Repo Man (Standard Edition)
review by James S.
Rated R
Running Time: 92 minutes
Starring Emilio Estevez, Harry Dean Stanton
Studio: Universal (DVD release by Anchor Bay)
Directed by Alan Cox
Retail Price: $29.99
Features: Theatrical and video trailers, Commentary
with cast and crew, talent bios
Specs: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, Dolby Digital
English 5.1, Dolby Surround English, THX Approved, English
Captions, Chapter Search
This film was originally released in 1984, near the end
of the punk era. "Repo Man" is a story about Otto (Emilio
Estevez), a post-pubescent suburban punk from LA. After
finding a fellow punk buddy in bed with his gal, he jumps
the punk scene and gets a job as a repo man. Learning the
"Repo Code" from mentor Bud, played by Harry Dean Stanton,
Otto trades his jeans and flannel for square suits befitting
a 1950's private eye. During the course of his work, he
meets Leila (Olivia Barash). Leila works at United Fruitcake
Outlet, a front for a group trying to prove the existence of
aliens (and not the illegal variety). She begs for Otto's
help in finding the aliens, which are in the trunk of a 1964
Chevy Malibu. Leila's group wants the car to prove the
existence of aliens, the feds want the car to continue their
cover-up, and rival repo outfits want the car for its hefty
reward. What ensues is a wacky and wild chase with plenty of
memorable lines and cheesy special effects. You'll either
love it or hate, but if you love it, it will go down as one
of your favorite films.
It's been quite some time since I've seen the theatrical
release of Repo Man. I have an old video tape of it which
has become a garbled mess. I was pleased when the first
scenes appeared on my Sony Wega. The lighting effects came
across in the transfer of the film. The colors were as flat
and natural as I had remember from the original film. I was
expecting a grainy transfer after all these year but found
the picture clear. Repo Man is light on the special effects,
so it won't tax your player. Ultimately, the video quality
has a natural look, one that won't become a benchmark in
your collection.
Never a big budget release, the audio in Repo Man is
understated. The dialogue is lucid, and the soundtrack
underscores the action. Put simply, the film is basic in
presentation as it utilizes naturally occurring sounds
instead of overdone sound effects. The musical score ranges
from barely audible background music to full-fledged
in-your-face statements. I actually heard songs in the movie
I hadn't heard from my taped copy.
Wise to the fact that the special edition of Repo Man
included only a booklet and CD over the standard edition, I
opted for the regular release. I already have the original
soundtrack (on vinyl no less), so I didn't see much sense in
paying 50% more for a leaflet I'd read once.
Despite skimping on the DVD, I found enough in it to
warrant the $20 street price of the movie. The audio
commentary with the crew and cast, including writer/director
Alex Cox, executive producer and former Monkee Michael
Nesmith, casting director Victoria Thomas, and actors Sy
Richardson, Zander Schloss, and Del Zamora had plenty of
chatter. They spoke of interesting stories from the set as
well as off the set. You could tell the cast was enjoying
the reunion of sorts, and hearing about bit characters who
ended up having successful careers in front of or behind the
camera was enjoyable. Did you know they tried to get Dennis
Hopper and Muhammed Ali in the movie?
Character bios of some of the cast are included. Despite
the underground nature of the film, some of the cast went on
to moderately successful careers. The bios, however, were
nothing more than static displays and not too impressive
visually. In addition, the theatrical and video trailers are
a token gesture.
On this one I'm a biased reviewer. I have been looking
for this title to be released for some time. The film is
witty and is one of the few original films to emerge from
the 80s. The punk music in the film sounds as fresh today as
it did nearly twenty years ago. The story breaks down in the
end, but the ending is weird enough to keep you interested.
I'd stick with the cheaper standard edition. The
difference in price between the standard and collector's
edition is actually more than the price of the CD itself. I
simply couldn't find myself paying extra for that plus a
special tin container and booklet. If the collector's
edition contained the television version of the film, which
has substantially different dialogue (due to excessive
language in the original), it would have been a better buy.
 (5/5, NOT included in
final score)
 (4/5)
 (3/5)
 (2/5)
(3/5,
NOT an average)
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