matches the shock value of Iron Man.

Still, Body Hammer has a strange power to it. It’s confusing at times and full of repetition, but that dreamlike rhythm feels intentional. The world Tsukamoto creates is ugly and mechanical, yet alive with emotion and pain. It may not be as groundbreaking as the first film, but it’s a strong, disturbing sequel. Tsukamoto’s vision is one of a kind, a mix of metal, body, and madness that stays with you long after it ends.