For those acquainted with Darren Lynn Bousman’s Repo! The Genetic Opera, Repo Men is going to sound familiar. In the year 2056, artificial organs are leased to desperate transplant patients. If the recipients fail to make their monthly payments, the titular “repo men” come calling with deadly results.
The opening scene shows how a repossession works. Remy (Jude Law) waits in the luxury apartment of his latest target (why this guy can’t pay for his liver is never explained). When the man comes home, Remy tasers him, cuts him open, retrieves the artificial organ, and leaves him to die.
Remy is employed by “The Union,” where he works with his elementary school bully-turned-buddy Jake (Forest Whitaker). Two of the best in the business, the duo is dispatched by their boss Frank Mercer (Liev Schreiber) to retrieve hearts, lungs, kidneys, livers, joints, eyes, and more. Remy’s biggest problem with the work isn’t all the blood and death, but rather his wife’s (Carice van Houten) inability to deal with it. As a result, Remy is planning on asking for a transfer to the sales department. However, while repossessing the heart of a down-on-his luck musician (rapper RZA) that Remy admires, a malfunctioning defibrillator injures Remy, resulting in his own heart being replaced with an artificial organ.
Unsurprisingly, Remy has a change of heart (excuse the pun), realizing those who can’t pay are people too. Predictably, eventually Remy can’t make the payments for his heart, and he appears on Jake’s repossession list. You can predict the ending (or can you?).
Before this, few saw Jude Law as an action hero, but he proves to be more than capable. According to Wikipedia, he was trained by Hiro Koda, one of the best close-quarter combat choreographers in the business, and it shows. in wide shots, it’s clear Law knows how to use his physicality. Just as adept, Forest Whitaker shines as Jake, recalling the wild-eyed madman that won him an Oscar for The Last King of Scotland in 2006. Both Law and Whitaker make an otherwise middling film worth a look.
Kino Lorber’s 4K, presented in Dolby Vision/HDR is another excellent transfer. Shot on 35mm, the cinematography of Enrique Chediak is sharp, and the colors pop throughout. The image is crisp, offering a nice level of detail. An appropriate level of grain gives the proceedings a filmic appearance. The Dolby Vision/HDR enhances the look of the film, offering a nice sense of depth and contrast. Blacks are inky throughout. There are no scratches or other digital anomalies.
Repo Men offers two different soundtracks: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. the soundtrack offers several different music types, and a plethora of action sequences. The 5.1 replicates it all nicely. Dialogue is clean and clear for the most part, though there are a few brief moments that sound a bit muffled.
English SDH subtitles are included.
The following extras are available:
DISC 1 (Theatrical 4KUHD):
- Audio Commentary by Director Miguel Sapochnik and Writers Eric Garcia and Garrett Lerner
- NEW!! Audio Commentary by Entertainment Journalists/Authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry
DISC 2 (Theatrical BLU-RAY):
- Audio Commentary by Director Miguel Sapochnik and Writers Eric Garcia and Garrett Lerner
- NEW!! Audio Commentary by Entertainment Journalists/Authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry
DISC 3 (Unrated BLU-RAY):
- Audio Commentary by Director Michael Sapochnik and Writers Eric Garcia and Garrett Lerner
- Deleted Scenes
- The Union Commercials
- Inside the Visual Effects
