TETSUO II: BODY HAMMER (1992)
Welcome my son, welcome to the machine. Oh and welcome back Tsukamoto fans. It’s time to enjoy some zany action and some over-acting, in the first of two sequels to Tetsuo: The Ironman. The black and white photography has been replaced by harsh primary colours. The budget seems to be generally higher. And it’s not a continuation of the previous movie, so anything goes. However, there is also the problem with diminishing returns to consider. Being tied to an existing idea means that this is more of a redux than anything fresh and exciting. On paper it should be a kind of Evil Dead II scenario, but it doesn’t quite work out. Which is odd considering this is the film I’ve watched most often in the director’s catalogue. Let’s cut open the mechanical innards and see why.
