The Minority Report - "Repo Men" (2009)

What can be said about Repo Men? One could say that it is the movie adaptation of the novel The Repossession Mambo, which was penned by Eric Garcia who also wrote “Matchstick Men.” One could also write this movie off as a simple rip off of the fairly unknown, yet inventive, “Repo! The Genetic Opera” One could also take the movie at face value as an action movie staring Jude Law in an interesting, futuristic world that will surprise you with its gritty feel. One thing for sure is that this movie did hold my attention either through its atmosphere, intense gore, or white knuckle action for the full hour and fifty minute running time.

Repo Men is set in a futuristic world where organ failure is a spreading epidemic. Thank goodness that “The Union” exists. This company will loan out artificial organs at ludicrous prices that people must pay, or else hired “Repo Men,” will go out and reclaim the loaned out organ. The story focuses on one “Repo Man,” named Remy (Jude Law) who is the best of the best, until a fateful accident leaves him with a loaned out Union heart. As the story continues Remy cannot afford the payments and is left to run from the company he once worked for, which includes his best friend, Jake (Forest Whitaker). The story begins to take a turn after this point, and it takes some time getting to it, though I find it nice to explore this interesting world and delve into these would be, two dimensional characters.

Even though this movie is definitely not the best ever made I still found it entertaining in a “one-night thrill” sort of way. It will make for a good evening on the couch when you are craving some gritty, no holds, action. This is not for the weak of stomach as some of the scenes are very gory and the amount of blood is copious. I actually enjoyed the use of blood in this movie as it was realistic, not excessive, or too little (well until the end, but that is purposeful).

As far as the story goes I really did enjoy the first half of the movie. It does not happen very often, but this truly is a movie of halves. There is the first half, where the story, action, and dialogue are very tight and realistic; and, the final half, where aforementioned things begin to lose much of what made them good (which may be the intention, or not…I don’t know). The first half was the set up for the story and characters which was actually very entertaining, while the second was more about the action which was not that great, especially after the reveal of the ending, which will leave some with a sour taste in their mouth.

All in all, this entire movie was a strange mixture of cool atmosphere and Jude Law just kicking some ass. Take it for what it is worth. If you are looking for a good movie to quench your thirst for action and need a fresh story and environment this is your fix. For the others, avoid this film. This movie is like watching paint dry, but the paint is from a unique pallet and there are some drops of blood splattered across the canvas.

By V-Dawg

The Minority Report - "Crash" (2005)

“It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something.”
Intertwining plotlines, harrowing life stories, and deep characters all come together in this marvel of a movie. Easily one of my favorite movies, “Crash” echoes within the confines of the mind and resonates within the soul. Telling the stories of a myriad of people from Los Angeles, this movie delves right into the thick of racism, crime, and social injustice. Among the characters are a cop (who has fallen off the line of what is considered respectful and good), a district attorney’s wife (who cannot see all that is around her and refuses to appreciate her life), and a Latin American man (who earns a living fixing many utilities in people’s houses and has a very close relationship with his daughter). Not just a social drama, the movie moves from traumatic moments in the life of one of the characters to playful and comedic discourse between two African-American characters as they proceed through the everyday. Lighthearted comedy and intelligent dialogues are not the only strong suits this movie possesses; it also boasts a number of plot twists, dramatic moments, and a looking glass into the heart of society and the people around you. Even though all the plotlines seem to be taking their own course in the beginning, as the movie progresses, the lives of each of the characters becomes inextricably knit with the others as they all come crashing down.

Apart from plot, the directorial aspect is one of the best that I have witnessed. Some shots represent the atmosphere in which the characters find themselves—when the action takes place in the ghetto or in a run-down house, the camera angles are askew and the shot is gritty and has a handheld feel. When the camera captures a moment in the courts or in a rich family’s house, the shots consist mostly of pans and still angles that evoke a smooth feeling and a calmness that is not present in the outer world. Slow motion and muted scenes were used only when necessary and to a degree that not only made the moments more emotionally packed, but also gave the happening a sense of injustice and dark irony that will make the viewer acknowledge that what is occurring is not deserved.

In the end, though, life keeps moving on. The realization of many things and the choices one makes (how we act, how we react, who we are, etc.) are what will create long-lasting effects in each other’s lives—this is the main message of the movie. People feel like they need to be a part of something; they need to feel that they are alive and that things are happening around them. As a social experiment, this movie gets to the root of the problem; but, it also doesn’t offer any solutions…the world just keeps spinning. Sitting through this movie was definitely not like Watching Paint Dry…

By Kulguy