Repo Man - Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

"The more you drive, the less intelligent you are."

Making his feature film debut, Alex Cox grapples with that age-old question of whether you can make a movie with an unruly teen punk, a pair of dead aliens in the trunk of a car, and a band of rowdy repo agents, and still be entertaining. In the wildly outlandish Repo Man from 1984, the answer is a conclusive "YES!" And the near-visionary sci-fi fantasy comedy even succeeds in having audiences beg for more — more of the quasi-philosophical jabs at modernity, more of the incisive insights at life's purposeless existence, and more of its zany abandonment for logical and narrative rationality. None of what is seen in this independent low-budget production makes much sense, yet it's satisfying and fulfilling, as if we, too, can fly through the skies of Downtown Los Angeles in a 1964 Chevy Malibu.

The story, which was also conceived by Cox, wrestles with a variety of social themes and satirical absurdities, none of which are necessarily related but all of which somehow function as integral components of the film's overall effect. Tracy Walter's character sums it up nicely in an oddly poignant conversation about random coincidences being part of a cosmic unconsciousness. Oh, and that aliens are in fact creatures from our future traveling into the past, inadvertently causing it and creating a feeling of predestination. It's completely bonkers on the surface, but it's these sorts of surreal, off-the-wall comments that have viewers bursting with laughter while also making them ponder their possibilities. Repo Man is a pointless comedy with a point, a meaningful story about meaninglessness, a nonsensical tale that makes quite a bit of sense. (Well, enough of that, then.)

Walter's lot mechanic, Miller, is having this chat with the agency's newest recruit, Otto (Emilio Estevez), who's really starting to love his latest career choice. The plot mostly centers on the young rebellious teen, providing the film with a dark coming-of-age angle that isn't immediately apparent. Living with his hippie parents who've succumbed to a sense of complacency and televangelism, he's growing disillusioned with the punk-rock lifestyle and surrounded by banality, as seen with the endless placement of generic products. It's absolutely brilliant that the kid finds relief and a strange sort of awakening for life working as a repo man. It's ironic also that the job would invigorate in him the energetic, thrilling, and chaotic ideals punk failed to fulfill.

Serving as Otto's mentor is the always thrilling character actor Harry Dean Stanton. As Bud, a hardened and cynically embittered repo man who initially hired the kid, he offers a brutally realistic view of the world. Going in line with the film's outrageous nature, however, the guy is neither rooted in reality. Yet, much like Miller, the character shares many of his unusual thoughts on modernity with his young apprentice, though some are hilarious contradictions. ("I don't want no commies in my car. No Christians either.") As demeaning, unrewarding and often scorned by most as the job may be, Bud and his team function as the guardians of unsympathetic capitalism, as the crux and necessity of Reagan economics with endless credit masking mountains of disparity.

A mix of offbeat absurdity and quirky observations, Repo Man is a social satire that engages with an unconventionally crass but captivating style rarely seen in films, especially major studio productions. Alex Cox's direction is not particularly noteworthy or standout, but he has his moments that are inspiring and charismatic. Although he continues to make micro-features today, his best years are without doubt the 1980s, following this impressive debut with the punk biopic Sid & Nancy, the wildly-entertaining Spaghetti Western pastiche Straight to Hell and the intentionally anachronistic Walker. Looking back, Repo Man is surely a warning of things to come from Cox's imagination of irrationality, and this eccentric film remains just as incisively intelligent nearly forty years later. (Movie Rating: 4.5/5)

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
This 4K Ultra HD edition of Alex Cox's Repo Man comes courtesy of The Criterion Collection (spine #654), celebrating the film's 40th anniversary. A tripe-layered BD100 disc comfortably sits atop a Region A locked, BD50 disc, and both are housed inside a digipak plastic tray that comes with a side-sliding slipcover. The punk-infused design is intentionally busy and garish with lots of green and original artwork. Also included is a 68-page booklet with more artwork and a wealth of information. It features an insightful essay entitled "A Lattice of Coincidence" by artist, novelist, and culture critic Sam McPheeters and a rather intriguing interview with real-life L.A. repo man Mark Lewis. Also, the book borrows from the Masters of Cinema Blu-ray edition the notes and original drawings personally collected by Alex Cox, along with a reprint of the film's proposal. There are no trailers before being greeted by the standard menu options and an animated screen.

