Repo Man
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Synopsis
A quintessential cult film of the 1980s, Alex Cox’s singular sci-fi comedy stars the always captivating Harry Dean Stanton as a weathered repo man in a desolate Los Angeles, and Emilio Estevez as the nihilistic middle-class punk he takes under his wing. The job becomes more than either of them bargained for when they get involved in repossessing a mysterious—and otherworldly—Chevy Malibu with a hefty reward attached to it. Featuring the ultimate early-eighties LA punk soundtrack, this grungily hilarious odyssey is also a politically trenchant take on President Reagan’s domestic and foreign policies.
Picture 9/10
The Criterion Collection brings Repo Man, Alex Cox’s punk classic, to 4K UHD, presenting the film in Cox’s preferred 1.78:1 aspect ratio on a triple-layer disc. The 2160p/24hz ultra high-definition encode, featuring Dolby Vision, is sourced from a new 4K restoration scanned from the 35mm original camera negative. A standard Blu-ray is also included, which contains all of the video features and a 1080p presentation of the film derived from the older 2K restoration.
The 4K presentation offers a subtle but noticeable upgrade over Criterion’s previous Blu-ray release. The increased resolution and improved compression make a real difference in how the film’s grain structure and finer textures are rendered, particularly in the opening scene, where the threading in the scientist’s sweater stands out. Overall, the grain looks sharper and cleaner, with less noise. While black levels do improve somewhat, I found the range in darker areas still somewhat limited, with some blacks appearing slightly murky—possibly a result of the original photography. The HDR’s wider color range does enhance the visuals, particularly in the reds, which have more pop. The glowing car near the end of the film also benefits from HDR, standing out more vividly against the dark backdrop.
The restoration work is excellent, as expected, though much of this was already evident on the Blu-ray.
It’s not a night-and-day upgrade, but for fans, it’s a nice enhancement. I’d say it’s worth picking up, even if one already owns the Blu-ray (at least during a half-off sale).
Audio 7/10
The film’s monaural audio, presented in lossless PCM (Criterion again choosing not to include the remastered 5.1 surround track present on other releases), has also been restored, and I feel there is a slight improvement in clarity, particularly with the dialogue, which sounds a bit sharper. The music still shines, offering impressive range and depth. Overall, the track also doesn't present any noticeable signs of heavy damage or wear. All around, it sounds great.
Extras 8/10
Since Criterion is porting the Blu-ray from their 2013 edition, all content from that disc has been carried over to this release. The standout is probably still the audio commentary from the 2000 Anchor Bay edition, which appears on both the 4K disc and the Blu-ray. The track features director Alex Cox, producer Michael Nesmith, casting director Victoria Thomas, actor Sy Richardson, and musicians/actors Zander Schloss and Del Zamora, all recorded together. It's an entertaining and funny recollection of the film's development, packed with fascinating insights into the making of the movie, its humor and satire, the punk scene, and various stories about working with the cast, particularly Tracey Walter. I hadn’t revisited this commentary since first hearing it on the Anchor Bay DVD, but I'm happy to report it’s still as fun and engaging as I remember. For any fan of the film who hasn't heard it yet (though I imagine most have), it's absolutely worth your time.
The remaining features are found on the Blu-ray, starting with Plate O’ Shrimp, featuring interviews with actors Dick Rude, Olivia Barash, and Miguel Sandoval, as well as musician Keith Morris. While there is some discussion about the film's development (including Rude’s disappointment that the role of Otto went to Emilio Estevez instead of him), this 19-minute segment focuses more on the film’s representation of punk culture, the soundtrack, and its surprising success, which ultimately helped save the movie. Criterion also adds a new interview with Iggy Pop, who reflects on his involvement with the film and the creation of the title track, all in his own quirky way. It’s clear the interview has been edited down, as Pop likely rambled a bit, but it’s still an excellent feature that focuses on the film’s music—a welcome addition since previous editions lacked this.
Repossessed, carried over from Universal’s 2006 DVD, is a 25-minute roundtable with Cox and producers Peter McCarthy and Jonathan Wacks, where they discuss how Michael Nesmith got involved and how they piqued Universal’s interest in the project. They also recall the sacrifices made (or, thankfully, avoided) to get the film produced. The feature includes quick interviews with Dick Rude, Sy Richardson, and Del Zamora, who weigh in on some of the group's anecdotes. They touch on how difficult it would be to make Repo Man today, the idea of a sequel, and the original ending, which was ultimately changed by studio pressure. Though there's some overlap, it’s still an enjoyable and informative addition.
Next is Harry Zen Stanton, a 21-minute interview with actor Harry Dean Stanton, carried over from the Universal DVD. Despite having little to do with Repo Man, this philosophical interview proves to be the most fascinating feature on the disc. Stanton and the interviewer discuss everything from his filmography to Marlon Brando, fate, and Stanton's belief that everything is pre-determined. They even get into a mild argument about the Iraq war before ending by singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" together. One highlight is Stanton’s indignant reaction when the interviewer compares him to Pat Robertson: “That idiot?!” It’s an oddly captivating and honest interview, and I’m surprised something this raw was included on a studio DVD.
Also returning from the Universal DVD is the wonderfully bizarre The Missing Scenes, a 25-minute feature dedicated to alternate, deleted, and extended scenes. Cox and company discuss the never-filmed alternate ending, and then Cox joins Sam Cohen, inventor of the neutron bomb, to watch a number of deleted scenes. The two debate whether each scene deserved to be cut, with Cohen occasionally disagreeing with the decision. The quality of the scenes varies, with some presented in decent-looking digital and others looking like they came from a low-grade VHS source. While the content is fun to watch, I found the quirky presentation of the scenes more entertaining than the scenes themselves.
Finally, there’s The TV Version, which Cox himself edited. This version eliminates all swearing (replacing certain phrases with bizarre but hilarious alternatives), drug use, sexual references, and violence, while also inserting commercial break markers. Most interestingly, Cox reinserts some deleted scenes, making the TV version longer than the theatrical cut by about five minutes. Since this was intended for broadcast, it seems to have been sourced from a tape, resulting in lower quality. It’s also presented in standard TV format, but it’s a fascinating inclusion for fans who still have yet to see it. It’s funny and entertaining in its own right.
The disc wraps up with a couple of trailers.
Criterion also includes the 68-page booklet from the 2013 edition (now with thinner paper stock). It opens with an essay by Sam McPheeters and includes Alex Cox’s detailed "illustrated essay" on the making of the film, The Repo Code, initially written for the Masters of Cinema Blu-ray edition. Cox extensively details the film’s development, sharing everything from comic strips he drew as a young artist to script notes, budgets, and more. The booklet also includes a reprinted interview with Cox, Rude, and Mark Lewis, a real-life repo man who heavily influenced the film. It’s a fantastic companion piece, beautifully assembled and true to the movie's spirit.
While it’s a little disappointing that Criterion relies heavily on previously produced content, offering only a few new features, this is still one of the most comprehensive editions of Repo Man available—and there have been many!
Closing
Criterion's 4K release of Repo Man delivers a sharper-looking image and remains one of the most comprehensive editions for fans of the film, despite relying on older content.
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