Tetsuo II: Body Hammer

Plot synopsis:
The film opens with a man being shot by Yatsu - known as "The Metal Fetishist" or "The Guy" in this movie - who fires the shot from his index finger, holding his hand like a gun.
Taniguchi Tomoo is discussing his past with his wife, since he does not have any memories before his adoption at eight years old. He is almost killed when two cyborg skinheads try to kidnap his son, Minori. He is forced to take an injection by one of the skinheads. Frightened by the encounter, he starts working out. Unsuccessful lifting even the lightest of weights at first, he suddenly is capable of enormous feats of strength. Later, he gets an anonymous call asking how his training went. The caller informs Taniguchi that he has kidnapped Minori by entering through the building's back door. Taniguchi chases the kidnappers to a roof where he again finds himself hanging on the edge, close to death. However, this time he manages to pull himself up, only to be told the skinhead already threw his son off the roof.
Enraged by this, Taniguchi transforms and grows a gun from his arm. He shoots the skinhead who, having lied about dropping Minori, holds the son in front of him, causing Taniguchi to kill his own son. The skinhead escapes, leaving behind a distraught Taniguchi who discovers his wife saw everything.
The skinheads arrive at their hideout where their accomplices work out lifting enormous weights. They meet a Mad Scientist who asks them what kind of specimen they picked for the injection, revealing that Taniguchi's injection is part of an experiment. Later, Taniguchi is kidnapped by the skinheads and experimented on by the Mad Scientist who manipulates Taniguchi's memories, furthering his change from man to machine. It is revealed that the Mad Scientist works with Yatsu who - after ordering Taniguchi's death - informs the Mad Scientist that his goal is only destruction and that every skinhead get an injection.
After Taniguchi's escape, a skinhead injects himself and rapidly transforms, since his will to kill is much greater. During the escape, Taniguchi and the skinhead find they both have the ability to transform back into their human forms. The two face off in an abandoned factory and the skinhead tells Taniguchi that they all want to be made into gods by Yatsu.
Back at home, Taniguchi's wife, Kana, discovers that Taniguchi's injection was actually blocked by his pocket organizer. So Taniguchi has the ability to transform into a machine under his own will. His wife is visibly scared of her husband. She leaves in a hurry, only to also be kidnapped on the street. Taniguchi pursues the car on a bicycle, transforming and eventually catching up. Still, the skinheads manage to escape. Kana meets Yatsu who tells her about her husband, who apparently has possessed incredible power all along, but chose to not use it unless he's pushed. The last time he used the power - before his eighth birthday - not only did he kill all the children who bullied him, but also destroyed those he loved.
Taniguchi finds where Kana is held and ignores threats of the skinheads killing her. Yatsu talks to Taniguchi, then seemingly kills Kana. Taniguchi has had no mercy and a hostage meant nothing to him. Still, Kana's death pushes Taniguchi completely over the edge and he fully transforms. In the fight between Yatsu and Taniguchi, Yatsu tries to rust Taniguchi to death, like in the first movie. After Taniguchi has seemingly won, Yatsu shoots a cable into Taniguchi, causing further transformations.
During this, Taniguchi learns that his father was creating the perfect human weapon, first training his sons - Tomoo and Yatsu - with guns, then making the guns part of them. Tomoo leaves before killing a dog, while his brother kills the animal. The boys also witness their father killing their mother in a bizarre sex ritual involving the woman sucking on a gun. Tomoo loses his memory after witnessing the death of both his mother and killing his father. This makes him realize the beauty of destruction and both Tomoo and Yatsu merge into a humongous creature. Tomoo begs Kana to inject him with the gun that will make him rust to death, but she refuses to harm him. The Tomoo/Yatsu creature merges with the remaining skinheads and they turn into a giant, tank-like machine rolling through the city.
The final shots of the movie show Kana, Tomoo, and Minori walking through the ruins of what was once a city, with her remarking how peaceful the place has become.

Tags: psychedelic, cult, violence, sci-fi

Review:
This movie is highly recommended for the fans of its predecessor, although it's not in black and white, doesn't have as good of a soundtrack or have as much surrealism as the first film, but it remains to be a bit more action-packed and (let's not forget) makes a bit more sense.
This time, the salary man (the protagonist from the first film) lives a normal life with his family until one day his son gets kidnapped and the salary man is forced to be experimented on by a large a gang of skinheads which speeds up the mutating process of becoming a part-metal weapon and part-human being.
It's not really a sequel but it surely is one of the greatest underrated films of-all-time and is about as good as the first film (TETSUO), if not, better..
