Repo Man (1984)

Very Cool!!!

That was an excellent one.

Sorry, this movie sucks

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

If you ever saw the TV show "Chuck" in the fourth season, then you MUST see this movie to understand why Harry Dean Stanton guest starred in this TV show.

Made by a then-29 year old British UCLA film school graduate named Alex Cox, the endearingly loopy sci-fi punk cult comedy "Repo Man" is a true original. It combines many interesting details and clever gags with a satirical sensibility. Cox dots the landscape with an amazing ensemble of eclectic faces and fills the soundtrack with some very catchy tunes. He also films his quirky story in some of the less aesthetically pleasing areas of Los Angeles, giving it the perfect look. His characters are compelling, especially Bud (Harry Dean Stanton), the career repo man who has his own way of doing things. There's some very funny dialogue and even some priceless, philosophical moments courtesy of wacked-out yardman Miller (Tracey Walter).Emilio Estevez is just fine as Otto, an unambitious young man who is conned into repossessing a car by Bud. Soon desperate for money, he agrees to go to work with Bud and his gang. Otto, who's rather conservative for the kind of world he lives in, starts to find enjoyment in this new profession. Meanwhile, a Chevy Malibu with a "Kiss Me Deadly" style secret in its trunk, being driven by a nutty scientist (the memorable Fox Harris), becomes a hot ticket item.What's so great about "Repo Man" is the fact that it's utterly unpredictable. One is never really sure where it's going to be going from scene to scene. Presented by ex-"Monkey" Michael Nesmith (who'd previously done the cool time travel adventure "Timerider"), it avoids being overly political although it does have some things to say about mindless consumerism (products in the movie are labelled simply "food" or "beer"), honour, and the nature of the universe.Stanton delivers one of his all time best performances. He and Estevez are well supported by such players as Walter (whose "plate of shrimp" speech is a gem), the cute Olivia Barash, Sy Richardson, Susan Barnes, Harris (who's a real hoot), Del Zamora, Eddie Velez, Zander Schloss, Jennifer Balgobin, Dick Rude, Miguel Sandoval, the lovely Vonetta McGee, and Richard Foronjy. The Circle Jerks have a great cameo in a night club.Everything finishes with a wonderfully far-out resolution that is perfect for the material. It's definitely the sort of thing you don't forget. Those film fans jaded with more conventional storytelling need to really give this one a look.Eight out of 10.

Repo Man which earned 80's cult status, isn't anything to make a big fuss of, but if seeing it back in the 80's, it would a much more positive impact on me. The idea is intriguing. Tough guy, Estevez, the star here, does well. In my opinion, he's an under-appreciated actor, he's much better actor than you think, in front of the naked eye. Is he a better actor than his brother, Charlie? Seriously.... yes. He transforms well into different characters, his career should of gone further, or may'be he decided to give up the acting gig and just concentrate on writing and directing. I'd go with the latter, but he shouldn't of quit acting. In fact he is bloody good in this, as Otto, who unwittingly finds himself, sucked into some repo work, but also falls in love with a weird girl who harbors a secret, involving aliens. Unfortunately Otto and co, repo an alien's car. Whenever someone opens a boot of this car, that someone is only left with their boots as they're body disappears, prefore we see a blinding light and the victim's lit up skeleton, which I found fascinating, although the film I didn't. We have some pro actors too. The actor alien is great, but on the surface RM isn't anything special. It does have it's comic moments (the scene with Estevez and stoned TV. glued parents is a hoot) It's surprising to think Cox followed this up with the much bigger and better, Sid And Nancy. To me RM is small fry, compared to the other, but you gotta start somewhere. Trademark, is ballsy Estevez, calmly retorting, to his new employers, by purposely wasting a perfectly good can of beer. Unforgettable. It's strange how not much happening movies earned cult status like this. It's just a too cool for school movie: That's your answer.

Released in 1984, "Repo Man" is at the confluence of punk rock and generic brands. Starring Emilio Estevez as Otto, "Repo Man" is the hip story of disaffected youth. In the early 80s, men were still wearing wide lapels, paisley ties, and coiffed hair, and our hero in "Repo Man" has a buzz cut and a pierced ear sporting a cross. And when he drinks beer, it comes in a white can that says "BEER," and the can has a huge UPC on the side.In addition to Mr. Estevez, we have the inimitable Harry Dean Stanton and Sy Richardson as Otto's mentors in the car repo business. Otto's fellow repo men are named Bud, Miller, Lite, and Oly. If you can see "Repo Man" on the big screen, I recommend it because the signs in the background are part of telling the story of the punk esthetics, with Mr. Stanton's voice over and Mr. Richardson's smooth lyricism. Read all the signs.Among the strange things about the punk movement is how modern it still is. Compare the costumes here with, say, "Earth Girls Are Easy," a film released four years later. The costumes in EGAE are hopelessly dated, but you'd be hard pressed to put a year on "Repo Man" based on how people dressed.And unlike EGAE, "Repo Man" still holds up. It's a funny movie still.