Repo Men

Repo Men

Cast: Jude Law, Forest Whitaker
Director: Miguel Sapochnick
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Rated: MA
Running Time: 111 minutes

Synopsis: In the futuristic action-thriller Repo Men, humans have extended and improved our lives through highly sophisticated and expensive mechanical organs created by a company called The Union. The dark side of these medical breakthroughs is that if you don't pay your bill, The Union sends its highly skilled repo men to take back its property - …with no concern for your comfort or survival.

Release Date: July 22nd, 2010


A Not-So-Different World: Repo Men Begins
While driving in Miami one afternoon in 1997, writer Eric Garcia was reflecting upon the way that we own property in America. "It occurred to me that there's very little that we truly own," he explains. "Even when we say we're a homeowner, few of us actually are. The bank owns my house, and I'm nice enough to continue to pay them or they'll come and take it away. My mind took me from there to the world of health care, which is quickly falling off a precipice, and it wasn't a big stretch to imagine a world where we had to pay for our organs."

Eric Garcia put pen to paper and crafted "The Repossession Mambo," a novel that told of a not-so-distant future in which humans were desperate to stay young, vibrant and, if nothing else, alive. After he shared his manuscript with fellow screenwriter Garrett Lerner, Eric Garcia found that Garrett Lerner liked the story so much he thought it would make an incredible film.

Relying upon Garrett Lerner's television background and ability to structure storylines, the writers crafted the screenplay together. Still, they didn't believe that anyone would make their then comedy into a movie. Explains Garrett Lerner: "The original story was fractured, and it needed structural work to become a movie. But I saw the movie as I read it. The images were so powerful and so funny and fresh. That level of dark comedy was along the lines of Pulp Fiction and Fight Club, but it had its own flavor."

Adds Eric Garcia: "We were able to keep the story very subversive, sick and twisted, but in a fun way. It was never a horror film. The original was always a comedy."

Executive producer Valerie Dean read the script and contacted the writers to develop the project. To do so, Valerie Dean brought in filmmaker Miguel Sapochnik, who had previously worked as a director of shorts and music videos. The writers recognized in Miguel Sapochnik a man who understood their sensibilities, and together they developed the script. Minguel Sapochnik immediately understood Eric Garcia and Garrett Lerner's dark humor and social commentary and helped the writers craft an action-thriller that kept the spirit of their work. "The story stayed with me because it was funny and had darkly comic social commentary," he recalls, "but it didn't hit you over the head with it. Not only that, it was inherently entertaining."

Producer Scott Stuber came on board to develop the project under his shingle, Stuber Pictures, which has a first-look deal with Universal. "I thought his short film, The Dreamer, was terrific and showed real imagination and a strong, specific visual style," says Scott Stuber. "Miguel Sapochnik had been developing the script, and when he first brought it to me, it was clear he had a great vision for the movie." With the financing and filmmakers in place, it was time to bring together a talented cast and build the imagined world of the not-so-distant future.

Hit Men and Refugees: Casting the Action-Thriller
Oscar®-nominated performer Jude Law responded to the screenplay for Repo Men soon after his representative advised that he read it. Law met with Miguel Sapochnik at the very early stages of development. "I was given the script by an agent when it was at a very early stage," says the actor. "Over that year, having met Miguel Sapochnik and loving the originality of the script, I was fortunate enough to be a part of the piece's evolution."

Much like Garret Lerner felt when he first read Eric Garcia's original manuscript, Jude Law admits he was "immediately struck by the originality of the concept. I liked the dark humor mixed with a love story, a buddy movie and satire, and the challenge that juggling all those tones presented to me as an actor."

Miguel Sapochnik, Scott Stuber and the writers were thrilled with Jude Law's enthusiasm to play protagonist Remy, the man who loses his heart but gains a soul. Eric Garcia recalls: "Jude Law was always behind the script. We could have been spinning our wheels for Lord knows how long, but when he signed, we knew it was really happening."

Jude Law describes his character: "I play a guy who's just an upright working bloke doing his job. He's been highly trained and encouraged to kill, but then, like so many ex-military men, he's been cast off not knowing what to do with his skills at the end of a conflict. Remy finds an outlet through The Union, and his bizarre job gives him an epiphany that, ultimately, sends him on the run. What makes him interesting to me is that he's also a little bit of a philosopher and a writer, with an inner voice that's more poetic than he would let on."

