Repo Man

Sunday, January 5, 2025

Repo Man – Alex Cox – 1984

Why Watch?

It’s after dinner on Sunday evening. Since we have seen all of the movies playing near us, it’s time to watch a movie at home.

I spun the wheel (see previous posts about the wheel game) with the result being Emilio Estevez. I was thrilled. This is the first time we will be watching an Emilio Estevez film. Charlie Sheen was a previous actor on our wheel. We had a great time with him, so I was looking forward to watching some of his brother’s work. I am also anxious to get Martin Sheen on the wheel.

I have not seen Repo Man. I have heard a lot of people referencing this film, so when Emilio came up, I knew right away I wanted to watch it.

Film Specifics

Repo Man was released in the U.S. on March 2, 1984. It was written and directed by Alex Cox. Interestingly, Michael Nesmith was an executive producer. If that name sounds familiar, you might be old. He was a member of The Monkees, a band made for a TV show in the mid 1960’s. I remember watching reruns of The Monkees when I was a kid in the 80’s and 90’s. It is a very fun show. The Monkees also had a bunch of actual hits and are considered a pretty good band. I suggest checking out some of the reruns and some of their tunes.

Repo Man had a very small budget, just around $1.5 million. Cox originally wanted it to be a road movie, but limited the shoot to Los Angeles to save some money. The studio was not sure how the film would be received, so they didn’t do a lot of promotion. It had a lackluster box office, but was critically acclaimed. Repo Man rose to cult classic status over time most likely due to the many times is was shown on television.

Synopsis (No Spoilers)

The movie starts with a Chevy Malibu speeding down a lonely highway through the desert, when a police officer pulls over the car. The officer askes to see inside the trunk. This is a bad decision because whatever is in there, causes the officer to disintegrate, leaving nothing behind except his boots. There is absolutely something alien going on, the audience just doesn’t know what it is.

We then meet our main protagonist, Otto, played by Emilio Estevez, working his job at a supermarket. Otto, a young punk, is quickly fired and our movie is really off and running.

Otto goes home and asks his parents for $1000 dollars they promised him if he finished school. However they are transfixed by a televangelist and say they sent all of the money to the church say they can provide bibles in South America.

Despondent, Otto is walking through a not so nice neighborhood when he is flagged down by Bud, played by Harry Dean Stanton. Bud says he needs Otto to drive his wife’s car because he needs to get to the hospital, his wife was about to give birth. Otto said he would do it, as long as Bud pays him. Bud agrees, and throws Otto the keys. Otto is now unwittingly part of Bud’s repo.

After narrowly escaping the cars owners, Otto follows Bud to the repo yard and accepts a job. Meanwhile, a strange group of people are looking for the Chevy Malibu. They send out a repo request offering a $20,000 reward for anyone who actually procures the car.

Otto meets a lot of fun characters. He not only learns the repo ropes from Bud, but from some other colorful characters. He meets a girl. He almost gets shot. He has run ins with punks, competing repo men, and deadbeats and the people searching for the Malibu.

The film culminates in a big showdown with all of the (surviving) characters and the Chevy Malibu.

The Watch

Shane and I rented this from Fandango.

This film had my attention from the beginning. I drive a Chevy Malibu, so I automatically felt a connection.

The music in this movie is awesome. A lot of fun punk songs are heard throughout. In one scene, Otto is at a bar and the band playing at the bar are The Circle Jerks.

Along with the great music, there are many fun performances here. I especially liked the very odd character of Miller played by Tracy Walter. I remember Walter best from his small part in 1989’s Batman. He is one of the Joker’s henchmen. Of course, Harry Dean Stanton is fantastic as Bud. I also liked Otto’s love interest, played by Olivia Barash.

I’m sure this movie is trying to say something about Reagan era economics and consumerism, but I just found it very entertaining.

Rating

B – Previously I have been ranking the films I watch from 1-10. I felt I needed to change that. I will now be evaluating the films like a teacher, giving a grade from A to F.

Repo Man gets a solid B. I enjoyed the music, the acting and a lot of the writing. You can definitely tell this is a low budget film. It is a bit strange, so if you aren’t much into movies like Big Trouble in Little China or The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, this might not be the movie you should sit down and watch. Overall, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

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I now have an email! If you have questions, or if you would like to request an actor to be put on the wheel, email me. michele@michelesmoviediary.com. Also, if you like what you are reading, please share my blog. Thanks for your support!

FYI, I use my memory, Wikipedia and IMdb for a lot of the facts for this blog. If I am mistaken about any of the details, I truly apologize.