Hot Soundtrack Alert: 'Repo Men'

I'm not going to call anyone out by name (that's next sentence), but for many movies, the soundtrack functions more like a quick cash-grab afterthought than an integral piece in the cohesive whole of the film. For every film like 'The Dark Knight,' whose eerie, ominous score by Hans Zimmer perfectly complemented Christopher Nolan's tone, there's 'Watchmen,' whose soundtrack included classic, yet ubiquitous and obvious choices like Dylan's 'Times They Are A-Changin'' and Hendrix's version of 'All Along The Watchtower.' Don't get me wrong: I love Bobby D and Jimi as much as anyone, but in the context of the film, it felt lazy and haphazardly thrown together.

So it was with more than slight trepidation that we checked out the soundtrack to 'Repo Men,' Miguel Sapochnik's new sci-fi film about men who repossess organs from those who can't pay the bills (Not related to Alex Cox's 1984 cult classic 'Repo Man,' whose punk- and hardcore-filled soundtrack is a classic, but I digress.) And damn if it isn't one of the best compilations we've heard in a while.

Opening with the Latin mambo swing of Rosemary Clooney's 1960 cover of 'Sway,' the soundtrack deftly genre-hops from reggae (Toots and the Maytals' '54-46 Was My Number') to hip-hop (The Prodigy remix of Method Man's 'Release Yo Delf') to fractured bluesy singer-songwriter (Beck's 'Nausea') to torch jazz (Nina Simone's 'Feeling Good'), eschewing the obvious (with the exception of Moloko's 'Sing it Back,' heard in every Starbucks, lounge and cafe for the past 10 years) for underrated but equally brilliant selections.



While most of the soundtrack contains previously released material, Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) does his best Bowie impression on 'Love Lines,' a dark, crescendoing piece of orchestral rock that David Lynch could've put on the 'Lost Highway' soundtrack. Elsewhere, RZA tweaks William Bell's 'Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday' (also found on the soundtrack), retaining the original's soulful vibe (Sapochnik and star Jude Law are both admitted Stax Records fans) but adding his unique hip-hop interpretation to the mix.

So cheers to Sapochnik and the Music Supervisor of 'Repo Men.' Sure, your movie may only have a 22% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but you re-introduced some forgotten classics to the conversation. Keep your heads up, guys.

Full Track Listing:
1. 'Sway' - Rosemary Clooney
2. 'Release Yo' Delf' - Method Man (Prodigy Remix)
3. '54-46 Was My Number' - Toots and the Maytals
4. 'Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday' - William Bell
5. 'Feeling Good' - Nina Simone
6. 'Sing It Back' - Moloko
7. 'Nausea' - Beck
8. 'Burn My Shadow' - UNKLE
9. 'Love Lines' - Dave Stewart
10. 'Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday' - William Bell (RZA Remix)
11. 'Dream A Little Dream Of Me' - The Mama And The Papas
12. 'Repo Mambo' - Marco Beltrami