Scott Stuber was wowed by Jude Law's dedication to transforming into the conflicted killer. "We wanted someone who could bring darkness to the character of Remy, someone who believes in the nihilism involved in the job that they're doing," he says. "But, ultimately, through the course of the movie, Remy has to find this emotional catharsis, and Jude has that rare ability."

Jude Law became extremely disciplined when it came time to prepare physically and mentally for the role. As well, the shooting schedule required numerous demands on the performer. Not only was he in almost every scene of Repo Men, he found himself in freezing cold weather during the many long night shoots. Coupled with wearing prosthetics while performing multiple physical feats, Law couldn't remember a production that was more taxing. And he didn't miss a beat.

"Jude Law embraced the physical part of the movie without hesitation," Scott Stuber continues. "He worked out extensively and not only trained his body, but also learned complicated fight moves and techniques with a knife. He was 100 percent committed to the film."

When the filmmakers landed Oscar® winner Forest Whitaker to portray the role of Remy's brutish partner and best childhood friend, Jake, they knew that they had scored. While shooting a film in Louisiana, Scott Stuber heard that Forest Whitaker was also filming nearby, and the producer asked to meet with the actor to discuss the project. When Forest Whitaker returned to Los Angeles, he and Scott Stuber met with Miguel Sapochnik, and Forest Whitaker became sold on joining the film.

Reflects Minguel Sapochnik: "I can't imagine anyone other than Forest Whitaker as Jake; he's turned an interesting character into a multilayered and nuanced, lovable psychopath by bringing out a jovial quality that brought Jake to life. He's also given me an amazing experience in the edit room because I could choose the version and, ultimately, the arc of the character; he's provided so much to play with. That comes from his fascinating ability to reinterpret the same moment in each take."

Repo Men's producer agrees. "What's great about Forest Whitaker is that he is a big, imposing guy and can intimidate you with either his size or his look," Scott Stuber adds. "He's got a great, steely gaze. But there's also this big, lovable teddy-bear sweetness to him. Because of these qualities, he is able to makes his character much more interesting."

Forest Whitaker explains his interest in the project: "There are a number of things about this film that appealed to me as an artist. Jake is extroverted and with an acidic wit, which is fun to play; he's also a physical character, and I really enjoy martial arts. But in the end, there is an underlying message about what happens when we don't take care of people and they need to take care of themselves."

Though Remy and Jake are very different men and certainly have individual styles of doing their jobs, there's a buddy dynamic between them that dates back to their childhood and time together in the service. But all bets are off when Remy goes on the run and Jake is assigned to track him down for a lucrative bounty.

Forest Whitaker elaborates on his character and Remy's kinship with Jake: "Jake is a pretty straight-ahead guy in a lot of ways-a good friend and a good partner-but he gets into trouble when he's faced with letting go of the status quo when Remy decides to move on with his life and he quits being a repo man. It's an interesting and odd relationship of a friendship that is so steeped in the past. "There's lot of humor involved in Remy and Jake's relationship and the way they view the world," continues Forest Whitaker. "Miguel Sapochnik found a balance between the dark humor and the action. I don't think the other elements of the film could work without having some of that juxtaposition of humor and real, animalistic aggression."Describing the on-screen chemistry he had with his Union partner, Jude Law reflects: "Often, you're thrown together and people say, 'That's a good pairing,' or 'Those two will look good together,' but you never know until you're there whether it's going to work." In this case, it worked. "On day one it was alchemy; Forest Whitaker and I recognised the chemistry was good from the get-go, and we immediately knew what we had to do as a pair."

Cast to portray the smooth-talking Frank, the manager of Jake and Remy's Union, was actor Liev Schreiber. Offers Miguel Sapochnik of Liev Schreiber's talents: "A lot of things make Liev Schreiber right to play Frank, starting with his amazing voice. He has the perfect salesman voice and the glint in his eye that could make anyone sign on the dotted line. Liev Schreiber's known for playing serious roles and as a great theater actor, but he's also very funny. He's menacing but also hilarious in this role. He was our perfect Frank."

