Repo Man – The Best Car Movie Ever
It’s not a big budget action film nor is it a low brow comedy… ok maybe it is the latter. But as I watched Repo Man (1984) for the 1000th time last night I came to realize how it may be the perfect car lovers film. I understand this is a bold statement – with classic automobile movies and television series such as Cannonball Run, Knight Rider, The Duke of Hazzard, Death Race, Blues Brothers, etc etc… but with Emilio, Harry Dean and a mixture of bad jokes with some grand theft auto it’s really hard to go wrong.
If you haven’t seen Repo Man check your cable schedule – it tends to be on IFC regularly. This 80′s indie flick was produced before the days of Kevin Smith on a shoe-string budget, and features Charlie Sheen’s brother Emilio Estevez as misunderstood punk Otto, an out of work/out of school kid looking for a break. When he helps film legend Harry Dean Stanton repossess a car he is unwillingly swept up into the dangerous, hilarious and confusing world of The Repo Man. Things get even stranger when a 1964 Chevy Malibu warrant starts to circulate around the Repo offices, and it’s worth $20,000! What’s the downside? The FBI, CIA and possibly extra terrestrials are all looking for the car. Oh, and if you open the trunk you may combust due to mass amounts of radiation pouring from it.
Sounds a bit odd, eh? Well, I’ll get to why it may be a great car film – one of the best even! It features an insane variety of American made and foreign cars, including most General Motors makes (Chevy’s, Oldmobiles) and even a Toyota Corolla thrown in for good measure. Repo Man also shows its audience the do’s and don’ts of car theft. Don’t carry a loaded gun, don’t damage the vehicle or any of the items found within – and get to it before the competition does.
The movie is really brought together by director Alex Cox – it’s a classic independent production featuring punk rock music starring The Circle Jerks, Iggy Pop and The Plugz. Gun fights, aliens, car chases and comedy – all pulled together with political/social commentary of the day. It may really be the best car move out there.
Pics from imcdb.com
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