Philip K Dick is just one of many successful science fiction novel writers from history. He is possibly the one who has had the most work adapted for the big screen however. The reason? His stories were exciting, compelling, and conveyed timeless messages that are still relevant today. Because of this, there are many who attempt to evoke this spirit in their own science fiction novels. There are always Hollywood producers ready to pounce on such work, in an attempt to replicate the success of a film like Blade Runner. And so it is with Repo Men. An inventive, thought provoking story, set in a futuristic Earth environment, published last year and now being released as a major motion picture…
Jude Law is Remy. Remy is a repo man. He doesn’t repossess homes, cars, or even furniture. He repossesses human organs. In the future, the process for creating artificial organs has been perfected. Much like a car, you can purchase the organ of your choice on credit. But the consequences for not meeting the repayments on your liver, kidney or heart are grave. If you do not pay, the organ will be taken back, with no regard for the well-being of its new owner. And these medical miracles do not come cheap. Remy is one of the best repo men in the business, but when an accident means he ends up with an artificial heart himself, Remy finds himself on the run when he isn’t able to pay for it.
Jude Law is one of those actors that is always around the spotlight, working regularly in big films, but never seems to carry a lead performance. He HAS played lead roles. He played the titular Alfie in the remake of the classic Michael Caine movie. He also played the part of Sky Captain in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. He is best known however for his great supporting roles. He has twice been nominated for Academy Awards for supporting actor, in The Talented Mr Ripley and Cold Mountain. Most recently he has appeared in films like The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and in Guy Ritchie’s hugely successful Sherlock Holmes movie just a few months ago.
Forest Whitaker is Jake, Remy’s former partner. Jake works for The Union, a mega corporation that supplies these man-made human parts. Jake is The Union’s most formidable agent. He must now hunt down Remy, and take back what is no longer his. Whitaker has had a diverse history of roles. He came to prominence with his outstanding performance in Ghost Dog, and was awarded the Oscar for best actor for his role in The Last King of Scotland. The particular brand of martial arts that he learnt for the former role has stood him in good stead in this action picture, and he makes good use of them. Whittaker can be seen now more in TV shows like ER and Brotherhood.
Remy is helped in his escape by ex-wife Beth, played by Alice Braga. She shows him the techniques required to disappear from the system, hiding his identity and avoiding security along the way. Braga is probably best known for her role in the highly acclaimed Cidade de Deus (City of God). The Brazilian’s first big Hollywood role was in 2007’s I Am Legend, opposite Will Smith.
Also present is the fantastic Liev Schreiber (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), who plays Remy’s boss Frank. Remy’s current wife is played by Carice Van Houten (Valkyire), and his son Peter is played by Chandler Canterbury. Canterbury is a rising young star recently seen in Alex Proya’s Knowing, and alongside Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Repo Men is directed by Miuel Sapochnik. Sapochnik is somewhat of an unknown quantity. Aside from a short film in 2000 called The Dreamer, and a TV project involving popstar Louise Redknapp in 2001, he doesn’t have any work on record, and certainly no feature films.
The movie is based on the novel The Repossession Mambo, by writer Eric Garcia. Garcia also wrote the novel Matchstick Men, which was made into the movie of the same name starring Nicholas Cage and Sam Rockwell. He has adapted the screenplay for Repo Men himself, alongside Garrett Lerner. Lerner has recently been a writer for the Fox series House, as well as numerous other TV shows.
The signs aren’t good for Repo Men. With a highly inexperienced director, and a screenplay by two first time feature screenwriters, it could suffer. The lacklustre marketing campaign suggests that the studio doesn’t hold much confidence in the finished product either. The story could be good though. It sounds very much like a spin on Logan’s Run, or Michael Bay’s The Island. The principal cast ARE solid actors, and having a novel as the base of the story suggests the plot should be well fleshed out.
Commercially, Repo Men is a difficult one. Law and Whitaker are good actors who have achieved critical acclaim. They do not however, have a great record of drawing big numbers at the box office. Whitaker is most recently known for television work, and Law has a career of great supporting roles rather than leads. With Alice in Wonderland only a couple of weeks into its run, and Matt Damon’s Green Zone just beginning, there isn’t a lot of room at the box office for a sci-fi action movie with low profile personnel. An opening of more than $5m can be looked at as a big success, though will probably be seen as a disappointment when compared against the movies’ budget.
Hopefully Repo Men can evoke the spirit of a great Philip K Dick style storyline, rather than a mediocre, half hearted sci-fi yarn like last year’s Surrogates.
Repo Men is released in the US next Friday 19th March, and in the UK on 23rd April.
Bazmann – You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/baz_mann
