| Repo Men
SPOILER Note: This is a review which alludes to spoilers without directly naming them. Be that as it may, if you want to have a virgin experience with this movie (as I did), read this later.
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REPO MEN could've easily been titled WE CAN RIP IT OFF FOR YOU WHOLESALE!. No one whose seen both, this film and the earlier goth musical, REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA can possibly believe that the similarities between the two are entirely coincidental. It was originally titled REPOSESSION MAMBA (Repo/Opera, Repossession/Mambo) which would've made a better title since the movie clearly still thinks that it IS titled REPOSSESSION MAMBO given repeated inclusions of the phrase.
What REPO MEN has in its favor is the fact that it's a good, slick action movie which seems to have been made by someone who used to do music videos (which can be a good thing as is the case here). REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA fans (yes, they are out there, probably lurking at your local HOT TOPIC) will no doubt stew over the fact that an organ repossession is done as a darkly comedic musical scene, but the other 99.9% of the world won't be bothered by that.
The first half hour is dynamite with quirky humor, a solid attempt with balancing future shock dystopia with slice of life reality (like a low rent MINORITY REPORT), some pretty good action scenes and a couple of really good performances from Jude Law and Forest Whitaker. Unfortunately, it makes an ill-advised attempt to become a low-rent CHILDREN OF MEN in the second third which only draws attention to the fact that this movie is far too shallow and silly for that sort of thing. In fact, the long slow attempts to build drama force us to examine just how implausible the plot really is. It worked in the movie that REPO MEN is clearly ripping off given that it was simply used there as an intentionally grotesque, over-the-top excuse for a goth Halloween party of a musical. Since REPO MEN wants to be taken seriously, I find myself wondering why the corporation doesn't simply put a feature in their leased organs that would shut the client down as soon as their time is up. Seems a lot more sensible than training assassins to hunt and risk the obvious embarrassing violence and carnage that ensues. That's what The Tyrell Corporation would've done and it would've made clients signing their lives away on the dotted line a lot easier to swallow.
Fortunately, the ending has an ace or three up its sleeve. Just when REPO MEN seems to be getting dumber and dumber, it remembers to be fun. And just when it remembers to be fun, it finds a way to be just a little bit awesome. It's not as smart as it wants you to think it is, but it's not nearly as dumb as it seems.
Oh, and the soundtrack is so awesome that it could've come out 10 years ago.
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