Repo Man

There are many types of movies that have achieved the status of cult classic. Sometimes they get this appellation because they are so bad people enjoy it, like Plan 9 from Outer Space. Others enter into cult status because they forever changed all films that follow such as Star Wars. With Repo Man you have a combination of the two. While much of it comes across as a film school project fundamental aspects of this film have been repeated in many modern films. The story follows the life of a punk loser Otto (Emilio Estevez) who, after being fired from his job as a grocery store clerk, is duped into stealing a car for seasoned repo man Bud (Harry Dean Stanton). Having nothing better to do with his life he soon finds himself in the full time employ as a repo man. Central to the story is an old, beat up Malibu sought after by a mysterious government agency whose agents all dress in black. In the trunk of this car is an alien body. The trunk grows when opened and anyone unfortunate enough to be in front of the trunk when it is opened is instantly turned to dust. Soon everyone is after the car. The rag-tag group of repo men, car thieves punk thieves and the agency. What ensues is a romp through the darker side of LA as each group crosses paths with the others. Along for the ride taking back cars from non-paying owners are Miller (Tracey Walter) and Lite (Sy Richardson). There is a little inside joke here, all the repo men are named after beers, a fitting nod to their lives.

The life of a repo man is hard enough without rouge aliens and crazy earthlings running around. As Otto soon discovers as Bud and the guys teach him the ins and outs of the trade, people tend to get upset when you break into their car and drive off. It really doesn't matter that you have some legal authorization to do so. With an alien body in a car the federal government places a $10,000 bounty on the vehicle, a 1964 Chevy Malibu, making it the Holy Grail for every repo man in town. Otto and the gang join in the search. Otto is soon pulled in deeper as he tries to help Leila (Olivia Barash), one of the civilian alien seekers. The film is light on plot but in this case this is a good thing. A normal plot would only get in the way of fun. This is the type of film that you experience more than watch. You sit there and let it pull you into this strange and wonderful universe. There is no pretense here, this is a low budget flick and it is proud of it. The cast obviously had a lot of fun working on it and this translates to enjoyment for the audience.

Estevez handles the role of dazed and confused Otto to perfection. He isn’t searching for meaning in life as much as he is just for a way to get by. Stanton becomes his mentor, a poor man’s Yoda who imparts the wisdom of life through the immutable Repo Man’s code. Stanton, an excellent character actor, shows he has the talent to handle a larger role than he is usually given. While the writing is often pedantic, the talent of the actors in this film actually pulls off the film. Especially well played is the role of Miller (Tracey Walter). Yes, most of the male characters of this film are named for beers, the preferred beverage in this movie. Walter is the kind of actor you see everywhere. He is the low level crook in TV police dramas, the bum informant in cop movies and the typical inhabitant of the gritty places in dramas. Here he does what he does best, he plays a beaten down man derided by other losers. Harry Dean Stanton is one of those actors that causes you to say to yourself, 'where have I seen him before?' He is one of the hardest working character actors in Hollywood appearing in such films as Alien. He is the wise master here, passing down his accumulated wisdom to the apprentice Otto. Stanton has the everyday working man feel down so that everyone can connect with him immediately.

The writer and director of this classic is Alex Cox. While he never really had another film as successful as Repo Man he does have talent. For someone born in England he has an excellent grasp on what makes America unique. The takes this film into a difficult genre, the Sci-Fi/Black Comedy. The special effects are cheesy, almost laughable by modern standards but here they not only work, they make the film. The effects are so bad you are forced to concentrate on the characters. Cox could not get permission to use product names so every item is the film is the generic white label with black letters. Rather than find this a limitation Cox laughs at it with a can labeled simply FOOD or DRINK and a bottle of drugs marked AMYL NITRATE. You can readily see how much influence Cox has had on director today, especially, Quentin Tarentino. The glowing trunk which became the glowing briefcase in Pulp Fiction. Even the sound track foreshadows Pulp Fiction. Cox also page homage to great directors such as Hitchcock. The alien in the trunk is a classic McGuffin, something vital to the characters yet unimportant to the audience. Cox drives the action along better than many directors that have hits today. You are compelled to watch this film.

This special edition is incredibly well produced. The anamorphic 1.85:1 video is amazingly crisp and clear. The color balance is true to life with very good contrast between light and dark. The 5.1 audio will give a workout to all six speakers. The sub woofer is driven to overdrive as the rest of the speakers pour over the room. There are some great extras provided. The director’s commentary is laid back and informal providing an interesting look back at the making of this film. 'Up Close With Harry Dean Stanton' takes a look at the career of this well known character actor. 'The Missing Scenes' includes some commentaries by the inventor of the neutron bomb, Sam Cohen. 'Repossessed' provides a chance for the producers to show off some of the locations used in the film. Get this film, sit back with a can of DRINK and some FOOD and enjoy.