Repo Man1984
Repo Man (1984)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Repo Man is many things: an alien-invasion film, a punk-rock musical, a send-up of consumerism. One thing it isn't is boring.
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Cast
as Otto
as Bud
as Miller
as Leila
as Lite
as Agent Rogers
as J. Frank Parnell
as Oly
as Lagarto
as Napo
as Kevin
as Debbi
as Duke
as Archie
as Marlene
as Plettschner
as Rev. Larry
as Delilah
as Agent B
as Agent E
as Agent S
as Repo Wife No.4
as Agent T
as Mr. Humphries
as Mrs. Parks
as Miner
as Delilah
as Motorcycle Cop
as Sheriff
as UFO Lady
as Agnet E
as Old Lady
as Otto's Dad
as Otto's Mom
as Peason
as Pakman
as Blond Agent
as Blond Agent
as Blond Agent
as Repo Wife No.2
as Blond Agent
as Repo Wife No.3
as Blond Agent
as Blond Agent
as Soda Jerk
as Blond Agent
as Nurse
as Repo Victim No.1
as Repo Victim's Wife
as Tennis Player
as Harry Pace
as Ms. Magruder
as Carwash Attendant
as Stunt
as Stunt
as Bouncer
as Stunt
as Club Owner
as Stunt
as Stunt
as Tennis Player
as Helicopter Pilot
as Stunt
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Critic Reviews for Repo Man
All Critics (46) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (1) | DVD (15)
Fine, stylish debut from Alex Cox with some great turns from the two leads.
Repo Man has the type of unerring energy that leaves audiences breathless and entertained.
Cox's style is a step beyond camp into a comedy of pure disgust; much of the film is churlishly unpleasant, but there's a core of genuine anger that gives the project an emotional validation lacking in the flabby American comedies of the early 80s.
There are endless things to enjoy, from Robby Müller's crisp camerawork to a superb set of performances, from witty movie parodies to a tremendous punk soundtrack.
Repo Man comes out of left field, has no big stars, didn't cost much, takes chances, dares to be unconventional, is funny, and works. There is a lesson here.
It's very entertaining, and though it's rude in an R-rated way, it has the good taste never to promise more than it can deliver.
Audience Reviews for Repo Man
A shiftless punk kid takes a job as a car repossesor and finds himself among the many ruthless parties searching for a 1964 Chevy Malibu with a mysterious cargo in the trunk. This gritty punk satire has an appealing wackiness, boosted by sharp dialogue and great roguish performances by Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton.
Super Reviewer
This is definitely a product of its time. Alex Cox's debut film is a wild and inventive, albeit messy mix of sci-fi, dark humor, G-Men, and punk rock, and it all revolves around the world of car repossession. Otto is a young down trodden punk who reluctantly gets a job as a repo man, a job he at first scoffs about, but comes to love, mostly due to the quick cash, and the exciting car chases that result, mostly due to the fact that they're an inescapable aspect of the job. All seems to be going fine enouh, but he suddenly gets thrust into a mad cap screwball plot that's such a wacky and convoluted mess that it makes fellow cult classic The Big Lebowski seem normal and mainstream by comparison. The movie is defintiely inventive, and has lots of neat ideas, and, while I can't fault a film in general for trying to be ambitious, I think Cox tried a little too hard and tried to throw too much into the mix with this one. It's all so absurd and weird and really doesn't come together all that great, yet, the film's not boring, and is made better by the performances from Emilio Estevez as Otto, and Harry Dean Stanton as the repo guru Bud. Also, Olivia Barash sticks out as being attractive in a rahter odd way (to me at least). I dunno, it was late at night whe nI watched it, and I was tired, and it seemed like she was more "out there pretty" than "regular pretty". Anyways, this movie's not great, but it's not a full on train wreck either. It's flawed, yet still kinda fun. If you're into films that defintiely aren't predictable, and have an appreciation for punk, then give this a spin.
Super Reviewer
Talk about cult films, this is probably the king of cults, the perfect example of a trashy low grade 80's punk film that incompasses everything from a weird B-movie plot to glorious displays of anarchy. Harry Dean Stanton riding high on his 'Alien' fame still chose to go with this which is curious but shows his respect for director Cox, a true British oddball. The plot is just non sensical really, dead aliens in the trunk of a car that is being driven around by some scientist guy who is slowly going mad from the radiation emitted from the bodies. At the same time Estevez and Stanton are repo men and pinching peoples cars when they hear of this one car and the reward, there isn't really much explanation for backstory here. I love how this film looks with its grimy low budget vibe and harsh street language hehe you gotta love Estevez's look here too, weird kinda clean cut punk thing going on. The film makes little sense and isn't explained in any fashion, it just happens cos it happens basically, director Cox manages to combine an Ed Wood level of sci-fi with a kind of urban punk ghetto gang theme running through it at the same time. The results are not exactly off the wall but gloriously silly, cheap and somewhat eccentric if you will, the whole thing is kinda like a druggie trip. Certainly not mainstream and probably not liked by just as many that do and see it as a cult classic. Very unique yet kinda pointless really, there doesn't appear to be any kind of revelation or moral to the story, it just ends on a very tacky looking bit of sci-fi leaving the rest up to you.
Super Reviewer
Repo Man Quotes
| Miller: | You'll find one in every car. You'll see |
| Duke: | Let's go get sushi and not pay! |
| Agent Rogers: | It happens sometimes, people just explode. Natural causes. |
| Otto Maddox: | (to his mother, which tells him to eat off a plate so he can enjoy the meal more) Couldn't enjoy it any more, Mom. Mm, mm, mmm. |