You don't stumble onto a film like Tetsuo II: Body Hammer every day, and that's probably a good thing.
The jerkier-than-Blair Witch cinematography, the wild & crazy stop motion special effects, and the bucketloads of gore are fairly sufficient to ensure that some viewers won't like this movie.
Since you're actually reading this, though, you're probably a pretty jaded and open-minded film fan, which is exactly the audience that would end up liking Body Hammer.
It's one of the craziest and most extreme movies I've ever seen, particularly in the brutal, nearly unwatchable flashback sequence which occurs in the last twenty minutes.
But aside from the brutal and bizarre violence, there is great artistry here; the scenes between Taniguchi and his family strike a real chord of tragedy, and the special effects somehow succeed precisely because they DON'T look real at all.
And Tsukamoto's vision of Tokyo is terrifying-- he makes the city look like a nearly uninhabited frozen hell of silent glass towers and crumbling steel factories.
If any of this sounds appealing, you might just like this movie as much as I do.
Tsukamoto's style can be incredibly jarring, but you'll end up running out to find everything else he's directed (to my knowledge, his only other films available in the US are the original Tetsuo and his horrific boxing film Tokyo Fist).
And Tetsuo: Body Hammer might just be his best film..
First off, TETSUO 2 is far superior to the original.
Well the story & plot for one, it seemed to make a lot more sense this time around with a short glimpse into both men's past.
The only problem I have with this one is that I think he should of kept it in Black & White.All comparisons aside, basically to explain this movie in any logical sense is absurd.
But what the heck; If you took a boiling pot of water, threw in an episode of the INCREDIBLE HULK, added a tablespoon of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, and mix it with generous portions of THE TERMINATOR, you would have TETSUO 2: BODY HAMMER.
A hyper-kinetic, yeah that's the word, stylish sci-fi movie done in the tradition of Japanimation, only its real-life..
Tetsuo II: The body hammer has a really cool title and after seeing the first one, I was very excited to watch it.
Unfortunately I was very disappointed.
Tetsuo II like many other reviewers have noted, spends a lot more time developing a plot.What is the plot?
Other stuff happens too.What does this movie have to do with the original?
The original was a stunning visual story about a man transforming into metal.
In the second film Tetsuo apparently didn't go on a killing spree with his friend (as they mutually decided to at the end of the first film) In fact Tetsuo is now a family man with a wife and kid, and his enemy/friend from the first film (like everything else from the first film) doesn't even get mentioned.The biggest problem with Tetsuo II is that the fast pace of the first film was abbandoned.
Remember all the amazing stop motion from the first film that looked as though it would have taken a lot of effort to accomplish?
Apparently the director got sick of all the time and effort of stop motion, because this film, although it obviously has a higher budget than the first, has about a third of the stop motion.I believe Tetsuo I was such a sucess because even though the director didn't have a clear idea of the plot, the outstanding and inventive visuals carried the loose plot to interesting places.
Tetsuo II on the other hand focused on a conventional plot without developing an interesting story first, resulting in a crappy incredable hulk rip off.If you saw the first Tetsuo you might as well see this, but don't expect much.two stars out of four.
It has lost a bit of the first one's viscerality, and the plot is a bit more conventional (although it has just a few discernable conventions, like the rivalry between brothers in youth, the fact that one of them was good and one of them was evil, etc.
Body Hammer takes time to make us understand, and that is not necessarily a good thing.
Still, Tetsuo II is a very great film.
I just wish Shinya Tsukamoto had more films available in America!.
i liked the first tetsuo slightly better.
tetsuo II is a little more slower paced and not full of the action of the first film.
get the director's cut, as the last part of the movie makes a little more sense.
tetsuo II is well worth checking out though there is not as much stop action as the first.
i look forward to more movies like this.
Tetsuo 2 May not have the intensity, or the abstract lunacy like the original, but damn it all to hell it is still a beautifully made and perfectly thought out cyberpunk movie.
But the film's cinematography, story, cyberpunk elements and so forth rules ass..
A brilliant re-imagining of Shinya Tsukamoto's 1989 cult classic now with more story, more special effect and a bigger budget.
Body Hammer is my favorite movie in the tetsuo series because it's expanded more with the story while keeping the storyline same and doing something new.The effects are unique and uniquely unreal, as they were in the original.
It will haunt you.This is truly a worthy sequel that is a worth to watch.I will rate this movie: highly watch this movie out of 10..
The original Tetsuo: the Iron Man was a pretty unforgettable film.
Shot in intense black and white and very pure in its intentions, it was an avant-garde sci-fi horror movie.
