Walking into the theater, I was disappointed that Repo Men wasn’t in 3-D. By the time it was over, I was thankful it wasn’t. It’s quite simply the most gratuitously violent and bloody big-budget film I’ve ever seen. While it has merits in its high production quality and charismatic acting, it’s equally weighed down with flaws and a sense of inauthenticity.
Set in the future where healthcare technology has advanced but automotive technology appears to be the same, best friends played by Jude Law and Forest Whitaker are the best repo men working for The Union. However, these mercenaries don’t repossess cars or houses but repossess life-dependent artificial body organs. When debtors go 90 days past-due on the monthly payments with a 19.5% APR, the repo men break out the scalpels and reclaim the expensive property.
After the spoon-fed, yet stylish set-up, Law’s character suffers a heart attack on the job. He’s swiftly outfitted with The Union’s top-of-the-line cardiac device. Unfortunately, the monthly payments quickly become a burden, and he now has empathy for the down-on-their-luck organ recipients. The obvious outcome is a changing of teams followed by action sequences that mount with intensity.
While there are many worthwhile elements to Repo Men, there are just as many drawbacks. No doubt the allegory to modern life is received and appreciated. One could compare the organs to our current healthcare and financial services industries, where consumers are over-burdened with high payments and insurmountable interest. The theme of trading one’s conscience to The Man for a slightly higher wage, comes through with a dark comedic touch, expertly embodied by Whitaker. Violent repossessions are juxtaposed by soulful song selections, adding a dark comedic effect to the imagery.
Also, the acting really is fine. Law is the charming and witty protagonist, and Whitaker is the loyal but conflicted pal. He’s your best buddy, but he’s part of the problem in maintaining a broken status quo. Supporting performances are all solid—Liev Schreiber as The Union’s suit, Alice Braga as Law’s love interest that aides him in going underground, and Carice van Houten as the life he must leave behind.
Like Inglourious Basterds, the screenwriters use a plot device to find a common enemy, thus allowing the audience to feel justified in indulging in the over-the-top blood bath. “Hey they’re Nazis, we could root for bloody murder against them! Right?” And because it’s so well produced, it’s hard to not immerse oneself in the fantasy violence that isn’t much different than egregious imagery from a Columbine-style shoot-em-up. Despite being a mix of thriller and dark comedy genres, one never gets fully desensitized to the violence, as it finds a way to get bloodier and more testosterone-fueled with each action scene.
Part of the oddness plaguing Repo Men is that its moral center is against big business rip-offs, yet the big-studio script itself is a rip-off from Lionsgate’s indie favorite from 2008, Repo! The Genetic Opera. The plot and story line differ, but the premise of repo-ing organs is a direct lift.
And once that façade of originality is cracked, the film starts to feel like a top-down mixture of all the landmark science-fiction thrillers that have preceded it—The Matrix, Total Recall, Vanilla Sky, as well as others.
Granted, to be mentioned in the same league as those films is itself a complement. If you want two hours of futuristic, violent action in a very slick package, this is your film. Though like its protagonist, this film’s heart is artificial.
[etRating value=“ 2.5”]
Set in the future where healthcare technology has advanced but automotive technology appears to be the same, best friends played by Jude Law and Forest Whitaker are the best repo men working for The Union. However, these mercenaries don’t repossess cars or houses but repossess life-dependent artificial body organs. When debtors go 90 days past-due on the monthly payments with a 19.5% APR, the repo men break out the scalpels and reclaim the expensive property.
After the spoon-fed, yet stylish set-up, Law’s character suffers a heart attack on the job. He’s swiftly outfitted with The Union’s top-of-the-line cardiac device. Unfortunately, the monthly payments quickly become a burden, and he now has empathy for the down-on-their-luck organ recipients. The obvious outcome is a changing of teams followed by action sequences that mount with intensity.
While there are many worthwhile elements to Repo Men, there are just as many drawbacks. No doubt the allegory to modern life is received and appreciated. One could compare the organs to our current healthcare and financial services industries, where consumers are over-burdened with high payments and insurmountable interest. The theme of trading one’s conscience to The Man for a slightly higher wage, comes through with a dark comedic touch, expertly embodied by Whitaker. Violent repossessions are juxtaposed by soulful song selections, adding a dark comedic effect to the imagery.
Also, the acting really is fine. Law is the charming and witty protagonist, and Whitaker is the loyal but conflicted pal. He’s your best buddy, but he’s part of the problem in maintaining a broken status quo. Supporting performances are all solid—Liev Schreiber as The Union’s suit, Alice Braga as Law’s love interest that aides him in going underground, and Carice van Houten as the life he must leave behind.
Like Inglourious Basterds, the screenwriters use a plot device to find a common enemy, thus allowing the audience to feel justified in indulging in the over-the-top blood bath. “Hey they’re Nazis, we could root for bloody murder against them! Right?” And because it’s so well produced, it’s hard to not immerse oneself in the fantasy violence that isn’t much different than egregious imagery from a Columbine-style shoot-em-up. Despite being a mix of thriller and dark comedy genres, one never gets fully desensitized to the violence, as it finds a way to get bloodier and more testosterone-fueled with each action scene.
Part of the oddness plaguing Repo Men is that its moral center is against big business rip-offs, yet the big-studio script itself is a rip-off from Lionsgate’s indie favorite from 2008, Repo! The Genetic Opera. The plot and story line differ, but the premise of repo-ing organs is a direct lift.
And once that façade of originality is cracked, the film starts to feel like a top-down mixture of all the landmark science-fiction thrillers that have preceded it—The Matrix, Total Recall, Vanilla Sky, as well as others.
Granted, to be mentioned in the same league as those films is itself a complement. If you want two hours of futuristic, violent action in a very slick package, this is your film. Though like its protagonist, this film’s heart is artificial.
[etRating value=“ 2.5”]
Friends Read Free