‘For a price, any organ in your body can be replaced. But it can also be repossessed’; enter the repo-men, 2025s answer to debt collectors, but they won’t be taking your TV, or your mum’s favourite glass swan. No, these thuggish legalised killers want to ‘reclaim their property’; and yes, it’s as ominous as it sounds.
‘But wait!’ I hear you cry, ‘aren’t you talking about little-known 2008 release ‘Repo! The Genetic Opera’?’ No. This one happens to be called ‘Repo Men’, but you could be forgiven for making that mistake, as they ARE startlingly similar. Maybe Universal Pictures figured that the cult ‘American Rock Opera’, (based on the original stage show), didn’t appeal to a mainstream audience? Or perhaps they just thought that no one would notice. Whatever the reason, we now have two futuristic bio-tech thrillers to enjoy. Of course there are some differences, (the lack of musical numbers and Paris Hilton are probably the biggest two), and THIS film is based on a book; ‘The Repossession Mambo’ by Eric Garcia to be specific. A creepy, surreal tale of consumerism gone mad, (bad and dangerous), the story focuses on The Union; a company touting the latest genetic enhancements: artificial organs. Naturally the interest rates of these little beauties are through the roof, and if you fall behind with payments, (which is more than likely) ...well, quite frankly, you’re screwed. And the people screwing you over? The Union’s top repo-men and ex-army badass mo-fos, Remy, (Jude Law), and his best friend Jake, (Forest Whitaker). These two are at the top of their game, until a technical malfunction with a defibrillator during a repo job leaves Remy with a shiny new heart and a shiny new debt to pay, (the stingy gits didn’t even give him an employee discount, how’s that for a health plan?). Suddenly work isn’t as easy as it used to be for Remy; turns out when your ticker is ticking down time till your own repossession, killing people isn’t quite as fun. So he decides to go on the run, meeting Beth, an attractive, drug addled, enhancement-addict on the way. Together they discover that the only way to clear their accounts and get off The Union’s radar for good is to destroy the central office. Oh, and to make matters that much more interesting, who have The Union sent after him? Why it’s his best buddy Jake. Naturally.
An interesting twist on the usual ‘renegade employee tries to take down the evil corporation’; this film boasts some good leads. Levi Schreiber oozes sleaze as The Union’s slick, soulless, salesman and it’s nice to see Law out of his comfort zone, playing something other than a ‘cheeky-but-loveable womanizer’. Not that the director lets his sex appeal go to waste; surely only Jude Law can make home surgery erotic?
However, a ridiculously high body count and some rather violent, albeit creative, deaths, leave the viewer wandering if this is just gore for the sake of gore; the bloodshed almost managing to completely override the underlying themes of corruption, obsession, and mislaid trust in what is, effectively, a consumerist society run amuck. In truth, the premise of the film is deeply unsettling, I’m not going to pretend that it wouldn’t be cool to have eyes that change colour with every blink, or ears that you can plug headphones into, but at what cost? In the end it’s really a story of how far Remy is willing to go to save someone he loves and escape the influence of corporate America, and, despite a surprising, if not slightly disappointing ending of what is essentially the futuristic equivalent of ‘and then he woke up’, the film manages to deliver.
Verdict : Clever, ironic commentary on the state of health care, the economy and consumerism in society?.. Or just an excuse to show someone’s head being bashed in with a typewriter, either way it’s worth a watch.
7/10 Cookies.
