Repo Man (1984)
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A disillusioned punk rocker becomes entangled in a bizarre conspiracy involving a car that might be carrying extraterrestrial cargo.
The story
In Los Angeles, a young punk rocker named Otto Maddox is fired from his job and left broke. While wandering the streets, he is offered a small sum of money to drive a car out of the neighborhood. After discovering the car is being repossessed, he takes a job with a repossession agency. His life takes a surreal turn when he encounters a woman who claims that a specific Chevrolet Malibu contains dangerous extraterrestrials. Otto soon finds himself caught in a chaotic pursuit of the vehicle, which has become the target of various groups including government agents and UFO enthusiasts.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a policeman is vaporized in the Mojave Desert by a blinding light from a 1964 Chevrolet Malibu, Otto Maddox, a broke punk rocker in L.A., takes a job as a repo man. He meets Leila, who warns him that the Malibu contains radiation-emitting aliens. The car becomes the target of a $20,000 bounty, attracting government agents, the Rodriguez brothers, and a trio of punks. After a series of violent encounters and a shootout that leaves several people dead or wounded, the car is stolen again and begins glowing green. Various factions—including UFO scientists and a televangelist—converge on the Helping Hand lot. The car resists everyone except Miller, an eccentric mechanic who believes in time-traveling aliens. Miller enters the car, beckons Otto to join him, and the vehicle flies into the skyline, catapulting into outer space.
- First release year
- 1984
- Runtime (minutes)
- 92
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; Spanish
- Directors
- Alex Cox
- Writers
- Alex Cox · writer
- Cast and characters
- Harry Dean Stanton; Emilio Estevez · Otto Maddox; Tracey Walter; Olivia Barash; Sy Richardson; Vonetta McGee; Fox Harris; Dick Rude
- Genres
- science fiction; black comedy; satire
- Themes
- consumerism; satire of Reagan administration; Atomic Age
- Tone and mood
- black comedy; surreal
- Premise and plot tags
- punk rock; alien invasion; road movie; satire
- Franchise connections
- Repo Chick
- Content notes
- profanity
- Reception
- The film received widespread acclaim and was considered one of the best films of 1984, eventually gaining a cult following.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 93% · review count: 54; Metacritic · score: 82 · review count: 21
- Awards and nominations
- Saturn Award · Best Supporting Actor · Won; Saturn Award · Best Writing · Nominated; AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs · Nominated · Nominated; AFI's 10 Top 10 · Science Fiction Film · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was originally conceived as a road movie but was reconfigured to take place mostly in Los Angeles to maintain the budget.; The film was voted the eighth-best film set in Los Angeles in the last 25 years by a group of Los Angeles Times writers and editors in 2008.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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