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Poster for Tetsuo: The Iron Man

Tetsuo: The Iron Man

Seen it?

1989 | 67 min | Horror, Science Fiction

Saturday Special

Why it’s a Saturday Special

It earned strong reviews (83% on Rotten Tomatoes), it was a solid box office hit and it's still drawing plenty of interest. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for horror fans and sci-fi fans. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
The mood
Scary and gory, mind-bending.
The pace
Moves along nicely, at 1 hr 7 min.
What might put you off
  • Some graphic violence despite the NR rating.
  • It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).

A "metal fetishist", driven mad by the maggots wriggling in the wound he's made to embed metal into his flesh, runs out into the night and is accidentally run down by a Japanese businessman and his girlfriend. The pair dispose of the corpse in hopes of quietly moving on with their lives. However, the businessman soon finds that he is now plagued by a vicious curse that transforms his flesh into iron.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsStrong

    83% on Rotten Tomatoes

  • AudiencesSolid

    7.0 out of 10

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Reach & staying powerStrong

    Streaming release that reached a modest audience; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactStrong

    About 182K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Shinya Tsukamoto

  • Tomorowo TaguchiSalaryman
  • Shinya TsukamotoMetal Fetishist
  • Kei FujiwaraGirlfriend
  • Nobu KanaokaWoman in Glasses
  • Naomasa MusakaDoctor
  • Renji IshibashiTramp