“Repo Man’s always intense.”
There are some films that, while considered to be “financial failures”, strike a chord with the right people at the right time. These films endure years after many so-called “financial successes” go in one eye and out the other ear. They inspire a loyal, devoted following that goes to extremes to buy the video/DVD and see the film at midnight showings; learning every stitch of dialogue, plot nuance and interpretation along the way. This would be a cult film. Some of the more legendary include Rocky Horror Picture Show, Blade Runner, and most films produced or directed by Roger Corman, David Lynch, and John Waters. Alex Cox’s Repo Man is one of the best ever and belongs at the top of the list.
Released originally in 1984 and recently re-released in a collector’s edition DVD, Repo Man has aged wonderfully through two decades, still retaining its considerable and still unmatched brilliance with combining science fiction, punk rockers, criminals, conspiracy theories, and nuclear apocalypse along with its subtle yet biting American social/political satire, a punk generation defining soundtrack, and classic dialogue delivered by note-perfect actors.
The film opens with mad scientist and inventor of the neutron bomb J. Frank Parnell (Fox Harris) being pulled over in his 1964 Chevy Malibu by a motorcycle cop. The cop checks the trunk, and upon seeing a bright blinding light from inside, is vaporized leaving nothing but his smoking boots on the highway. This is an homage, as is most of the film, to Robert Aldrich’s 1955 noir classic Kiss Me Deadly. Quentin Tarantino later used this same plot device with Marcellus Wallace’s briefcase in Pulp Fiction. We then meet Otto ( Emilio Estevez in one of his early and still best roles.) Otto is a Los Angeles “white surburban punk” stuck in a dead-end life. As the film opens, he is fired from his worthless job at a grocery store, catches his girlfriend cheating on him, and his best friend is a dweeb Kevin(the outstanding Zander Schloss) who might be the real Napolean Dynamite.
“The more you drive, the less intelligent you get.”
After a night out headbanging and drinking, Otto comes across Bud (the great American character actor Harry Dean Stanton in one of his iconic roles) who convinces Otto to drive his wife’s car out of a “bad area.” As Otto drives away, he is chased by an old man. Otto has just had his initiation into the life of an auto repossessor, or repo man. Bud likes the kid’s moves and offers him a job. Otto initially rejects the job but upon discovering that his pot-smoking, zoned out parents have donated his entire college fund to a televangelist, he has a change of heart and accepts the job at the Helping Hand Acceptance Corp. Along with Bud, the other repo men include Lite (Sy Richardson) who swears by the matter over mind science of Dioretix( a subtle jab at Scientology,) Oly (Tom Finnegan) who thinks all straight men like to watch their buddies fuck, and spaced- out, zen-like Miller (the incomparable Tracy Walter getting some of the film’s best dialogue) who can philosophize about life’s peculiarities and John Wayne’s sexuality.
It is Bud, however, who takes the kid under his wing and teaches him the “repo code” which includes, among other things, getting into tense situations and doing lots of crank in order to be up all night, every night. It becomes apparent to Otto and us that this is more of a lifestyle than a job. This lifestyle is problematic coming in the forms of angry, gun-toting car owners and the Rodriguez brothers; rival repo men to Bud’s crew. Meanwhile, the feds are looking for that 1964 Chevy Mailbu and the contents of its trunk. They offer $20,000 for the car which makes it the apple of every repo man’s eye.
Repo Man is one of the more subtly intelligent films disguised as a B-movie you are likely to ever see. English director and screenwriter Alex Cox, who also directed the punk epic Sid and Nancy from 1986, obviously knows Los Angeles and the bizarre souls that inhabit it. He, along with cinematographer Robby Muller, gives the film a dreary, drug hangover type of feel that enhances the twisted, morally bankrupt characters. There are numerous inside jokes going on here and consequently, the film requires multiple viewings to catch them all. The best include the 4 repo men being named after beers and the generic food and drink labels representing the Reagan 80’s era of capitalism, consumerism, and homogenization. When someone says “Let’s get a drink,” they get a six-pack with the label “drink” on it. The plot doesn’t unfold so much as it happens as a series of non-linear coincidences. Despite its randomness, everything flows perfectly. Repo Man also has the distinction of being one of the first films (Penelope Spheris’s Suburbia would later follow) to capture the essence of the 80’s punk generation physically and, in particular, sonically through the use of a punk-infused soundtrack containing Iggy Pop(who performs the title song,) Circle Jerks, Black Flag, and Suicidal Tendencies to name a few. We see the defiance, drug-induced hopelessness, and drudgery by which this lost generation defined itself. The locales of the film (south and east Los Angeles) are characters unto themselves.
“Let’s get sushi and not pay.”
The widescreen transfer is, for the most part, crisp and sharp. Sound-wise though, Repo Man has never sounded better. Being a dedicated fan of the film I was expecting a lot from the extras. Luckily, I was not disappointed. Along with a theatrical trailer, there is “Up Close and Personal with Harry Dean Stanton” which provides us with a rare and truly fascinating interview with Stanton himself. He discusses his zen/nihilistic views on life, his problems with Alex Cox while making Repo Man, his friendship with Marlon Brando, and Francis Coppola asking him to direct a scene in “One From the Heart.” “Repossessed” is a featurette in which writer/director Cox, producers Jonathan Wacks and Peter McCarthy, and actors Sy “I’ll kill anybody who crosses me” Richardson , Del “Hermanos Rodriguez don’t approve of drugs” Zamora and Dick “I blame society” Rude discuss all aspects repo from its origins to preproduction to casting.<!--page-->
On a sad,ironic note; it is pointed out that at one point, the recently deceased Chris Penn was set to replace Zander Schloss as Kevin. “The Missing Scenes” featurette will be of particular interest to die –hards. It is a truly bizarre segment with Cox along with Sam Cohen, the real-life inventor of the neutron bomb, viewing and analyzing several deleted clips including the legendary scene where Bud smashes a row of payphones with a sledgehammer. This, along with several other of the deleted scenes , were added by Cox to the heavily edited T.V. version of the film that was cut by nearly 40 minutes. Cox and Cohen also discuss the original apocalyptic ending of the film as well as why the neutron bomb was created as well as its pros and cons. It is surprising, however, that Emilio Estevez is nowhere to be found in any of the extras. Considering that this is still one of his only great pieces of work, you would think he’d be begging Cox to let him talk about it. The highlight of the extras is the party atmosphere running commentary (a hold over from the previous DVD version of the film) by Cox, casting director Victoria Thomas, and actors Sy Richardson, Zander Schloss, and Del Zamora. This is a classic example of how enjoyable and informative a film commentary can be when done right. All involved clearly share a fondness for the film and let us in on some humorous anecdotes about the shoot as well as some unknown story facts and answers to lingering questions about the ending.
Being a Repo Man fan, this is a DVD that is essential to my existence. Any like-minded fans out there, I suggest you buy a copy post haste. Just make sure and pick up a six pack of “beer” to enjoy while you watch it. And remember “there’s room to move as a fry cook.”
Repo Man - The Collector's Edition is available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD's database for more information.
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