Repo Men isn’t a bad film. Many have argued it is, but it’s also got a lot going for it. It’s a fun B-movie sci-fi genre exercise that works as an satirical action film with a narcissist at the center of it. In fact, most of the characters are despicable. They’re mean-spirited and you could say the film itself is as well. It revels in the ludicrous violence, but that’s for obvious reasons.
Remy (Jude Law) is a psychopath. A murderer. He has a license to kill. Remy embraces it to the fullest even joking about cutting people open in the night. It’s nice to see a lead who isn’t the “standard” hero. He’s a terrible person and the whole running time he’s put through obstacles that further display this. The violence is over-the-top because that’s how Remy likes and sees it. We see the world through his eyes. The eyes of a delusional crazy person. Law has always been reliable for solid work and here he continues that streak. Law never tries to make you like Remy. He plays it slimy.
The only problem with the character of Remy is his transition of guilt. It feels a bit abrupt and there’s nearly no explanation as to why he has the change of heart (no pun intended). Seeing him whine throughout the second act isn’t nearly as interesting as seeing him do his job and on the run.
It also would’ve been nice if the relationship between Remy and his wife (played by the wonderful, and wasted, Carice van Houten) was further developed. She has the right motives on paper for despising Remy and yet, she comes off as off-putting as Remy. It would’ve been far more interesting if she countered Remy with likability and kindness. This easily would’ve made him even more of a monster and her less of a caricature. It’s a shame to see Houten thrown to the side when there’s a good character screaming to be let out.
Once you get to the second act, the film really hits a roadblock. The relationship involving Alice Braga is a bit unneeded. It probably comes off as so considering they cut out the original background to her character– her character Beth and Remy were once married. The film could’ve followed Remy on a lone mission and it would’ve been far more compelling. On the other hand, if that was the case there wouldn’t be a sexually charged act of violence towards the end (which is truly wonderful).
For a limited budget, Repo Men looks good. It could have used some tighter world building and tighter scripting overall, but with what they had, it’s easy to respect what they got up on-screen. The unrated cut adds a few little details here and there, but not much. There will be an inevitable real director’s cut down the line – an hour was cut out – and that’ll most likely be the superior version. Lets hope that fixes a bit of its issues. Until then, this is a nice little addition to the sci-fi world that will inevitably pick up a cult following and deservedly so.
The transfer is where the blu-ray truly shines. Some of the darker moments are a bit grainy, probably because that’s how it was shot, but overall it’s as slick as it should be. All the colors pop as they should and plenty of the films finer moments look gorgeous. The real downside is the audio and the features. Similar to most Universal releases, the audio is all over-the-place. In the quieter moments, blast your stereo. In the louder ones, turn it down. You find yourself constantly doing that. And the special features are fairly standard. The true highlight are some of the deleted scenes. One or two you wish were edited back in since they feel like missing pieces. Besides that, there’s not much else to speak of.
Movie – 7 out of 10
Video – 8.5 out of10
Audio – 7 out of 10
Special Features – 6.5 out of 10
Bottom Line: If you’re a fan of Repo Men, you may be a bit disappointed with this release. It’ll do for now, but again, there’s an inevitable release down the line that may be worth holding out for.