Of being cast in the film, Live Schreiber notes: "I had a suspicion that the filmmakers saw me in Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross, which is all about the cutthroat world of Chicago real estate. The idea of a guy who is only a couple of steps away from a used car salesman running this company that sells people artificial organs to keep them alive was really interesting to me."

The character of the fugitive who agrees to help Remy navigate the world of the artificial-organ damned was a tricky one to cast. Beth had to be a strong woman who is Remy's intellectual and physical equal, as well as believable as his soul mate.

Miguel Sapochnik had seen actress Alice Braga in the Brazilian film Lower City and knew he wanted to meet with her for the part. "Alice Braga is one of the first people I met for the role of Beth, and she was impressive in her desire to understand and build a real character and not get stuck being a damsel in the action man's world," explains the director. "She played a young and very tough prostitute with stoic qualities in Lower City, and I thought that was going to be an important aspect of Beth's character."

Screen tests were done with a diverse group of other actresses, but it was Alice Braga who captivated the filmmakers. Miguel Sapochnik notes, "As soon as Alice Braga came on, there was a palpable chemistry between her and Jude Law that existed even when they didn't say anything. That became a cornerstone in the relationship they developed on screen, where they can just look at each other and the audience feels the connection."

Miguel Sapochnik knew that Alice Braga had a series of difficult chores ahead of her. "Beth is the romantic heart of the movie and has to grasp the audience in very few scenes," he says, "so she had to have a charisma that audiences immediately get invested in. Alice Braga turned out to be the anchor for our film."

Reflecting upon Beth and Remy's relationship, Alice Braga notes: "It's the kind of connection that is instant." The actress also commends Jude Law's talent in helping develop their characters' chemistry: "It's been amazing to work with Jude Law because he's the kind of actor who is both intense and very concentrated. I'm inspired to act with someone who has that power of creation and such an emotional connection with the scene."

Jude Law echoes his co-star's sentiments: "The role of Beth was a hard part to get right, and Alice Braga arrived like a fireball. She just lights up a set every time she walks on it. She's got incredible passion, enthusiasm and energy, and a rare combination of maturity with a natural, wonderful naïveté and youth."

Cast as legendary musician and record producer T-Bone was rapper-turned-actor RZA. Remy encounters T-Bone in his home music studio when he is assigned to repossess T-Bone's artificial heart. As he happens to be a big fan of the artist, Remy is reluctant to reclaim the organ. The filmmakers were also impressed by RZA, as they had been admirers of his since his days in the hip-hop group the Wu-Tang Clan.

With his core cast in place, the director was ready to build and populate his near future. Always self-deprecating, Miguel Sapochnik was keenly aware that he was working with some serious talent and experience, especially with his two repo men, Remy and Jake. "I told myself I better be good and not ask stupid questions," he laughs.

He needn't have worried, as his first dinner meeting with Jude Law and Forest Whitaker turned into something of a guys' night out. "There we were, three grown men standing in a hotel suite, demonstrating fight moves with butter knives. But out of that fun evolved a really interesting moment where I began to see little sparkles of things that they related to, that they understand about each other, and show a childlike excitement that was perfect…because both Remy and Jake have a very childish quality to them."

Jude Law had confidence that Miguel Sapochnik would breeze through creating the technical aspects of the film. Still, he admits, "What's amazed me is his natural ability to work with actors and his calm approach on set, even when we were filming like crazy on a schedule that was insane."

Artiforgs and Synthetic Bodies: Crafting Repossession
Describing the origin of the artificial organs (artiforgs) that are central to the story, Miguel Sapochnik says: "In real life, they were initially developed in response to the growing number of people who were wounded on the battlefield. What we've done is created a world where the technology is taken the next step further, and we've added GPS devices to artiforgs sold by a privatized company. The artiforgs also have cosmetic value."

As his team imagined The Union's merchandise, production designer David Sandefur considered the mechanics of a car as if it were a human body. He began with a pump for the heart and a filter for the liver. "We started with the real shape of a heart, with the correct number of valves and chambers, which was very mechanical and had an anatomical enclosure," he explains. "Then we added some bulbs for fun."