With the follow up, director Shin'ya Tsukamoto has made a film which is more a remake than a true sequel.
However, I do not think it reaches the same level as the original movie, which for my money was such an original piece of work it is hard to outdo.
I think the introduction of more story here is also to the film's detriment.
The story gets in the way, something you could never accuse the original film of.
Tetsuo II: Body Hammer is the second entry in the Tetsuo series and arguably an improvement over the first film.
Of the two, it was the more accessible film.Body Hammer follows the struggle of a seemingly meek man after his son is kidnapped by a ruthless gang / cult.
When the father is subjected to one of these experiments, all hell breaks loose.Although surreal, Tetsuo II is a distinctly more conventional film than its predecessor, which came across as a grotesque student film.
The sequel has a more typical sci-fi action plot even as it uses the bizarre animation and concepts that made the original a cult classic.
This is actually a good thing, as it makes it easier to discern what the director is trying to get across.The film also benefits from improved special effects and costumes.
While the original relied on rather clunky stop motion animation, the effects in Body Hammer are far more convincing.There are some issues with the film's plot, not the least of which being why the gang would grant super powers to someone whose son they had just kidnapped.
More story this time but it's still being an odd movie..
The first movie, "Tetsuo", was mostly a visual experience, while this sequel is also attempting to throw in some more story this time.
It makes this movie a bit less artistic and a bit more mainstream than its predecessor but only just a bit though."Tetsuo II: Body Hammer" is for most part being still one psychedelic ride.
There are lots of odd images and events, that just don't make sense in the real world but help to make this still a good and intriguing watch.
Fans of manga will therefore also most likely to appreciate this movie better than the average person.It's obvious that Shinya Tsukamoto has progressed more as a director when watching this movie and compare it to its predecessor.
It's also obvious that they had far more money to spend this time, though its still being a low-budget production.This movie doesn't makes much sense as a sequel but then again, the movie just doesn't make much sense in general.
It's for most part simply a movie you have to experience, though I admit that it all got a bit tiresome to watch after a while.
It also seemed as if the film-makers stopped caring toward the end and dropped the story and all logic.
This is the foremost reason why the first movie is still the better one, despite the fact that this movie makes more 'sense' and is also a better made one, with better production values and all.Pehaps only truly interesting to watch this movie as a live-action manga.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/.
Don't really know why everybody hates this movie and calls it so poor compared to the almighty 1988 original.
As far as I'm concerned, "Tetsuo II" is more or less as powerful (or as weak, if you wish) as the original, naturally with some aspects that are worse but also some aspects that are better!
The story is pretty much a reworking of the first, only it's more accessible and  on a personal matter  it gave me a lot less headaches (which I liked!).
Once again, the story handles about a man who strangely and disturbingly fuses into a piece of metal equipment, yet now you know more about his background so you can sympathize with him at least a little.
"Tetsuo II" contains just as much weirdness and psychedelic imagery as the original, but I admit it all doesn't look so nightmarish here.
Partly because it's in color and partly because the characters are given depth, this sequel feels less like a genuine cult gem..
'Tetsuo' is a much more difficult movie to watch/understand but it is worth it.
'Tetsuo II' is way to conventional, with a "plot" and "characters", and loses the unique vision and mystery of the original.
What you end up with is a dumb ass action movie - the complete antithesis of 'Tetsuo'.
Avoid this, watch the first movie instead..
I was rather disappointed.
The first Tetsuo made me an INSTANT Tsukamoto fan, from the first 5 mins of the film.
Tetsuo did just that where for me, few movies can.For those of us who enjoy getting a breath of fresh air, those that appreciate those offbeat styles used that make indie films so worthwhile, Testuo II will likely be a disspointment.
If your looking for that visceral "HYPER-KINETIC" feel of the first movie, skip this one, as thats all been stripped away.
Tetsuo II is for some odd reason, just a typical Hollywood style action flick.
Easily as good as Tetsuo, this film manages to be just as bizarre whilst remaining completely different.
I found this movie slightly better than the first "Tetsuo" (which I HATED), mainly because it appears at first to be willing to tell a more coherent (if still unique) story.
Soon, however, the story disappears into a farrago of violence, mayhem and senselessness; by the time the completely baffling ending arrives, you've already given up trying to make sense out of what's happening.
Not blood, but corrosion is being drawn.A lot of people say that this film had a higher budget that the first one (which I haven't seen yet).
Whereas a lot of other films are very high on dialogue, this one didn't really had enough dialogue to really be able to follow the story.
Sci-fi and drama are about right, but if you're looking for a horror film, meh.
