Repo Man [Masters of Cinema] [Blu-ray] [1984]

The only film as odd as this to come out of a major Hollywood-studio was the same year's 'The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension'- which makes an ideal double-bill with this! 'Repo Man' is science-fiction, though science-fiction in a manner not unlike Jean-Luc Godard's 'Alphaville' (1965). As Godard's film used contemporary Paris as a future dystopia, so you get the feeling that Cox did the same to downtown-LA (the locale of its setting is often noted as an infleunce on 'Pulp Fiction', as well as Dennis Hopper's underrated 'Colors' & the charming 'Falling Down').

'Repo Man' offers an 80s-take on dystopia, a post-Reagonomic consumer-hell where dope-smoking baby-boomer parents are hypnotised by the TV, where nihilistic punks steal & where a strange man drives around with a neutron-bomb in the boot of his car, that the FBI are after as part of a wider UFO-conspiracy! Amid all this is Otto, your average punk-loser, who after his girlfriend cheats on him and he gets sacked from his supermarket job (note the way the products are labelled 'beer','london gin' etc- a conceit John Lydon nicked for PIL's 'Album' in 1986)- crossing paths with Bud (Harry Dean Stanton), who is a 'Repo Man'...

The film is an absolute trip from there, nodding to scientology, apocalypse, 'A Clockwork Orange'(the speeded-up sex scene in the car nods to another rapidly delivered sex scene in Kubrick's film), US-punk (The Circle Jerks appear as a band in a bar-scene), UFOs (pre-X-Files & Men in Black), 'Kiss Me Deadly' (the glowing mystery in the boot- another thing that turned up in 'Pulp Fiction'!)& William Burroughs (listen out in the hospital scene for a reference to Dr Benway, a major character from 'The Naked Lunch'!) There's also a great tunnel-shot that would recur in Jim Jarmusch's 'Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai'- probably as it shared the same cinematographer Robby Muller (most famous for his work with Wim Wenders).

There's not a film like 'Repo Man', which is charmingly odd and improves with every viewing like the aforementioned 'Buckaroo Banzai', Godard's 'Weekend', Rafelson's 'Head' & Linklater's 'Slacker.' It also belongs to an interesting breed of US-filmmaking - ironic, post-modern, alternative, and should be regarded alongside 'Suburbia','The Decline of Western Civilisation','Rumble Fish','Stranger Than Paradise','River's Edge','Out of the Blue' & 'Heathers'. Noy one for fans of the Brat Pack, though ironically the lead is best known for 'The Breakfast Club' & 'St Elmo's Fire' (what went wrong???)Look out for a cameo from former Monkee Mike Nesmith, who also produced it...

"I blame society..." !!!!!

Anyone reading this review is probably a fan so I wont go into too much detail about what happens, but for those new to the film here is a rundown of the events: The story follows geeky no-hoper Otto, a disenfranchised teen punk in 1980's America who takes a job as a car repossessor because he's broke. He ends up on the trail of a Chevy Malibu along with a host of other irreverent & interesting characters, the very people who give this film it's deadpan humour.

The film is intended to reflect the feeling of loneliness and alienation that a whole generation of Americans suffered under the Reagan administration and it is a complete success. Director Alex Cox uses distant camerawork & large sets, along with bizzare country & Western style music to great effect.

Emilio Estevez is perfect for the role of Otto, he acts with a real flippancy that many actors would struggle with. He is completely believable as the obtrusive and uncaring repo man and he tackles the role with the neccessary lack of enthusiasm. It is Harry Dean Stanton though who steals the show as the bitter and strung out Bud, a time-seved Repo Man who takes Otto under his wing. The supporting cast also add to the experience and provide many a good gag.

The DVD extras are the reason that this doesnt get 5* here. I was dissappointed with what was on offer, but dont let that put you off what is a brilliant film experience.