REPO MAN [1984]

AND PEOPLE THINK THAT 80s WERE CRAP

1984, USA

Alex Cox

7 // 10

How long can you keep dead aliens in the boot of the car for? Are the Rodriguez Brothers tough or is it just a sound insurance policy? Is the Repo Man Code something you could see yourself living by? There's only one way to find out!

Oh the 80s... It feels like every second film had Emilio Estavez in it, back then. And those absolutely outrageous cars! There was something else, as well. Films were shot outside, in the real world and not a single computer was used to generate any of the visuals. Okay, I admit, the special effects did suffer a bit, and in the case of Repo Man they must have suffered a lot (of underfunding...), but hey! if you don't have money to feature in your film a decent looking alien, you can always keep it in the boot of a car. Or even four dead aliens, makes no difference to the budget. After all, it's not about what you have in the car, it's about what you're going to do with it. 

Now, that begins to sound stupid, so I'm going to start again.

I've got a backlog of films I came across at some point in the past and left them lying around for so long, I managed to forget why I wanted to watch them in the first place. The sorely missed LoveFilm's Film Quiz (didn't they call it Never Ending Film Quiz by the way? Can't remember now, but I do remember my 12.000 points that went down the drain. Bastards.) was responsible for some of those, but whatever path had let me to getting to watch the Repo Man, oh what a glorious circumstance that must have been! It almost makes me want to say that they simply don't do films like that any more, but they do. And we'll talk about it soon enough. Now, I can't even say exactly why I enjoyed it so much, but it's probably down to a mixture of little things that together make for something that is more than just the sum of its parts. First, it's smart. It doesn't look like it was, but it is. Just think of the scene in which a dying street punk blames the society for making him this way. Yes, it's full of rather blatant caricatures, but they serve as a really accurate and intelligent social commentary. Second, it doesn't take itself too serious, with all the cheap special effects and all the clichés (oh boy, the agents, the tortures and all that!) and yet it remains amusing without slipping into ridiculous. And third... Well, if you don't like Harry Dean Stanton, then you've never loved your mother. And also, apparently it has been voted the 'eight best film set in Los Angeles in the last 25 years'. It's a narrow category, I know (hell, it couldn't possibly even include Blade Runner, since it's not going to be set in Los Angeles until 2019), but it also bears the label of a cult film, which in short, concise words means that you're not likely to have seen it, but it could be a very good idea. If you like that kind of thing, that is.

Should you find all this still not convincing enough, then let me add, that the characters are simply brilliant (the type of flesh-and-blood grittiness you simply never see in the blockbusters) and beautifully played. Yes, it is sci-fi but without pushing it. The aliens in the trunk are additional and the action is taking place very much here and now (well, then and there, if you want to be pedantic), so you don't have to be a geek to enjoy it. And it's genuinely funny. The car chase with the Rodriguez Brothers even if it hadn't me rolling on the floor, it definitely had me laughing. And also, it is a gem, but a small one and it's 30 years old now. It needs care. It needs preserving. It needs remembering. See? It could be a good deed of the day (might not replace your veggies, that one falls under a different scheme though) for which some future generations of cinema lovers will be grateful. What's not to like?

STOP THE PRESS***STOP THE PRESS***STOP THE PRESS***STOP THE PRESS

Incidentally, Alex has just started a Kickstarter campaign to adapt one of the great sci-fi classics, Bill the Galactic Hero. Don't wait, DONATE!

AND ANOTHER UPDATE:

The Kickstarter campaign was successful. The film will be made. I will have a copy. Pretty cool, huh?