It really added to the industrial feel of this movie.It was alright.
This movie is one of the worst films I have seen.
First and foremost no plot, what I expected to be the plot (see: "Revenge") turned into a series of events just happening in a effort to spend their special effects budget of $14.89 and waste studio time.
They should have kept their money and not wasted their time nor yours.When a major plot twist occurs, Tetsuo II: Body Hammer is given a new identity and I wasn't buying it.
The movie continues and spirals out of control with cheesy graphics and special (olympic) effects.Do I seem bitter about this film?
(I must admit though I have had so much fun writing this and laughing to myself about this film that if you want to laugh, WATCH IT!!!).
I think the added coherency to the plot made this sequel more enjoyable than the original, while still maintaining a healthy level of chaos.
I also found the music to be quite effective in this one, almost like it was pumping up the viewer as much as the metal was pumping up Yatsu!
The movie just had a driving, hectic feel that worked for me..
go and watch the sound of music for the 100th time and you'll be better with it..
Bored watching your 1000th Hollywood film in a row?
Watch this flic which combines Manga, expressionist film, and 30s/40s movie serials.
A visually arresting retread/re-imagining of the ideas and themes established in Tetsuo: The Iron Man..
Tetsuo II: Body Hammer is director Shinya Tsukamoto's sequel/re-make/companion piece to his cult, low-budget 1988 art-house shocker Tetsuo: The Iron Man; a striking piece of hyper-kinetic visual film-making, in which an anonymous Japanese business man finds his body inexplicably mutating into a mass of metal, wire and steal.
Some fans of the original film consider this to be Body Hammer's major failing; with the clarification and characterisation detracting from the weird "wow-factor" of the original Iron Man film; which, as a work of great science-fiction cinema, really existed in its own world devoid of conservative narrative and cinematic convention.
I like to appreciate the film from another perspective, however; with Tsukamoto simply fleshing out the themes of the original film a little further, in the same way that a song-writer might often perform a number of different songs about the same subject, but most often, with a different style and arrangement.
Throughout his work, Tsukamoto has looked at the self-inflicted destruction of the body, via films such as Iron Man, Body Hammer and Tokyo Fist; through to the more traditional notions of natural decay and internal destruction with films like A Snake of June, Bullet Ballet and Vital.
All of these characteristics are present here, with the film showing us how easily tragedy can strike (and go un-noticed) in a built up city, and how striving to become the ultimate human often involves a melding of man with machine (the natural with the synthetic).The great thing about Tsukamoto's work is that it can often be enjoyed on a number of levels, so, with Body Hammer, we have something that could be viewed as a straight science-fiction film with elements of cyber-punk derived body horror, or instead we could look at some of the deeper, metaphorical interpretations pertaining to the loss of a child, parenthood, childhood trauma, guilt, and perhaps even notions more unsavoury than that!
What follows is quite shocking and heavily symbolic, but I personally like to think that this moment is actually the real impetuous for Body Hammer's plot.
The fact remains that despite the layers of personal interpretation the one thing that will always stand out - regardless of whether or not you liked the film - is the unbridled imagination and visual flair that Tsukamoto brings to the project as it's writer, director, editor, art director, cinematographer, designer and supporting actor.It certainly won't be to all tastes, as even committed admirers of the first Tetsuo film often write this one off as an interesting failure, but for me, this film offers an entirely new perspective on the territory of Iron Man and the usual preoccupations of Tsukamoto's later films, such as Tokyo Fist, A Snake of June and Vital.
As Roger Ebert wrote in his review at the time, "Tetsuo II' doesn't rise (or stoop) to the level of conventional action or suspense; it's a design concept, a director's attempt to take some of the ideas in Blade Runner and some of the Arnold Schwarzenegger films and the Japanese animated films like Akira and extend them into grotesquery".
It's perhaps not on a par with some of Tsukamoto's other works, chiefly Tetsuo, Tokyo Fist, Gemini and A Snake of June, but regardless, remains a unique viewing experience for those who are genuinely into through-provoking, visually arresting art-house shock cinema.On a final note, I would perhaps suggest starting here and then progressing onto the first Tetsuo film, as this one is a little less challenging and easier to get through and thus acts as a nice little gateway into this particular filmmaker's warped and wonderful world..
THE BODY HAMMER offers some of Tsukamoto's most interesting: bodybuilding skinheads (denizens of the darkest depths of the society that spawns them) who literally harden themselves into (first flesh and blood, then) metal monsters bent on total destruction- their own as well as everyone else's.
Check out THE BODY HAMMER- if you've got the wiring (guts).