Repo Man (1984)
Universal DVD (region 2, 4)
d. Alex Cox; pr. Peter McCarthy, Jonathan Wacks; scr. Alex Cox; ph. Robby Muller; m. Steve Hufsteter, Tito Larriva; ed. Dennis Dolan; cast. Emilio Estevez, Harry Dean Stanton, Tracey Walter, Susan Barnes, Olivia Barash, Sy Richardson (92 mins)
As a movement, punk originated in the UK, but soon started to cross over to the USA. By the late 1970s, English moviemakers had launched the anarchic punk aesthetic into theatres with such notable films as The Great Rock ‘n Roll Swindle and Jubilee. In American cinema, however, punk survived as an underground movement, rarely making its way into feature film, remaining enshrouded in the phenomenon known as “cult”. The rare underground movie did surface, such as Liquid Sky (although that was perhaps more a forerunner of the heroin chic movement), but such examples were so “different” and provocative that they remained avant-garde efforts, playing midnight movie houses and art-houses. The situation was to change somewhat when a young English director, Alex Cox, came to America to study and then make a number of films, the critical and cult success of which finally brought American punk to the attention of film critics. Cox’s first two films in particular were considered a uniquely promising career foundation. Repo Man and Sid and Nancy (a biography of Sid Vicious of punk band The Sex Pistols) made Alex Cox a figure to reckon with. While Sid and Nancy appealed most to international critics, Repo Man embraced the punk ethos as a new, revisionist approach to American film genres. The result was startling, even if by the time of the film’s release the punk movement had lost its spontaneity.
Repo Man begins in the desert. A car is pulled over by a traffic cop who opens the trunk, is illuminated by a mysterious glow and is then instantly evaporated, leaving only his smoking boots behind on the road. The car and its goofball occupant venture off down the highway once again. The film then tells the story of a young punk (Emilio Estevez), out of work and seemingly out of prospects, his few friends being similar anarchic, nihilistic dropouts. Estevez seems to want more, however. By accident he assists a man (Harry Dean Stanton) transport a car, learning later that Stanton is a repo man, earning a living repossessing cars whose owners have not kept up their payments. It is dangerous and intense work. Although initially thinking these repo men to be little better than car thieves, Estevez joins their outfit, learning the repo man’s code and even his philosophy from Stanton. He learns also that they are in constant conflict with a rival firm. Pressure from his punk friends is also kept up, and Estevez meets a girl who apparently works for an organization investigating alien presences on Earth. About this time an alert is issued for any repo man to pick up a certain car – the same car seen at the opening. Soon, many people are after the car, but Estevez sees it and begins to chase it, even talking to the strange man driving it. Curiosity about the trunk deepens and Estevez may be destined to open it. read more