A man undergoes a metal transformation during a revenge quest in the third Tetsuo film, The Bullet Man. The over-the-top, wild ride from Shin’ya Tsukamoto, the same madman who brought the previous two. Now on Blu-ray from Unearthed Films.
The Film
TW: Child death
Tetsuo III: The Bullet Man follows the original cult classic gonzo Tetsuo: The Iron Man, from 1989, and its lesser 1992 sequel Tetsuo II: Body Hammer. The 2009 late sequel, written (with Hisakatsu Kuroki) and directed by Shin’ya Tasukamoto like the others, is, fitting to the series, a melding of the first two: a trauma-based story but keeping it simpler and strange with a wide variety of gory and odd make-ups. It’s a wild ride. While not as strong as the first, as nothing can be, the sort that’s a weird flash in the pan that is hard to replicate naturally; it scales back immensely from the overly convoluted and messy sequel.
Anthony, played by Eric Bossick, is dealing with a lot. On thin ice at work already, that crack deepens more after his son is murdered by a car “accident” directly in front of him. Somehow finding himself targeted by a cartel of not-so-nice guys, it’s soon revealed he has a power he’s unaware of: an uncanny control over metal as it flies onto his body to make shields and body-altering oddities, and back out to again cause damage to others. Pushed by his vengeance-wanting wife and his oddly-acting father, Anthony’s rage and Tetsuo-ness embiggen and nastify.
I’ll not give the reason why Anthony’s son, and then he himself, are targeted by this cartel of murderous madness, but it’s wonderfully twisted and odd. I can say his expat American father might have a few secrets to divulge. It goes to some strange places, and I appreciate it. And it looks great as it does. It’s rough, near mono-chrome, overly digital design. It’s purposely grey and grating, with some noted color uses. This may rub some the wrong way; a direct and pointed ugliness.
At a mere 70 minutes, five minutes longer than the first film and 30 minutes shorter than the other, it moves with a driving and intense expedience. Little time is wasted as everything we need ot know is set up, played up, and increased to the maximum. The Tetsuo series is a maximalist series to a giddy, gory, metal-coated edge.
Tetsuo III: The Bullet Man, directed by Shin’ya Tsukamoto, is a pretty damned good follow-up to Tetsuo, although nothing can reach that film’s insane reaches. Better than the first sequel, it’s a deliriously paced wild ride. PS – the end credit song is from Nine Inch Nails! How freakin’ cool is that?
The Package
Unearthed Films puts Tetsuo III on a single-disc Blu-ray. The disc, the single-sided sleeve, and the O-ring all feature the same poster artwork. It bears spine #20.
The Presentation
Unearthed Films presents a 2k scan from digital. It has the digital clarity of its era, which, as noted above, might not hit some folks. It’s crisp and detailed, and the very specific style Tsukamoto has put upon the film. The audio is in Japanese and English (the film uses both), and offers subtitles in English CC and English only when Japanese is spoken.
The Features
Commentary
Anthony-actor Eric Bossick, and Asian film expert Tom Mes (just heard on Radiance’s The Boxer, also recently released) chat everything Tetsuo. A lively, interesting track. Bossick brings the inside knowledge of working on the film, and Mes gives the wider view of the film scholar. It’s quite the listen.
Multi-Machine version
An interesting type of behind-the-scenes. While the audio of the film plays, the visuals are replaced with BTS footage, make-up tests, script pages, sketches, storyboards, and the like.
Photo Gallery
BTS, set, production, and marketing footage. About 2 minutes worth.
Japanese Trailer
Final Thoughts
Tetsuo (III): The Bullet Man is what one expects from a Tetsuo sequel. There’s plenty of metal mayhem as a man gets his revenge on those who have wronged him. It’s glossier and less rough and tumble than the 1989 film, but fans of that film will find plenty to love. It looks good, and the features are solid between the commentary and the differently presented BTS.