Repo Man (1984)

Been a while since I watched a movie that really let me escape the real world for a bit! But this one did it.

Reminds me of Smokin' Aces - the crazy hitman movie, and They Live. It's out of this world in the best possible way; in a way where it seems like it could still be in it. Up to a point.

It's a sensible kind of crazy. A spontaneous slice of life ride that takes you from the normal to the abnormal, and clues you in along the way. I wonder if the 'drink' was the first marker. What a ride it was after that.

It never gets dull. Never goes too fast either. The final few special effects might not have aged perfectly, and the stairway Uzi scene was a little sloppy, but most of it they do manage impressively well.

I love the character. I love the story. I love how personal it gets, and yet how nobody really stands for anyone. And I blame it on society. Or media. But not like this.

If you were expecting the typical love story with Marlene. If you were expecting a buddy tale. If you were expecting the typical action hero sequence. Or one with a twist to it - where the unexpected ones win. If you were expecting any of those things you were expecting wrong. You were expecting cliché. And if it's one thing I love it's a movie that moves as far from the norm as possible all the while remaining relatable and real, but maybe it's also about the elements. The car. The desert. The dust and grime and timeless type of ride it becomes when over.

The newer Repo Men was a whole other thing. A more mainstream thing. Good too but I wish they somehow went back to the classics as well. Made something like this again. But different. It'd be refreshing to see.

 rated 5/5: friggin awesome

And I had seen this one before! I remembered at the boots and smoke. What an intro. Memorable. The pre-movie credits weren't unwatchable either - a bit surprising considering the age of the film otherwise.