Darren Carver-Balsiger’s review published on Letterboxd:
Caught between cerebral surrealism and genre gimmickry, Tetsuo: The Iron Man is a cacophony of imagery. It's filled with half-baked ideas but remains forever interesting, being a kinetic, breathlessly paced film that becomes a feverish, hypnotic dream. The crashing music, dancing to the beat of the machines, is as overwhelming as the contorted expressions and movements that define the characters. This is about violation of the body, both to and by the titular iron man. Penetration is a focus, a fetishistic transmission of pain. What sex is shown is seen with vengeful eyes, becoming pained and unhealthy, just moving parts without emotional input. The phallic imagery is striking, as masculinity is mechanised into writhing pain. This is a perversion of society and its tools. Identity is lost, first through physicality, and then also mentally. Until there is rebirth, floating in space, hands almost touching. Wide open eyes make their way into so many shots, emphasising that what we see is most of what we experience, and showing us the last signs of humanity as the body becomes something different. Tetsuo: The Iron Man is grim and nasty, body horror of an extremist nature, and a bleakly fascinating journey into a metal world with no soul.
