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As I sat down to re-watch Alex Cox's 1984 masterpiece of punk rock cinema, “Repo Man," with the intent of writing a review, I instantly thought, "This is going to be difficult, this is going to be in intense!" The plot is fairly complex. There are multiple plot lines which sometimes touch and sometimes mesh. There is an eclectic menagerie of characters who are at once repellent and compelling. They are "attractive" in the same way that a circus side show would be. Not to mention there is plenty of action. “Repo Man is always intense!"
"Repo Man" is primarily the coming of age story of Otto, played by Emilio Estevez. When we first meet Otto he gets fired from his job for cursing out his boss and assaulting his coworker and friend Kevin (played by Zander Schloss). He somewhat reluctantly accepts a job as a repo man. We then find Otto being pulled in different directions. On one side is his group of friends who are always getting in trouble “doing crimes”. On the other side are his fellow repo men who become somewhat like father figures to him.
First we have Bud (Harry Dean Stanton) who initially takes Otto under his wing. He is the moral father, operating within the Repo Man code. He is a sort of Ahab character in that he has his own great white whale in the form of the Rodriguez brother’s car, a repo he just cannot seem to wrangle. The excitement of this rivalry is what finally hooks Otto into the Repo Man lifestyle.
Next is Lite (Sy Richardson) who is a big talking showboat with a lot of tricks up his sleeve. He is so full of himself, however, that he often misses what is right in front of him. While throwing personal property out of one particular repo (which is against the Repo Code) he inadvertently tosses out a large bundle of money. His repos are always full of excitement and mishap.
Finally there is Miller. He’s a sort of maintenance guy that works at the repo yard. He has his own take on life that mostly has to do with time travel, aliens and conspiracy theories but is offering (or rather giving) Otto unsolicited and unwelcomed guidance of his own.
If that is not enough, there is also the love interest, Leila (Olivia Barash). Otto picks her up while feeling big, driving a Cadillac he has just repossessed. Meanwhile, Leila is being chased by the Blond Guys (government agents who aren’t very subtle) because she is part of an organization who is going to go public about a government/alien conspiracy.
The final plot element is the MacGuffin, a 1964 Chevy Malibu, license plate number 127-GBH. It is being driven by a rapidly deteriorating J. Frank Parnell (played by Fox Harris). He evidently has alien bodies in his trunk which are now decomposing, emitting intense heat and radiation. Whenever J. Frank Parnell finds himself in trouble he subtly convinces people to look into the trunk which instantly disintegrates them. Curiosity, distrust and reverse psychology are strong weapons.
This story is propelled by action, intrigue and a punk rock soundtrack. The mood is always intense and often angry. The dialog can be ridiculous but incredibly quotable.
Some noteworthy quotes are:
"It happens sometimes. People just explode.”
“There's f*ing room to move as a fry cook, man.”
“Let’s go do some crimes.”
The overall tone of the film is tongue-in-cheek. Some funny moments include the generic labeling that appears throughout the movie. In one scene Bud tells Otto, “Let’s go get a drink.” Next thing we see is a four pack of tall boys labeled “drink.” In another scene we see Otto eating out of a can that is simply labeled “food.”
There are cameos from a couple different bands. The Circle Jerks appear as the band in the cave bar and the Untouchables as the scooter gang. There are also some allusions which are fun little Easter eggs. The license plate of the Malibu is a reference to punk band GBH who oddly enough are not on the soundtrack. There is also a bus that says, “Edge City" which was the name of Alex Cox's student film.
The final scenes of the movie contain many twists and turns; crosses and double-crosses. The Malibu changes hands so many times that even the characters get confused about who has it. There is a little bit of heartache thrown in too. After all of this, there is still time for Otto to make one more bad decision.
What I like about this movie is the irreverent tongue-in-cheek humor. I like the action pace, the twists and turns, the attention to detail and the cool cameos from punk rocks legends. The soundtrack is pretty good too. I think most of the acting is great especially Harry Dean Stanton, Sy Richardson and Tracey Walter (who plays Miller). Walter’s part was originally much smaller but the producers liked what he was doing so much that they expanded the role and even changed the ending of the movie.
“Repo Man" rates a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 82% on Metacritic. I would be closer to Metacritic, in the low 80s or so. I really like this film but it’s not what I would call fine art. “Repo Man" is like going on a roller coaster with your worst best friends, the ones who ended up dead or in jail…but they sure knew how to have a good time.
“Repo Man is always intense!”
Other recommendations:
“Straight to Hell" (1987) Alex Cox
“The Blue Iguana" (1988) John Lafia
“Suburbia” (1984) Penelope Spheeris
“This is the End" (2013) Seth Rogan, Evan Goldberg
“Dead Snow: Red v. Dead" (2014) Tommy Wirkola
| Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
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DVD
January 26, 2016 "Please retry" | Special Edition | 2 | $22.57 | $29.95 |
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DVD
January 20, 2004 "Please retry" | DVD | 1 | $31.00 | $12.86 |
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DVD
August 28, 2000 "Please retry" | Limited Edition | 2 | $38.66 | $13.29 |
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Awesome Criterion Collection Blu-ray Edition of Alex Cox “Repo Man“
This review is for the Criterion Collection Blu-ray Edition. Awesome HD transfer and great audio, it also comes with an array of special features please check out my pictures above to see exactly what features come with this Disc..! This movie 🎭is Alex Cox cult classic “Repo Man” starring the late great Harry Dean Stanton (R.I.P.) and Emilio Estevez. I seen this movie about 20 some years ago kind of forgot about it and found this edition love it couldn’t be more pleased I recommend this featur Emilio Estevez. I seen this movie about 20 some years ago kind of forgot about it and found this addition love it couldn’t be more pleased I recommend this special collectors edition Blu-ray to anybody who loves the 8️⃣0️⃣’sPunk/Retro style and fans of Alex CoxGreat set: With tons of extras, packaging is killer.! It also comes w/Thick booklet includes phony/funny 8️⃣0️⃣’s hardcore flyers. Even a knock-off by the great Raymond Petibone - best known for his Black Flag covers. All witty references to the movie 🎥 Thank you sincerely JTriplett
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Reviewed in the Netherlands on June 26, 2020