Repo Man is an
enigma of a film, its very creation as inexplicable as many aspects of the film
itself. It is a film which never seems
to choose a genre, therefore defying any perceptible trajectory in plot, and
also seems to embody the spirit of punk rock music like few other films ever
were capable of. The fact that the soundtrack was far more successful than the
film upon original release speaks volumes, and is part of what makes this film
the quintessential video-age cult classic.
UCLA film
student graduate Alex Cox plummeted out of the gate with this debut feature,
one which was originally meant to be an independent until Universal swooped in
and backed the picture. Even more remarkable was the limited interference the
studio had on the creative vision of the odd counter culture film about Los Angeles
Emilio Estevez
is at his very best as a middle-class punk with little regard for anything.
This makes him a perfect candidate for the job of a repossession man, which he
is first tricked into doing by seasoned pro Bud (Harry Dead Stanton). Otto
(Estevez) goes through the familiar stages of many other comedic protagonists;
he loses his job (in actuality, he quits his job), he loses his girlfriend, and
he is in danger of being thrown out on his ass. The difference between Otto and
most other protagonists in his shoes is this doesn’t seem to affect him at all.
His attitude is superfluous to most fortune or misfortune alike.
Though there
is a semi-constant storyline involving a car which contains mysterious items in
the trunk which were smuggled out of the deserts of Nevada
Cox went on to
make Sid & Nancy, yet another contribution to punk rock film history, yet
Repo Man still stands as his crowning achievement in my mind. It borrows from
many films. Moments remind me of early Robert Altman comedies in style and
dialogue. The trunk of the car resembles the unseen treasure of Touch of Evil.
There are many other familiar moments, and yet Repo Man still stands as a
distinctly original film.
The
director-approved Blu-ray release has a newly restored 2K digital transfer of
the film, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. The disc also includes an
optional commentary track with Cox, executive producer Michael Nesmith, casting
director Victoria Thomas, and actors Sy Richardson, Zander Schloss, and Del
Zamora. The bonus features also include deleted scenes and trailers, a
roundtable discussion of the film, a conversation between Stanton
Entertainment Value:
8.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7.5/10
Historical Significance:
7.5/10
Disc Features: 10/10
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