When I first saw this movie on TV in 1985, I remember feeling freaked out and intimidated by its initially disjointed feel, indy-film quality scenes loosely glued together into a rather amorphous plot, the aggressive characters and Emilio Estevez's performance as a cynical vehicle repossession man. The movie left me feeling hollow and emotionally drained, until I breathed a sigh of relief when the coveted Chevy Malibu finally turned into the fantastic UFO that seemed to underpin the jerky plot.
Watching it for a second time, in 2006, I realise how remarkably contemporary this movie actually is. This can only be accounted for by the fact that it embodies some of the postmodern values that are common in many of today's movies. The characters seem less volatile, Estevez's repo man is an icon of our modern times (disenchanted with his job and with values in general), and the sound-bite interplay between the characters fits into today's mixed-up, muddled-up world.
This leads me to the conclusion that Repo Man isn't as much a cult movie as it was a movie ahead of its time, released 20 years too soon, embodying values that are more relevant to today's society than during it's first release. Only in the 1990's did movies depicting America's seething underbelly of racial and social tension and disaffection hit mainstream cinemas. This could be taken to indicate that Alex Cox recognised a movie-style that had yet to be exploited. It could be argued, of course, that Repo Man was the inspiration for a host of other movies to come, which created the trend we now accept as mainstream.
As with Estevez's protagonist, the individuals who are suffering the repossession of their vehicles are equally cavalier and unconscienable, such as a millionnaire who's missed payments for 6 months running and an elderly African American lady who spins out a sob-story.
It's only downfall, if it could be regarded as such, is the outdated special effects, making Repo Man a prime candidate for a remake with modern effects, but with the same plot, dialogue and action. However, would this go down well with the fans? That remains to be seen.
Watching it for a second time, in 2006, I realise how remarkably contemporary this movie actually is. This can only be accounted for by the fact that it embodies some of the postmodern values that are common in many of today's movies. The characters seem less volatile, Estevez's repo man is an icon of our modern times (disenchanted with his job and with values in general), and the sound-bite interplay between the characters fits into today's mixed-up, muddled-up world.
This leads me to the conclusion that Repo Man isn't as much a cult movie as it was a movie ahead of its time, released 20 years too soon, embodying values that are more relevant to today's society than during it's first release. Only in the 1990's did movies depicting America's seething underbelly of racial and social tension and disaffection hit mainstream cinemas. This could be taken to indicate that Alex Cox recognised a movie-style that had yet to be exploited. It could be argued, of course, that Repo Man was the inspiration for a host of other movies to come, which created the trend we now accept as mainstream.
As with Estevez's protagonist, the individuals who are suffering the repossession of their vehicles are equally cavalier and unconscienable, such as a millionnaire who's missed payments for 6 months running and an elderly African American lady who spins out a sob-story.
It's only downfall, if it could be regarded as such, is the outdated special effects, making Repo Man a prime candidate for a remake with modern effects, but with the same plot, dialogue and action. However, would this go down well with the fans? That remains to be seen.