According to the accompanying booklet, this fresh, new HEVC H.265 encode was remastered from the original 35mm camera negatives and approved by Alex Cox. When comparing this Ultra HD release with its Blu-ray predecessor, I can confidently say that this 4K UHD edition will stand as the definitive version of this cult favorite. Presented in Cox's preferred 1.78:1 aspect ratio, the forty-year-old movie arrives with excellent definition in the clothing, cars and architecture of Los Angeles' business district. Although a couple of scenes fall slightly below average, looking a tad soft and blurry, the native 4K transfer is remarkably sharp with distinct, often striking details overall while awash with a thin veil of film grain throughout, giving it an attractive and appreciable film-like quality. 

The Dolby Vision HDR presentation boasts a spot-on contrast and brightness balance showering the action in clean, crisp whites and inky rich blacks, and the nighttime sequences come with dark, velvety shadows and outstanding delineation within the darkest corners of the frame. Specular highlights supply a radiant, realistic glean along the various vehicles and a blooming glow to light sources without washing over the finer details. The rough, gritty and yellow grimy appeal of Robby Müller's photography is more prominent and noticeable — accurate to the filmmaker's aesthetic intentions —  but also enjoys a generous boost in the colors, flaunting deeper, more sumptuous primaries, especially the reds and greens, while the softer pastel hues also look fuller and more animated. Facial complexions appear more accurately rendered with a peachy-rose, sometimes sunburnt tone in the cast and revealing, lifelike textures in the faces. 

In the end, this is an outstanding, first-rate 4K video for the cult sci-fi comedy, marking it as a brilliant and more energetic improvement to previous home video editions. (Dolby Vision HDR Video Rating: 88/100)

Taken from the original 35mm DME magnetic elements, this uncompressed PCM mono soundtrack is the same track featured on the 2013 Blu-ray, and it still holds strong, delivering a rocking design with a great deal of activity that feels immersive, despite being limited to the center channel. As I mentioned in that review, this lossless mix is simply fantastic for this much-beloved cult classic with an exceptional acoustical presence. Imaging manages to feel broad and expansive from beginning to end. Dialogue is crystal-clear and precise while dynamic range is surprisingly extensive, nicely differentiating a variety of loud, screeching noises from the mid-level sounds. There's also an ample amount of mid-bass that's robust for a movie of this vintage with the majority of this deep extension surrounding the Chevy Malibu. It's enough to give the original design a good deal of appreciable weight, especially with all the great music playing in the background, making this a notable and memorable lossless track for fans to enjoy. (Audio Rating: 84/100)

The same set of supplements as the previous Blu-ray release have been ported for this UHD edition, and they are all housed on the accompanying BD disc while the UHD only contains the commentary track

• Audio Commentary with director and writer Alex Cox, executive producer Michael Nesmith, casting director Victoria Thomas, and actors Sy Richardson, Zander Schloss & Del Zamora
• The TV Version (1080i/60, 97 min)
• Repossessed (1080i/60, 26 min)
• The Missing Scenes (1080i/60, 25 min)
• Harry Zen Stanton (1080i/60, 21 min)
• Plate O' Shrimp (HD, 19 min)
• Iggy Pop (HD, 12 min)
• The Secret Truths of Repo Man (HD, 11 min)
• Trailers (HD)

Writer and director Alex Cox made his feature-length debut with Repo Man, a social satire on the banality of modernity starring Harry Dean Stanton and Emilio Estevez. The bizarre sci-fi fantasy comedy blends punk rock, dead aliens, government conspiracies, and repo men in a hilariously weird but incisively clever tale. The Criterion Collection celebrates the film's 40th anniversary with an outstanding, first-rate Dolby Vision HDR presentation and an excellent uncompressed PCM mono track, making it a significant upgrade over previous Blu-ray releases. The same set of supplements is ported over from their previous BD, but this UHD edition is nonetheless a Highly Recommended package and a must-own addition for cult enthusiasts.

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