Story

Ex-soldiers Remy and Jake (Jude Law and Forest Whitaker) work for a company known as “The Union.” The Union is a highly advanced corporation that, in the not too distant future, will be the savior of man-kind. For a cost, of course.

The company is a one of a kind manufacturer of bio-mechanical organs. In the sales department The Union gives hope to those who are in need of vital organs, as well as others who are looking to build a perfect self. Remy’s wife wants him to transfer to the sales department, he is stubborn to do so as he has a dream job in mind. Remy gets to work side by side with his best friend as contracted Repo men for the company. After a small grace period delinquent customers are met with a visit from the two organ harvesters. Remy, to Jake’s dismay, finally decides that his family are worth more to him than the rush of the hunt and agrees to one last job. It’s his favorite recording artist and he wants to deliver the musician’s exit with some dignity and understanding.

During Remy’s visit, a malfunction with his equipment gives him an electrical shock and he wakes up in the hospital with a new improved Union brand heart which he is then forced to sign a transaction contract for. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, Remy sympathizes with the unfortunate people who have met his blade and opts to try and help their rebellion.

Characters

At first glance, Remy seems to have the perfect job, he gets to pal around with his best friend and any uncooperative customers he must deal with get beaten into submission. After the procedure, the kills that have diluted his conscience are erased, making his next contracted kill feel like his first. Running away from the company, he befriends surgical junky, Beth (Alice Braga) on the run and the two plot to take down “The Union” machine at it’s core.

Special Effects / Gore

‘Repo Men’ sports some great comic book style grue throughout. The audience is treated to graphic scenes of organ harvesting, gun-shot wounds, stabbing victims and more. The gore escaltes throughout the film climaxing in what can only be described as ‘the scalpel embrace’.

Final Score

A lot of genre lovers, including myself, wrote off Repo Men as an unoriginal concept that had already been explored in the cult hit “Repo: The Genetic Opera”. Having seen the film, that is an unfair judgment, like saying every vampire movie that post dates the original Nosferatu is unoriginal; a lesson learned.

Repo Men is a great Action/Sci Fi/Horror mish-mash. The action and fight sequences are well shot and the relationship between the two friends makes it feel like a ‘bromance’ comedy that’s gone to Hell. Repo Men stands on it’s own but is weighed down by some of the same pacing issues that hurt the other Repo.