Because we all agree movies are the only reasonable medium from which we (being responsible citizens) should craft our political opinions, it’s guaranteed Miguel Sapochnik in his mainstream directorial debut, “Repo Men,” will single-handedly end the debate on universal health care. “Repo Men” paints what could be considered a terrifying, yet likely, composite of the Western world without federal health insurance. You know, the one in which The Union, a contemporary super-corporation, exclusively offers artificial organs to the terminally ill for roughly $650,000 apiece. For victims of the recession, The Union also suggests its convenient monthly installment plan, but not without interest rates hovering near 20 percent. And because the federal government has recently declared bankruptcy, The Union is free to repossess any organs with outstanding dues, effectively executing each client who fails to make payment. President Obama, you have my vote.

Released by Universal Pictures Friday (moved from its original April 2 release; most likely a result of Universal’s completely justified uncertainty in the film’s ability to produce), “Repo Men” is a rather standard action/science fiction film that makes a bold attempt at garnering revenue with the ever-so-frustrating R-rating. The plot, with exception to the organ repossession, is generic and riddled with inconsistencies. Based on the 2009 novel “Repossession Mambo,” written by Eric Garcia (who also happened to write the screenplay for the film adaptation, as he did for his novel “Matchstick Men”), “Repo Men” follows the formulaic adventure of Remy (Jude Law, “Sherlock Holmes”), a charismatic and efficient Union repo man who, after suffering a fatal injury on the job, is resurrected with the help of a Union-made artificial heart. Of course, Remy struggles to make payments and finds himself fighting the industry he once thrived in as he’s hunted by friend and former partner Jake (Forrest Whitaker, “Our Family Wedding”) and Union Chief Frank (Liev Schreiber, “Taking Woodstock”).

The direction is solid, but uninspired. It’s a good effort for Sapochnik, as his ability to direct fight scenes (or in the case of “Repo Men,” massacre scenes) oozes developing style and shines above all else in this film (“Repo Men” sports graphic violence aided by CGI blood that makes “Kill Bill: Vol. 2” look civilized). The scenes in which slews of innocent bystanders to which Law lays waste are remarkably visceral and cleverly choreographed. And the climactic final fight, in which Law murders nearly a dozen with nothing more than two small, fixed blades, a hand saw and, of course, his bare hands, is shockingly creative even to the veteran slasher fanatic. Sapochnik makes several attempts at depicting the enormous emotional investment his characters have in the story; however, each effort leaves the viewer in a perpetual state of boredom as he or she awaits the next gory action sequence. He seems to favor the directorial styles of Guy Ritchie, or possibly a more easily digestible Quentin Tarantino, but his inexperience stains the majority of his attempts.

The film survives only by the blessing of the brilliant cast that adds realism to the largely cheesy, exposition-oriented dialogue. Law takes charge as the action anti-hero — even with the looks of a romantic lead — and Whitaker brings a certain urgency and enthusiasm that much of the dialogue lacks. Schreiber, though his appearances are brief, steals the screen with his sordid sentiment guised by his charming smile. The only weak link is actress Alice Braga (“I Am Legend”), a debtor who helps Remy evade The Union’s repo men, who appears absent and confused each time the camera turns in her direction. Slight traces of black comedy flutter in and out in scenes that are performed perfectly, but often feel unsatisfying among the inundate, lifeless writing.

The concept for this script had potential. The film, unfortunately, falls flat on any other level besides beautiful, bloody, unadulterated killing that could make a fan of the R-rated action genre give latitude to the ultimately clich? plot. “Repo Men” attempts to justify the unbelievability of its story with its ending, but it comes across as nothing more than a cheap trick to fool those who were uncertain of the lackluster writing. Law and Schreiber prove, once again, that they can bring life to defunct action scripts, and Whitaker, as always, performs admirably, adding an authentic edge to an otherwise typical action character. “Repo Men” has a nostalgic, ’80s-type feel reminiscent of “The Running Man” with a seemingly misleading excellent cast. It still makes for a fair junk-food movie with kills to qualify it as a guilty pleasure. Unfortunately that qualification will most likely result in nothing more than a participant’s ribbon.

3 stars out of 5.