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Repo Man

Repo Man

List Price: $14.98
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: "C'mon, let's go get a drink..."
Review: Alex Cox's feature film debut, "Repo Man," is an incredibly wild exercise in crisscrossing genres. On one hand, it's the story of a disillusioned young punk (Emilio Estevez) who winds up in the car-repossessing business; on the other hand, it's about aliens from space, weird things in the trunks of cars, Area 51 paranoia, and even consumer disgust. In a way, its blatant and effortless desire to be different makes it to the 1980s what "Fight Club" was to the 90s.

"Repo Man" manages to be hilarious without resorting to immaturity and truthful without being preachy. Cox's filmmaking technique is truly guerilla, with a "pull-out-all-the-stops" style that pays huge dividens in its charming low-budget way. The acting is top-notch (Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton are a duo with chemistry to spare), and the many weird events that conspire keep things unpredictable and interesting.

Which brings me to Anchor Bay's limited edition tin. Being a video company I've known and respected (yes, it sounds lame) for its top-notch remasters of underrated Italian horror/gore films from yesteryear, I was surprised to see them releasing "Repo Man." But I was impressed with the faux-letterbox presentation and the overall package; an amusing booklet with asides from the cast and crew is included, and also the movie's soundtrack (one of the best I've heard). The extras (talent bios, trailers, etc.) are a bit sparse but still impressive. As of this writing I haven't listened to the audio commentaries, but will in the near future.

Even if you don't have a DVD player, "Repo Man" plays out just as well on video. If you're in the mood for a movie from an era when 'Hollywood' wasn't about turning profits and marketing teens and actually took risks, this is for you.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Cult classic
Review: Of all the low-budget films to come out of the Eighties, Repo Man, Alex Cox's dark cult comedy about Eighties urban sprawl and alien paranoia, is one of the better ones. Emilio Estevez stars in one of his earliest roles as Otto Parts, your modern apocalyptic teen up to his armpits in drugs, sex, and parental neglect. He soon finds a way out through Bud (Stanton), an ace repo man, who gives him a job and teaches him the ways of the car repossessing trade. The two wander through the guts of L.A. in search of a '64 Chevy Malibu, priced at 50 thousand dollars, and run into a cast of bizarre street characters: feds, girls in distress, a lobotomized nuclear physicist, and really, really dumb criminals. Estevez gives one of the best performances of his career, honing his acting skills as a punk white boy just in time for his role in Coppola's The Outsiders, released later that year. Cox, who wrote and directed the film, creates a strange but hilarious view of our culture, a brilliant satire on modern society.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Don't Look In the Trunk
Review: A car with an unknown substance, three punks, and a young kid named Otto. This is Repo Man, Sid and Nancy director Alex Cox's debut film starring Emilio Estavaz.

The film starts with Otto, a young suburban punk, who getss fired by his boss for repeadily showing up late for work. With nowhere to go, Otto runs into a cop who asks Otto to help him get his wife to the hospital. He is tricked and finds out that he just helped out a whole department of repo men. This leads him on a fast-paced ride.

While Otto travels and learns the ropes from the other repo men, a man in a 1964 Chevy Malibu is the subject of a nationwide search because of what he possesses in his trunk.

With a full cast of interesting characters and an amazing soundtrack from the likes of Fear, Black Flag, and a theme song by Iggy Pop, this film is one of the most interesting films of the 1980s. Whether it's Sci-Fi, comedy, or road film, it continues to make fans twenty years later.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best, period.
Review: I've watched this thing so many times that my wife now refers to our twice-yearly viewings as Pilgrimages to Repo Man. I went so far as to buy the script, which contains some great lines that didn't make it into the film ("It's all too random to be random"). How this can fail to be anyone's Absolute Favorite Movie is beyond me, but it must require a certain view of the world to appreciate it because most of my friends don't seem to share my enthusiasm. The script is intelligent, funny and profound in a weird sort of way, the casting is perfect, and the whole thing is just one major hoot. There must be at least ten lines from the film that come back to me again and again as I encounter life's absurdities. It's truly amazing what a number of great movies Harry Dean Stanton has been in, and this is HDS at his finest (also get "UFOria" if you don't already own it). This may be a cult classic, but I hate to label it as such because too often "cult classic" seems to me to be synonymous with "low budget, poorly made and unwatchable." This, in contrast, is a superbly well-made movie in which all of the elements come together and the result is a true work of art. One can only be thankful that it is now available on DVD so one no longer has to treat his VHS copy like a Holy Relic.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Modern Classic
Review: This is the classic punk science fiction film of the eighties for which punk auteur Alex Cox will be remembered. Fantastic performances from Emilio Estevez & Harry Dean Stanton, a driving punk soundtrack, wild dialogue and some incredible characters make this a unique and memorable film. I sought out Cox's other works after becoming a fan of this film, and nothing else he's done has come close. It's funny, it's clever and it's original. It's the story of a young punks (Estevez) initiation into the world of car repossession, by the world weary and cynical repo man (Stanton), taking in armed robbery, rival repo men, UFO's and government conspiracy along the way. And somewhere out there is a car with something weird in the boot, and everyone's looking to collect the bounty on it. I'm looking forward to seeing what extras are on the limited collectors version of the DVD.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Most Quotable Movie
Review: Maybe the most quotable movie in history, probably more than any early Hollywood classic, and definitely more than anything in the last fifty years. How else would we know how to call a plate-o-shrimpism?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: "C'mon, let's go get a drink..."
Review: Alex Cox's feature film debut, "Repo Man," is an incredibly wild exercise in crisscrossing genres. On one hand, it's the story of a disillusioned young punk (Emilio Estevez) who winds up in the car-repossessing business; on the other hand, it's about aliens from space, weird things in the trunks of cars, Area 51 paranoia, and even consumer disgust. In a way, its blatant and effortless desire to be different makes it to the 1980s what "Fight Club" was to the 90s.