The artiforgs were built by special makeup effects designer Andrew Clement, who used high-impact aluminum-filled epoxy resin that was metallized with a separate layer of chrome surfacing that gave it structure and rigidity. Though ultimately quite happy with his work, Andrew Clement admits that the heart was the toughest organ to build: "It was like building a ship in a bottle because of the tiny motor, valves and chambers that actually open and close and pump blood through, all of which had to fit perfectly together."

Andrew Clement's team also had the task of creating the highly detailed, bloody prosthetic limbs and bodies, from which the artiforgs are removed. This was an area with which Andrew Clement was quite familiar, as he'd spent years working in an emergency room. The prosthetic bodies, or "cart bodies" as Andrew Clement calls them, were silicon life casts of the actors.

Through a variety of mold-making steps, the team created the entire body and used several washes of five to six different colors to give the skin a translucent look. Depending upon how much of the skin surface Miguel Sapochnik and DP Enrique Chediak wanted to show in a scene, creating the body took anywhere from a couple of weeks to a month. The final step was to punch by hand the hairs on the proxy's head, one by one.

The bodies also had to have reinforced cavities that were large enough for the repo men to remove the heavy metal artiforgs. Making the bodies look as realistic as possible was priority number one. Explains Andrew Clement: "When we made a surgery torso, we usually made the organs out of silicon so they reflected light well. We also made plastic bits for the rib cage for an understructure so the skin didn't deform. We had all kinds of tubes coming in from different angles, and we had blood coming in…as well as any kind of bodily liquids that we needed in there.

"We put bladders underneath a lot of the organs so that we had movement inside," continues the designer. "When you look at any surgeries that have been filmed, there's a lot of movement inside the body: the heart is moving, the lungs are breathing and things are shifting around."

Andrew Clement's team used layers of latex to create the bladders (similar to balloons) that were custom formed to fit underneath the organs inside the abdominal coelom and other cavities. To give them a realistic "squishy" feel, guts were created out of soft silicon. As well, the team tested out various densities of material to ensure some organs were firmer than others. The crew used olive oil to give the organs a wet shine, and they even spent a full day testing various consistencies of fake blood to guarantee that it would read realistically on screen.

As gory as the process sounds, Jude Law understood that the attention to detail would only help make the repo men appear more realistic as they carried out their jobs. Says the actor: "On various occasions, we had whole bodies that I was allowed to cut into, with working inner organs that I fished around for, wounds that I sealed and weird joints that were able to come out and go back into small knees, hips, hearts, livers, kidneys…all sorts. The execution of these designs is beautiful. These guys are anatomical artists."

To maximize production time, Andrew Clement's team redressed some of the same body cavities and reused them in several scenes in which the repo men extract organs. Says the designer: "We were able to use the same body cavity as a backdrop and dress it however we needed. We took out organs we didn't need and replaced them with the organ that they were trying to repo. It allowed us to get a close-up shot of somebody's hand working up inside of it and reaching toward the organ that would be repossessed."

Prosthetic versions weren't the only bodies upon which operations occurred. Incorporating the live actors was also a big task with which Andrew Clement's team was involved. For example, during Remy's surgery scene, the crew hid the performer's body by using slant tables, which allowed Jude Law to disappear quickly under the set, while they placed an artificial torso and prosthetic legs on top of the operating table. Andrew Clement and his assistant were also under the dressing, using tubes and pneumatic cylinders to pump the heart, bladders, lungs and blood to make it look as if Remy was actually undergoing surgery. "We had medical techs who were experienced surgeons come in and put in the exact tools that they would need to operate," states Andrew Clement.

Alice Braga's character also goes through surgery. In one of the film's most humorous scenes, Beth has her artificial knee replaced by a young but very experienced child. Explains Andrew Clement: "Alice Braga came in, and we did a whole day of intensive body casting, from head to toe. It's a complete duplicate of her. What we created allowed us to pull the entire knee apart and expose the artiforg inside. We had blood tubes that spurted and leaked blood, and we dressed the knee with tendons that could be cut through."

Though the body casting took eight hours, Alice Braga found the entire process fascinating. "I've never done that before," says the actress. "It was magical, in a way. It was like Disneyland for an actress, discovering how everything was made."

