THE prospect of Jude Law coming to take a kidney or two is something that would send most women weak at the knees, but maybe not quite as much in his morally fraught profession in new thriller Repo Men. Set in the near future, the film follows two contemporary 'repo men' who make a living reclaiming artificial organs from people who have fallen behind with their payments for them. Law plays Remy, a high flying collection agent with a wife that's predictably, though somewhat understandably, a bit miffed with her husband's chosen vocation. Remy's best friend and partner on the road is Jake, played by the looming figure of veteran Forest Whitaker trying to be 20 years younger. The pair work for a suitably villainous multinational corporation called the Union and spend their time tasering moms, dads and kids, cutting them open and leaving them for dead depending on how much of a rush they're in to get home in time for American Idol. It would appear that in the near future the world has solved the problem of organic life but is still susceptible to universally conventional clichés, as Remy soon finds himself in a real pickle after unwittingly having to get a new heart and consequently dismays for an hour and a half at how he has become the hunted instead of the hunter. The concept of artificial organs is a smart one which brings with it a number of philosophical issues for exploration, but this is where the film becomes confused and wayward in its direction. It seems as if the director has given up the opportunity to discuss these interesting topics further, instead scratching only the surface of friendship, capitalism and personal responsibility, then feeling like he has to justify the film's 18 certificate by spraying everything in sight with blood and replacing the already flagging dialogue with knife fights. That being said, the soundtrack for the film redeems it to a certain extent. Blending classic soul with the electronic operas of contemporary pop culture it is an auditory joy and fits the overly graphic action scenes to perfection. Repo Men's other redemptive feature is the third figure of its acting spearhead, Liev Schreiber. On a rich vein of form coming off the back of WWII hit Defiance, pestering the X-Men as Sabertooth in Wolverine's Origin movie and about to play mentor to Angelina Jolie in upcoming summer blockbuster Salt, Schreiber plays the head of Union with cool conviction and slick, shrewd humour. Other brief chuckles come in the form of intermittent voice-overs from Remy. However, in aspects of both his narration and acting, Law leaves a lot to be desired. His aural descriptions feel forced and more scripted than they should, not wholly unlike his overly compensating English accent, which is a tad peculiar being as his back story depicts him growing up on east coast America, not in the East End with Oliver Twist. However, you cannot help but feel that Law is perfect for the role, as figuratively it encapsulates him. We hate him for his unbecoming arrogance, yet somehow his cool, charming swagger redeems him no end. Forest Whitaker is a whole other box of kidneys though. He appears to be playing Will Smith playing someone in his twenties. His inadvertent Fresh Prince impersonation is downright peculiar and has to be seen to be believed. In addition to this, the prospect of him being only three on-screen years older than Law is one that stretches the imagination almost as much as, if not further than, the concept of artificial organs and their collection agents itself. At times, Repo Men success in being a heavy handed exemplum of the world's ever increasing struggle with indebtedness, at others it succeeds in being a run-of-the-mill, gory action film with dialogue so stiff it could straight out of a Michael Bay movie. For all its faults there is a subtle, albeit very subtle, charm about Repo Men which keeps you interested from start to finish, it is just a pity that the final third of the film is so atrocious that it pays you back for staying with it by throwing your loyalty in your face and laughing as you curse the fact that you had any ounce of faith in it. See Jude and the gang's new flick on the big screen at your peril. But beware, this is nearly two hours of your life you will not be repossessing any time soon.
Review of Repo Men