"Repo Man" manages to be hilarious without resorting to immaturity and truthful without being preachy. Cox's filmmaking technique is truly guerilla, with a "pull-out-all-the-stops" style that pays huge dividens in its charming low-budget way. The acting is top-notch (Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton are a duo with chemistry to spare), and the many weird events that conspire keep things unpredictable and interesting.

Which brings me to Anchor Bay's limited edition tin. Being a video company I've known and respected (yes, it sounds lame) for its top-notch remasters of underrated Italian horror/gore films from yesteryear, I was surprised to see them releasing "Repo Man." But I was impressed with the faux-letterbox presentation and the overall package; an amusing booklet with asides from the cast and crew is included, and also the movie's soundtrack (one of the best I've heard). The extras (talent bios, trailers, etc.) are a bit sparse but still impressive. As of this writing I haven't listened to the audio commentaries, but will in the near future.

Even if you don't have a DVD player, "Repo Man" plays out just as well on video. If you're in the mood for a movie from an era when 'Hollywood' wasn't about turning profits and marketing teens and actually took risks, this is for you.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "What about our relationship!?"
Review: I have to say that this movie was the coolest Emilio Estevez movie ever. I cant think of any of his other movies but this one is plain out awesome. It is one of the most qoutable movies ever. I just love every line of it. It is not as super cleverly written as Quentin Tarantino movies but to me it was just plain awesome. This movie is not for everyone though. Some people may be turned off by the harsh language, themes, and aliens. All three of those made the movie SO much better. The whole alien in the trunk of a car thing was so cool. You never really get to see the aliens kinda like the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. But in this movie you know that it is aliens in the trunk. This movie is whacked out, has a cool soundtrack, awesome dialogue(to my taste), and has one of the most original story lines I ever heard of. B/Cult Classic that is worthy of an A.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Can't think of a title, just see this cult classic
Review: Alex Cox (Sid & Nancy) made his directorial debut with this bombastic, abrasive, satiric, and highly influential film. Repo Man tells the story of disgruntled punk rocker Otto (a young Emilio Estevez) who becomes a repo man under the tutilage of veteran repo man Bud (Harry Dean Stanton). Soon Otto becomes quite good at his job, but a mysterious '64 Chevy Malibu soon becomes sought after by Otto and a some rival repo men when a high priced commission is put on it. What's in the car's trunk will change everything, and I mean everything. One of the key films of the 80's, Repo Man is undoubtadly the best piece of work to come from Alex Cox, and even though it may seem chaotic and even a bit incoherent at times, there is an underlining theme to the film that links to the political uneasiness felt during the 80's. The scorching punk soundtrack features legends like Black Flag, Iggy Pop, and the Suicidal Tendencies; all of which add to the bombastic feel of the film. Universal's recent re-release of Repo Man surprisingly includes the commentary by Cox and various crew members (which was previously only available on Anchor Bay's Limited Edition release of the film which has been out of print) as well as a trailer. This is surprising to me considering every one of Universal's recently re-released films like They Live and Prince of Darkness have no extras at all. All in all, I strongly suggest picking up Repo Man, it's something you won't regret or forget.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Totally Amazing Gonzo Classic
Review: Man, this movie is like everything good about the 80s rolled into one psychedelic cocktail of a movie. It has something for everyone, as long as everyone has a taste for the exotic and unknown. I first saw this film when I was about 14, and damn, was I sold. Just bought the DVD, and I can't watch it enough. Don't even rent it, just buy it, its that good!


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