Andrew Clement's crew also developed a new technology to create The Union-symbol tattoos seen on the repo men. Combining dimensional appliances with the technology that makeup artists use to design fake tattoos, the team developed the brand used on the actors' necks. The application of the tattoos that were meant to look like raised, scarred skin took only minutes. They lasted all day and were easily touched up.

Several designs were created with different bar codes that symbolised a repo man's status, and the type of repossession that was performed (either legal or black market). For example, a Level 5 repo man such as Remy has reclaimed a large number of artiforgs. His company-sponsored tattoo showcases five hash marks to indicate that he is at Level 5. A much greener (Level 1) repo man would only have one hash mark on his neck.

Perfecting Martial Arts: Training Killers
As he believed it would inform their performances mentally, Miguel Sapochnik felt that it was crucial that his cast was very prepared physically. He reflects: "The physical training made them feel their strength inherently, without their needing to flaunt it."

Because Jude Law was tackling a very physical role, he moved to Toronto several weeks before production began and took part in an intensive training course that included hours of training at Gym Jones. The trainers behind the bodies in the film 300 put the actor through a punishing four hours of fight training a day, followed by four hours of rehearsal with the director.

Miguel Sapochnik marvels at Jude Law's commitment: "I watched Jude physically transform to a point where it changed the look in his eye, and that can't be manufactured. He discovered something about himself through training that he didn't know before, and he channeled that into his character."

"My trainer and I worked for about a month practicing basic hand-to-hand combat before we started filming," recalls Jude Law. "We also worked with sticks, boxing and basic movement so that I could become very natural using any weapon from a knife or a stick to my fists."

The arduous physical aspects of Repo Men were also what helped attract Forest Whitaker to the role of Jake. An avid student of martial arts, Whitaker provides, "I initially worked with a fight trainer, and then continued the weight training myself for the rest of the film shoot."

Miguel Sapochnik was very involved in the choreography of the fight sequences and combat training. This skill set development began with learning a Filipino style of martial arts, supervised by fight coordinator HIRO KODA, and it evolved into the performers learning a hybrid of knife fighting, karate and kickboxing. Each character developed his or her own style of fighting, with all participants showcasing raw, acrobatic styles.

To prepare for her role, Alice Braga spoke extensively with Miguel Sapochnik about how to showcase her character's fighting style, which stems from surviving on the streets by any means necessary. Says the actress: "Miguel Sapochnik and I chatted about how we would have Beth defend herself. It was important for my entire body to feel as if I could survive by myself without anyone protecting me because Beth doesn't have anyone. That's what makes her strong.

"The trainers were amazing," Alice Braga continues, "Not only did they make us lift weights, but they focused on training my entire body as a unit. The survivor-style training helped me fully develop my character."

Finally, what good would a repo man be without his trusty taser? Forest Whitaker and Jude Law were both trained to use a pistol that fired darts that "electrocuted" the person they hit before they extracted an organ. Sandefur's team built to precise specifications the guns necessary to detect and track artiforgs that were in default.

Look of a Near Future: Design and Visual Effects
Repo Men takes place approximately 20 years from the present in an unidentified North American city. The filmmakers crisscrossed the city of Toronto and used key buildings and soundstages to create the futuristic world. Miguel Sapochnik stresses that this is a world that is deeply immoral and flawed…yet is not that different from how we live today: stressed by war and debt.

The director envisioned the country to be dominated by Asian influence. "Part of the idea was that in the future, China is going to become the dominant power," he offers. "But rather than physically invade us, they will do it economically. So, they likely own and work at The Union."

Production designer Sandefur envisioned Remy and Jake's world as being constantly under construction and influenced by the Asian culture that has economically permeated America. "I thought about Dubai and how the city has something like 30,000 sky cranes functioning at once, and how that seems to be a natural evolution of where we are now," he offers.

While designing the run-down section of the city called the metal graveyard, Sandefur was inspired by Kowloon Walled City, a now defunct urban area in Hong Kong that had high rates of prostitution, drug use and gambling in the period from the 1950s to the '70s.

