Los Angeles, the City in Cinema: Repo Man (Alex Cox, 1984)

Punks, drunks, thugs, loners, feds, and aliens - all driving cars, and rarely the flashy kind - populate the 24-hour industrial Los Angeles of Alex Cox's 1984 debut feature, "Repo Man".
The video essays of "Los Angeles, the City in Cinema" examine the variety of Los Angeleses revealed in the films set there, both those new and old, mainstream and obscure, respectable and schlocky, appealing and unappealing - just like the city itself.
For more on "The City in Cinema", "Notebook on Cities and Culture", and "A Los Angeles Primer" visit www.colinmarsha...

[@juliusmorgan2292]

best goddamn film in the yard

[@joshbrekke6374]

This movie, They Live & Terminator ll. Great review. I remember seeing this in the theater. Man how cool, awesome Arcade back then too. Non anymore with actual Arcade cabinet video game machines 😢

[@bowietip2782]

I was Dick Rude.

[@menopassini9348]

You can see Tarantino borrowed from Repo Man for Pulp Fiction. Glowing Car everyone looking for, Glowing briefcase everyone looking for. The two main characters wearing suits for no reason. People getting shot in a by chance/ humorous way. Everyone is an odd ball, screw-up or philosopher. Lots of references to religion. Both Great moivies.

[@robjohnston1433]

The Glowing Trunk is pre-Cox AND Tarantino! It's from silent CLASSIC "Greed" in which guy steals gold, puts in trunk, runs and escapes cops & crooks then ends up in desert -- no water, no food, no NOTHING, except glowing GOLD in the trunk. Basically, his Greed kills him.

[@aaronlane8405]

I agree, even the 'Mexican standoff'' with everyone pointing guns at each other started here.

[@crowleyirlandais]

They are both homages to Kiss Me Deadly surely?

[@commonsense3055]

Repo man's always intense

[@errolwaguespack7196]

Always intense

[@robjohnston1433]

But DON'T bother with a -- decade later -- film called 'Repo Men' with Jude Law. Pretty damn Bad Film!!!

[@luscious_skin_222]

you ever feel as if your mind was starting to erode?

[@RichardCorral]

This and Terminator 2 are my favorite LA movies.

[@johnbonaccorsi5378]

I've long wondered whether there were any whites living in the movie's actual settings in the time in which the movie is set and was made. As a resident of Los Angeles at that time, I had the impression east Los Angeles, which is where the movie seems to play out, was solidly Hispanic by that time. If there were neighborhoods with populations of white suburban punks, like those in the movie, they'd have been in, I don't know, the valley, I'd guess. Unless I'm wrong about that, that underlies the entire film's off-ness, for lack of a better term. I'm reminded of 1980's "Atlantic City," directed by Louis Malle. That movie's one or two minutes that I've seen, in clips, seem to me to have been set not in the real Atlantic City but in a Frenchman's non-American idea of Atlantic City. All its ingenious satire notwithstanding, "Repo Man" seems similarly skewed, as if Alex Cox, as an Englishman, couldn't quite grasp the America he thought he was lampooning.

[@atom_gray]

exceptional and insightful commentary... 🎯

[@kbmrigveda5419]

Falling Down is overlooked?

[@luscious_skin_222]

"hey, wheres your wife?" "oh shoot..... she'll get the bus"

[@waterhead1027]

"She's a rock".

[@paulthompsonx]

Splendid review of a film i've loved since I was a kid.

[@douglasdixon524]

Old Los Angeles, I love it. The old bridges and buildings from the early twentieth century have character.

[@ColeWheeler4Lyfe]

The soundtrack!!!

[@illmsg77]

Doobid-e-doobie-do-say-what-yeah.

[@illmsg77]

@@spjfrat Its that new waver we've all heard so much about

[@myradioon]

Is that some kind of Chevy Citation 4 door hatch back at 1:43 !? Super rare car now. "It's the FIRST Chevy of the Eighties, Chevy Citaaaaaation!!!"

[@PineState77]

It’s an olds cutlass hatchback

[@jackxiao9702]

Seems like this move inspired Kevin Smith and Tarantino

[@destonlee2838]

Well done. I first saw RM in 1984 on a bootleg VHS. It is a cinema masters short course. Cox at his sublime prime, esteves at the primer of his career, all the more interesting because of his brothers shade.regardless, a fine review of a classic film. Bravo.

[@UltimateEnd0]

Was this movie made with time travel?

[@CovenantOfLove]

Love it...thanks

[@aaronlane8405]

This film could not take place anywhere else.

[@napsahtava]

Excellent analysis!

[@PUX420]

guy who made this vid must live in los angeles feels like he loves it even tho he sounds cup of tea

[@paulperry7091]

Only an Englishman living in LA could have made this movie.

[@jennylee9278]

I know it's filmed in LA but isn't the movie set in Los Alamos NM? Remember the map. Edge City caught my attention; i had read a sci fi short story about Edge City.

[@jennylee9278]

@HOLYBANANAS1968 I have a vhs of 'Repo Man. I had a small tv that had a dvd and vhs combined. Dang I wish I still had it. Maybe I'll find another one.

[@jennylee9278]

@HOLYBANANAS1968 I lived really close to a used vid dvd cd store when the vhs market kind of tanked. I got all kinds of classic movies for 50 cents each. I had all my fav gangster movies and watched Casino and Godfather gobs of times. Dang I want my collection back:(

[@jkorshak]

The main titles begin on a road map showing Los Alamos, shifts through New Mexico and Arizona, and ends up west of Needles, just inside California.

[@decimated550]

0:40 the narrator gives the main character's name: "otto maddox". and then says "get it?" what was the pun? what is special about the name otto or maddox?

[@drugstorecow0i]

decimated550 Otto Maddox is supposed to sound like "automatics"

[@decimated550]

drugstorecowboi wow:..thanks

[@KSava]

Stopped 2 seconds in. you sound like you're in a bad way, Colin. Talk to your doctor about TRT. Maybe stop eating so much processed food and go for a sprint and fast 5 days.

[@elwyn5150]

He's being a professional. You are being a jerk.

[@illmsg77]

@@elwyn5150 yeah, what a dick.

[@kbmrigveda5419]

🧍‍♂️ =🪞