Repo Man (1984)

Director:

Alex Cox

Writer:

Alex Cox (written by)

Release Date:

2 March 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

A repo man is always intense... but only a fool gets killed for a car.

Plot:

Young punk Otto becomes a repo man after helping to steal a car, and stumbles into a world of wackiness as a result.

Plot Keywords:

Repossession | Punk | UFO | Punk Rocker | Police

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Harry Dean Stanton	...	Bud
Emilio Estevez	...	Otto
Tracey Walter	...	Miller
Olivia Barash	...	Leila
Sy Richardson	...	Lite
Susan Barnes	...	Agent Rogersz
Fox Harris	...	J. Frank Parnell
Tom Finnegan	...	Oly
Del Zamora	...	Lagarto
Eddie Velez	...	Napo
Zander Schloss	...	Kevin
Jennifer Balgobin	...	Debbi
Dick Rude	...	Duke
Miguel Sandoval	...	Archie (as Michael Sandoval)
Vonetta McGee	...	Marlene

Also Known As:

El reclamador (Argentina) [es]
Handlarz (Poland) [pl]
I lampsi pou skotonei (Greece) (DVD title) [el]
La mort en prime (France) (video title) [fr]
O Clandestino (Portugal) [pt]
Repo Man (Spain) [es]
Repo Man - A Onda Punk (Brazil) [pt]
Repo Man - il recuperatore (Italy) [it]
Repoman (West Germany) [de]
Zaplenjivac (Serbia) [sr]

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

New Zealand:R | USA:R (Approved No. 27271) | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Australia:R (video rating) | Finland:K-15 (re-rating) (2003) | Finland:K-18 (original rating) | UK:18 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Edge City

Trivia:

Agent Rogersz is supposed to have a cybernetic, metallic arm. Due to the low budget of the film, the producers were unable to come up with a convincing prop arm. Her arm in the film appears to be nothing more than a glove made out of metallic-threaded cloth. The cheap effect confused numerous viewers as to why other characters in the film were so fascinated by her "glove".

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the scene driving over the bridge in the repossessed red Corvette, Lite lights his cigarette twice.

Quotes:

Bud: Repo Man's got all night, every night.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in From Dogma to Dogville: Don't Try This at Home (2006)

Soundtrack:

I Just Want To Satisfy

What an empty life we live!

Watching "Repo Man", one gets a sense of just how empty our modern world is. The movie has disaffected punk Otto Maddox (Emilio Estevez) becoming a repo man, meaning that he repossesses cars of people who missed payments. Through this, he gets to know the wacky punk world even further. But there's one car that may be harder to repossess: not only do various other people want this car, but there's something in the car...

"Repo Man" may be known as a cult movie, but it deserves more recognition than that. Aside from being a window into the early-'80s punk culture, it shows the disintegration of American society. Alex Cox created a real gem here. Estevez is perfect in his role, as are Harry Dean Stanton as a detective, and Tracey Walter as the strange car's driver.