All Shinya Tsukamoto Movies Ranked From Worst To Best

Balancing elements of cyberpunk, body horror, and psychological drama, Shinya Tsukamoto‘s filmography ranges from the metallic nightmares of “Tetsuo: The Iron Man” to the meditative intensity of “Killing“. Given this diversity of his oeuvre, spanning multiple eras from his early student films in the 1980s to his latest works, creating a ranked list of Tsukamoto’s filmography felt essential for the members of Asian Movie Pulse. With this in mind, we crafted a ranking that should resonate with viewers who have watched at least half of his 16 features. This ranking does not include Tsukamoto’s student films, shorts, or the segments he directed for various omnibus projects. However, we chose to include “Haze” since its second version runs over 45 minutes, making it eligible as a feature. The voting panel consisted of Sean Barry, Rouven Linnarz, Andrew Thayne, and Panos Kotzathanasis. Here are the results.

16. Tetsuo: The Bullet Man (2009)

Given the nature of Shinya Tsukamoto‘s “Tetsuo: The Iron Man” the idea of turning it into a series or franchise seems quite strange, to say the least. Not that there is anything wrong with hearing and seeing more of the world the Japanese filmmaker has shown us in the first one, but considering its experimental, industrial design, to name one aspect, you might wonder whether there is indeed more to be said which would legitimize more movies.

In some ways, these critical voices considered “Tetsuo II: The Body Hammer” as a confirmation of these doubts. Even though the look was still there and even creatively expanded by Tsukamoto, the idea of the machinist cult behind the transforming protagonist was not universally met with praise. You might even say it hurt the mysterious, powerful enigma behind the narrative of the two films, especially its parabolic concept and omnipresent ambivalence. Nevertheless, “Tetsuo II: The Body Hammer” was just as powerful as its predecessor, thanks to the cinematic techniques which Tsukamoto had perfected over time.

Ultimately, the success of both films led to something inevitable: Hollywood demanded its own “Tetsuo”. After a production cycle which took many years to complete, “Tetsuo: The Bullet Man” serves as an expansion of the world created in the former two, this time with an interesting venture as it includes a certain capitalist subtext. (Rouven Linnarz)

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15. Nightmare Detective II (2008)

Even though it was originally planned as a trilogy, Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto condensed the three stories into two, both of which centering on the “nightmare detective” or medium Kyoichi played by Ryuhei Matsuda. Whereas its predecessor may be regarded as a continuation of many themes the director has explored in his whole body of work until then, the sequel marks a deviation to some degree as it not only delves deeper into the hurt psyche of its main character, it also deals with ways of overcoming the trauma of existence, one of the core themes in the first movie. The result is a very intimate film, much more ambiguous and versatile from the former film, but suffering from a few technical issues. (Rouven Linnarz)

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14. Nightmare Detective (2006)

After he had explored death and the afterlife in his 2004 feature “Vital”, Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto would continue this thematic journey two years later with “Nightmare Detective” as well as its sequel in 2008. In an interview with Screen Anarchy, explains how he thought the concept of the “human body and the city, which had started with the first “Tetsuo”-film, was finished, but then he found himself with more ideas on the issue. The two films, which he had originally planned as a trilogy, may be regarded as Tsukamoto’s closest approach to mainstream cinema, especially since they contain elements reminiscent of J-horror, but in the end they feel more like additions or, as the director says, afterthoughts to the themes he had explained before. (Rouven Linnarz)

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13. Hiruko the Goblin (1991)

After the release of “Tetsuo: The Iron Man”, its director Shinya Tsukamoto found himself in an interesting position. Whereas his first film was largely made by himself with various crew and cast members leaving the production, his next film would be quite different, especially since he was able to work with a bigger budget and a studio willing to support his unique approach to the medium. However, as negotiations about a sequel to “Tetsuo: The Iron Man” proved fruitless and another project fell apart as well, the director eventually accepted an offer by Sedic International to do a manga adaptation for them, based on stories by writer Dajiro Moroboshi.

Even though it did not look like a passion project on paper, Tsukamoto quickly realized his producers wanted anything but a faithful adaptation. Instead, the constant demand to “be bold” as well as various ideas from screenwriter Kaizo Hayashi turned what could have been an easy paycheck into a “true” Tsukamoto-film. At the same time the director found himself experimenting with variations of themes and techniques he had already used in his early 8mm films, which might be one of the reasons he speaks quite dearly about his second movie. In the end, “Hiruko” is indeed an interesting entry in the director’s body of work, a film which deviates in some ways from the “Tetsuo”-series and offers an entertaining, often visually captivating take on the horror genre.

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12. Haze (2005)

For many years Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto had experimented with variations of of the same theme: the link between a highly technologized and urbanized world and the body. What has begun in “Tetsuo: The Iron Man” eventually found its way into his other films, showing a world defined by cold, anonymous structures in which technology and industry would form the new man, a being more accustomed to a world ever changing. Tetsuo, Tsukamoto’s most famous creation, is the perfect amalgam of modern work culture, the omnipresent need to optimize the body and the resulting feeling of being inferior towards technology. In many ways, Tsukamoto’s characters are the reflections or descendants of the people shown in the works by Michelangelo Antonioni and David Cronenberg.

However, even as he was working on the first “Tetsuo”-film, Tsukamoto was contemplating the question how the change of the body coincided with a change of consciousness. In an interview at Locarno International Film Festival, he explains how he eventually developed ideas for three films exploring the link between body and consciousness. Along with the concept for his feature film “Vital”, “Haze” was also one of those ideas which would be realized by Tsukamoto and his crew. In the end, the film proved to be not only Tsukamoto at his most minimalist, but also a precise depiction and expansion of what constitutes the modern self. (Rouven Linnarz)

11. Gemini (1999)

‘Gemini’ is likely the closest thing viewers will ever get to a Tsukamoto arthouse film. Throwing away his typical techno-industrial aesthetic, the director instead opts for something more archaic in this Meiji era story based on a written work of the same title by Japanese author Edogawa Ranpo. The story revolves around Yukio Daitokuji, a famous doctor who was decorated for his services during the war and has now succeeded his father in his medical practice, amassing fame for both his past deeds and his present. But amidst tension with his parents who do not approve of his marriage and a weird smell which slowly begins to permeate his house, Yukio is launched into a journey of chaos and delirium. Although ‘Gemini’ marked a bit of a turn from Tsukamoto’s iconic cyberpunk style, many of the themes in the film remain the same. Despite being highly overlooked upon its release, ‘Gemini’ proved how Tsukamoto could seamlessly navigate between genres while still standing out amongst other J-horror titles with his own distinct creation.

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10. Fires on the Plain (2014)

Based on the novel Nobi by Natto Wada, the original, 1959 film, instigated much controversy in the west, for its grotesqueness and the fact that it portrayed Japanese soldiers as victims. In Japan, however, it was immediately hailed for its anti-war message and artfulness, winning a number of awards in local festivals, before Locarno also netted it the Golden Sail for Best Film in 1961. However, through the years, the film was recognized globally, and is currently considered a masterpiece. Shinya Tsukamoto presents a low-budget (the film was produced through his own company Kaijyu theater), gorier take on the story of a Japanese soldier trying to survive during the last days of the war, as the Imperial Army retreats in disorderly fashion. (Panos Kotzathanasis)