CULT CLASSICS - Repo Man

I’ve decided to start doing an occasional post on movies that fall into the genre “cult classics” because often times they are artsy, lesser known, yet still incredible films which don’t show up on people’s radars.  I recently re-watched the Alex Cox sci-fi comedy film Repo Man starring Harry Dean Stanton and Emilio Estevez and felt that it was a perfect candidate for my first cult classic.  The film takes places in Los Angeles and centers around Otto (played by Emilio Estevez), a punk rocker who is dissatisfied with his home, his job, and his life.  Disillusioned, he spends most of his time wandering the streets and listening to music.  However, a chance encounter with a repo man named Bud (played by Harry Dean Stanton) pulls young Otto into a new life working for Helping Hand Acceptance Corporation, an auto repossession company.  As the two get into a series of crazy encounters, the most intriguing being the attempted repossession of a car carrying three dead aliens in the trunk, Otto is constantly reminded that “the life of a repo man is always intense”.  With an offbeat humor throughout and underhanded jokes and lines which can be easy to miss, Repo Man is a movie which should be seen more than once.  With all food generically labeled simply as “Beer” or “Cereal” or “Meat” and characters straight out of the early 80’s LA Hardcore scene, the film feels almost dystopian at times but that adds to the coolness factor as you inevitably find yourself asking “what is happening with this movie?” on more than one occasion.  The soundtrack is phenomenal as well with tracks by Iggy Pop, Black Flag, The Plugz, and Suicidal Tendencies just to name a few and was voted one of the best movie soundtracks by Rolling Stone Magazine.  Overall, it’s a cheaply made, DIY style film which feels like it was created by the very people who starred in it, but that is what makes it a cult classic.