Repo Man
DVD Anchor Bay Entertainment
1984, 92 minutes

review by Shade Rupe

Man, I was just learning that I could bleach my hair with hydrogen peroxide when this flick came out. Same year I saw the Ramones and the Dead Kennedys and P.I.L. all in one week. And nothing has dissipated from my first experience of seeing this film. Iggy Pop's title track still just wallops me right in, and the humor works and works and works.
 

Alex Cox's first feature, produced by ex-Monkee Michael Nesmith, was luckily produced by Universal, and also unluckily dumped by the studio. This was a golden age when the big studios would pick up smaller films, but Repo Man fell through the tarmac. And luckily, it still managed to find an audience. Filled with choice lines and characters, Repo Man is an indelible classic.

Young Otto (Emilio Estevez), fresh from getting fired from his grocery store stocker job, drops in on some punk buddies for a little slam dancing. He needs money and hits up his parents who lie around stoned all day watching religious television, but they've given all their money to the televangelist. Otto inadvertantly gets caught up in a car repossession with Harry Dean Stanton, and after first rejecting them, he likes the money. Soon Otto is dressing in a suit jacket and becoming cocky about repossessing vehicles. 

The repo company gets a fax about a Chevy Malibu, and then the real fun begins. Otto gets hooked up with a kooky UFO nut, and her crew are also looking for the car. In addition, a strange hard woman with a steel hand gets into the mix. Only a few people seem to know that radiation-emitting aliens are in the trunk of the vehicle.

Repo Man is filled with some of the most memorable, repeatable lines ever. The best come from the spacy Miller (Tracey Walter). "The more you drive, the less intelligent you are" is one of the more famous. And that 'plate o' shrimp.'

Anchor Bay has included a lively commentary track featuring director Alex Cox, executive producer Michael Nesmith, casting director Victoria Thomas, and stars Sy Richardson, Zander Schloss and Del Zamora. A theatrical trailer and video trailer are all included.

Keep a look out for those christmas tree air fresheners! "You'll find one in every car."
 

Official Website:

http://www.anchorbayntertainment.com