Solid Metal Nightmares: The Films of Shinya Tsukamoto

The Adventure Of Denchu-Kozo (1987)

Young Denchu-Kozo was an outcast at school--that'll happen, when you have a utility pole growing out of your back--and he wanted to repay Momo, his only kind classmate, by showing her his homemade time machine. The device throws him 25 years into a dystopian future, where he must rescue the adult Momo from a predatory race of punk vampires. Shot-on-Super 8 debut feature that presaged plenty of the craziness to come from filmmaker Shinya Tsukamoto stars Tomorou Taguchi, Nobu Kanaoka. 47 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. C/Rtg: NR

Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)

Shinya Tsukamoto’s bizarre blend of "RoboCop" and "Eraserhead" follows a man (Tomorou Taguchi) who gets a piece of metal stuck in his leg and begins to mutate into an amalgam of flesh and machine, killing his girlfriend in the process and losing all sense of humanity. A hyperkinetic soundtrack and a minimum of dialogue add to the film’s disquieting, cyberpunk feel. 67 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. BW/Rtg: NR

Tetsuo II: Body Hammer (1991)

Writer/director Shinya Tsukamoto continues his cinematic exploration of the merging of human and machine, as a job-obsessed Japanese "salaryman" finds himself turning into the latest cybernetic mutant. At the same time, he pursues the mysterious skinheads who kidnapped his son through the glass-and-steel canyons of modern Tokyo. Tomorou Taguchi, Nobu Kanaoka star. Uncut, unrated version; 83 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. C/Rtg: NC17

Tokyo Fist (1995)

From mondo filmmaker Shinya Tsukamoto comes this offbeat drama about an insurance salesman (played by the director) who takes to the gym to train when an old high school classmate, now a troubled pro boxer, comes for a visit and tries to move in on the salesman’s fiancée. Dark comedy and violent action mix in Tsukamoto’s unique style. Unrated version; 85 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. C/Rtg: NR

Bullet Ballet (1998)

Devastated after his girlfriend commits suicide by shooting herself, a Tokyo TV commercials director (writer/director/star Shinya Tsukamoto) becomes obsessed with obtaining a handgun, an illegal act in Japan. His quest brings him into contact with a gang of street toughs and involvement with a female gang member with her own death wishes, and ultimately leads to a bloody showdown. Gritty tale of urban paranoia and alienation also stars Kirina Mano, Tatsuya Nakamura. 125 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. C/Rtg: NR

A Snake Of June (2002)

A married phone counselor finds herself the blackmail victim of a mysterious caller who takes her through an odyssey of sexual exploration. When her husband becomes the stalker’s target as well, things take a bizarre turn. Writer/director Shinya Tsukamoto’s unsettling erotic thriller stars Asuka Kurosawa, Yuji Koutari. 77 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. C/Rtg: R

Vital (2004)

A young man’s memory is obliterated after surviving a horrible car accident. Attempting to get on with his life, he enrolls in medical school. The dissection of a particular female corpse begins stirring memories of the past, and as his visions become stronger, he becomes obsessed with the cadaver and with unlocking the deepest, darkest corners of his clouded past. Directed by Shinya Tsukamoto, this bizarre, chilling drama stars Tadanobu Asano and Nami Tsukamoto. 86 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. C/Rtg: R

Haze (2005)

In this compact and claustrophobic effort from Shinya Tsukamoto, the writer-director stars as a man who regains consciousness in a cramped, barely lit catacomb, with no idea of how he got there. As he torturously makes his way through the booby-trapped maze, he encounters a woman consigned to the same fate, but their clinging to one another for safety and sanity offers no guarantee for either. Mao Saito, Takahiro Murase also star. 49 min. in Japanese with English subtitles. C/Rtg: NR

Kotoko (2011)

In this disquieting collaboration co-scripted by director Shinya Tsukamoto and Japanese pop star Cocco, Kotoko (Cocco) is a mentally disintegrating single mother whose propensity for self-harm and ever-increasing hallucinations cost her custody of her young son to her sister. Now alone and increasingly paranoid, she's approached by a smitten stalker (Tsukamoto) who offers to take care of her...and an already strange relationship would take even stranger turns. Yûko Nakamura also stars. 91 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. C/Rtg: NR

Killing (2018)

In mid-19th century Japan, masterless samurai Mokunoshin Tsuzuki (Sosuke Ikematsu) labored in the rice paddies and dreamed of the day he could put his martial skills to the test. He'd get his chance, once a veteran swordsman (writer/director Shinya Tsukamoto)recruited him to deal with rising civil unrest...but when his callow co-worker (Ryusei Maeda) tags along on the mission, disaster might follow as well. Distinctive period effort for Tsukamoto co-stars Yu Aoi, Tatsuya Nakamura. 80 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. C/Rtg: NR

Widescreen; Soundtrack: Japanese; Subtitles: English; audio commentary, featurettes; more. In Japanese with English subtitles.