"Repo Men" starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker drives home the point that the recent passage of health care legislation was imperative. "Repo Men" is almost a precursor of what our world could look like if health care cost continue to sky rocket out of control.
This film is set in the near future where breakthrough medical discoveries has helped make artificial organs available that can be bought on credit to prolong your life. The only catch, they don't tell the customer that if you miss a few payments those organs will be reposessed. A company called the Union created is mass producing expensive mechanical organs they've created that will extend your life but if you miss just a few payments the company sends out a highly trained team of Repo men to take back their equipment with no regard for your life.
Former Soldier Remy (Jude Law) is the best Repo man in the business he and his partner Jake are a force to be reckoned with. This is not a film for the squeemish be prepared to see the bloody, gorey extractions of mechanical organs which could happen to anyone. You get an unsettling feeling watching "Repo men "because the Screenwriter and Director have created this futuristic society where people are running for their lives and hiding because they have essentially defaulted on medical bills that they've encurred trying to stay alive. It's brilliant how the story is presented like it's normal that the world has regressed to such an insensitive and reckless disregard for life. The price of these mechanical life savers includes bank breaking interest charges which makes it a done deal that you will eventually default.
Where this story takes a cruel turn is that Remy (Jude Law) is injured while reposessing a mechanical organ and as a result he's outfited with a top of the line state of the art Heart and finds himself in the same position as the people he's been chasing. Needless to say his heart isn't in the job anymore so he becomes a fugitive. Forest Whitaker (Jake) is a die-hard Repo-man who was born to do this job. Remy however, was considering working in another department on the front end as a salesman. So this causes some conflict between the two boyhood friends. It's action-packed and exciting but it's hard to wrap you're brain around the fact that society would allow this type of Repo work to exist. You get an unsettling throughout the film which makes you think: " I hope we never see a world like this in the future! 
"Repo Men" is an extreme take on the repossession profession and what areas will be covered in the future. Not only will Repomen take back their equipment but you lose your life in the process. It's a frightening concept but captivating to watch.
Universal Pictures
4 Stars****
(R )
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