Repo Man Reviews

Disclaimer: "Repo Man" is contentious and experimental in terms of exposition, form and tone; one must refrain from expatiating its shortcomings and deviations as this will directly impact the overall experience of its satirical underscoring and unrepentant subversive social commentary. Lacking a tightly written plot in the formal, strictest sense, the film's interrelated activity and consecutive, fluid scenes exist within a cumulative schematic, which is to say that its core values register progressively rather than from the outset. Despite its refusal to adhere to a definitive format or texture, surrender yourself to the characters and their bizarre, wacky interactions without scrutinising its style-over-substance construction and you will be rewarded with a de facto narrative that gloriously emphasises killer dialogue and pulsating visuals over staid, coherent cinematic conventionality. Director Alex Cox's intentions will be obvious to any student of film, but mainstream viewers will only perceive it as being "weird" or "strange", so be wary of its originality beforehand and thus you will hopefully watch it without prejudice.
Critically acclaimed due to its quotable dialogue and expedient, somewhat breakneck pace, "Repo Man" conveys its conceit without narrative depth, presenting its veiled science fiction themes as inferences to agencies, UFOs, aliens and a highly radioactive Chevy Malibu carrying top secret cargo, the vaporising effect of which is indelibly demonstrated whenever the trunk is opened by an unsuspecting cop or punk. Definitely of its time in terms of its inconspicuous exploration of 1980s socioeconomic issues and the hardcore punk movement, "Repo Man" nevertheless remains watchable on that level if one simply applies its themes to the current era. As singular as science fiction action comedies can possibly be, Alex Cox's propulsive cult masterwork captivates from the first frame, operating as an odyssey of sorts within grungy, nihilistic middle-class Los Angeles until it ventures into surrealism and establishes its own idiosyncratic punk identity.