The Union's factory floor, which also brings the influence of Chinese culture into the film, was shot in a warehouse in Toronto. A green screen was used for set extension to make the space appear massive enough to house countless artiforgs. Explains Sandefur: "I found a warehouse that was approximately 300,000 square feet. We set up a green screen around the central part of it, and we utilised it for its structure above, as well as the columns and the floor."

Adds Miguel Sapochnik: "The deeper they go into The Union, the more and more Chinese it becomes. The scene in the factory floor with the millions of workers is taken directly from Chinese factories and the idea of row after row of people working."

The biggest challenge of creating this world was to keep it authentic and have it emerge naturally. The decision to shoot in Toronto was based on the city's filmmaking infrastructure, as well as a plethora of unique locations that worked to support the story. Many of the places used have never been seen on film before, such as a new terminal at Pearson Airport.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the crew found a suburban neighborhood that reminded it of the cookie-cutter homes in Edward Scissorhands. They used that area for Remy and Carol's home, the place where Remy can no longer simply abide by the rules of picket-fence life.

To draw the fine line between now and the near future, many of the locations needed to be augmented in postproduction with computer-generated effects. For example, the scene in which Jake and Remy cruise downtown was filmed overnight at Dundas Square, Toronto's version of Times Square. Though it's a busy spot, the fairly low skyline was digitally enhanced with additional structures and a monorail.

Creating the visual effects was a lengthy and involved process for Aaron Weintraub and his team from digital studio Mr. X. The scope of their work needed to create the futuristic world exceeded 350 visual effects shots. To accomplish this, a variety of techniques such as environment enhancement were used. It became necessary to design and augment existing locations, such as creating cityscapes and malls with CG buildings, digital matte paintings, jumbotrons and advertising blimps.

A digital set design was used for the factory floor sequence; it required CG set extensions, crowd replication and character animation. As well, an actor's arm was replaced with a CG robotic arm for the sequence in the abandoned freighter. Additionally, the concept design and implementation of the LCD wallpaper in Peter's (Remy's young son) room featured a digital wall treatment that displayed footage of sharks swimming.

"Blood and gore enhancements" were used primarily in the long corridor sequence in which Remy and Beth (toting an arsenal of weapons) fight their way through multiple adversaries. The reclamation room sequence in which Beth inserts her arm into Remy's chest was achieved by a multi-layer compositing of live-action motion control plates and prosthetic elements.

For the tropical island sequence, the filmmakers wanted an area that reminded them of some of the uninhabited beaches in Fiji. They found what they were looking for on a tiny island in the Florida Keys. "We wanted it to look like it was a completely abandoned or deserted island," explains Sandefur.

"There were structures in the background that we were able to remove digitally. It's one of the few places in the Keys that actually looks like it's desolate."

Dressing the Cast: Film Costumes
Costume designer Caroline Harris had the difficult task of creating designs for Repo Men's world of the future. Tricky, because 20 years in the future isn't that far away, and though there are multiple elements of science fiction, it would have been easy to go overboard.

"Miguel Sapochnik is incredibly instinctive and had a clear visual idea of the look he was after," says Caroline Harris. "It's a future world, but one that continues to function as we do now, but with a stronger Chinese influence. It's a world of mass production manufacturing, and it has China's interpretation of what would interest America and Europe."

Caroline Harris and Miguel Sapochnik imagined the idea that people in the future would wear synthetic fabrics such as nylon. And despite the future being somewhat somber, Harris imagined that color would still remain. "We wanted to keep the world bright in order to avoid it being post-apocalyptic, even though there are elements in which it might feel like that. I looked for images in which colors remained, no matter what. I remembered refugees from Kosovo and Serbia, where I worked in the '90s, wearing colors despite the horrors of what had happened there."

Caroline Harris wanted much of the clothing in the film to look worn and old. Believing that it's very difficult to make the color gray look dirty, the designer instead broke down clothing by dying color into pieces and putting the actors in layers. Many of the characters that sought refuge in the metal graveyard were to appear as if they'd been stuck in the same clothing they escaped in, and have been wearing these outfits every day for at least a year.

Ultimately, the costumes created for the repo men vaguely resembled protective gear, and Remy's clothes mirrored his journey. "He starts off as an uptight thug and becomes a badass dude," sums Harris.