Review of Repo Men (2010) by Todd A — 22 Mar 2011

The Union is a corporation which manufactures artificial organs. Instead of waiting for a liver or heart transplant, The Union provides it for you but with a cost. Once you have one of these artificial organs, payments have to be made. It's quite simple. If you don't pay for your house, the bank takes it. Same thing with the artificial organs except if you don't pay, the bank won't take your house. Instead, Repo Men are sent out to take back the organs.

Remy and Jake are a dream team of professional Repo Men. They've also known each other since they were kids. Jake once beat the shit out of Remy many years ago and ever since then they childishly horseplay like buddies do. Remy is a father and husband. His wife, Carol, however, doesn't approve of Remy slicing people open. "A Job's a job," he says.

During one barbecue in Remy's backyard, Jake is informed of a man being driven to Remy's home for a job. Meaning Jake has to pull a quick Repo in the back seat of a taxi. Carol discovers this and takes their son away. Remy can already see how much of a toll it's taking on his family because of what he does for a living. So he pulls one last repo before going into sales.

It's a music producer for which Remy admires that becomes his last repo, literally speaking. When using a defibrillator to stop the producer's heart it also knocks out Remy. When he awakes in the hospital, it turns out that he's been given an artificial heart. Now he knows what it feels like to be like the people he repo's.

Just like the people he repo's they can never pay their bill on time. Remy has six days before someone, preferably his buddy Jake, comes to take the merchandise out of his chest. There's some dialogue about a scientist who loved to put cats in boxes and have some kind of chemicals dispersed inside it. If Remy were the cat, he'd claw his way out. So, Remy is going to do the same thing with this artificial organ. FIGHT THE SYSTEM!

The first half is incredible. It sets up a dreary future that is a cross between Blade Runner and Children of Men. Jude Law does a great job, but my highest praise goes to Liev Schreiber has the head of The Union. His role is minor, but felt more effective than any of the other characters. Aside from the film also being darkly funny, it's also extremely violent. As a satire it works really well even if it is very disturbing.

My only negative is that the second half and third half are boring! Especially when the character of Beth enters the picture. Also the ending is a straight rip off from Brazil and Parasomnia and I didn't like that too much.