Day 162: "Welcome to your world Repo Man."

What a cool movie.  Combine a Phillip K. Dick story with the dystopian future of The Island, throw in a dash of Logan's Run, and you get Repo Men.  In the future, every internal organ and body part except the brain now has an identical mechanical replacement available.  For 19% interest the first year and 24% every year after that.  You get three months grace for late payments, and six days into month four.  After that, the company, called The Union, sends someone to reclaim their property.  Just like your automobile financiers.  The main character, Remy, is a repo man, and with his partner, are very successful at what they do.  An accident causes Remy to need a replacement part, and he has a change of heart (no pun intended by me, but I'm sure that's exactly what the filmmakers had in mind) regarding his line of work, causing him to default on his replacement.  from here the story goes very Phillip K. Dick.  Lots of twists and turns, tons of action, and a surprising amount of gore permeate the plot from this point, and it is a lot of fun to see.  Only a couple of continuity errors ("nitpicky" as my wife calls it) mar the film, but I can, and do, forgive these, as they are not easy to spot unless you're looking for them.

Jude Law, an actor I have liked a lot since seeing his performance in Enemy at the Gates, is Remy.  His transformation from stone cold, surgical killer to sympathetic fugitive is stunning to see.  He becomes the anti-hero that a lot of movies these days try to foist on audiences without giving them a history to attach the role to.  Forest Whitaker, another of Hollywood's underrated talents, is Remy's partner Jake.  The two characters have been friends since grade school, and watching the confusion and pain that Jake goes through during Remy's run makes audiences sympathize with him almost as much as Remy.  Rounding out the top three roles, Liev Schreiber is the corporate baddie-in-a-suit, Frank.  He plays the role fantastically, portraying a man who is never not selling, even to deathbed employees.  Schreiber's role isn't the best of his career, but I would watch him read the ingredients on a box of cereal.

I love being surprised by movies that I originally might have passed on in theaters, and Repo Men is no exception.  A science fiction thriller that doesn't treat the audience like they are all ten years old and delivers a fun, tight, smart action thriller that actually delivers at the end.  Give it a chance, you won't be disappointed.  8.5/10.

See you tomorrow, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!