Scott
Adkins is a karate teacher in danger of losing his school to the bank. To make ends meet, he gets a job as a loan
shark for a local kingpin (Vladimir Kulich).
He’s paired up with a perpetually hungover leg-breaker (Louis Mandylor)
and they go around town collecting money.
Along the way, they get into various scuffles, and bond over breaking
bones. Things take a turn when a rival
gangster (Tony Todd) hires them to find the person responsible for ripping him
off.
The
Debt Collector is the third Adkins collaboration with director Jesse V. Johnson
in the past two years. It’s not as
successful as their previous collaborations, Savage Dog or Accident Man, but it’s
an OK attempt to broaden Adkins’ range a bit.
Johnson deserves some credit. Each
of these films have all been different in terms of style and tone. Although this is by far my least favorite of
the three, it’s nice to know he’s capable of creating a variety of nuances
within the genre.
The
film is at its best during the first half, which plays like a gangster version
of Training Day. It’s not quite as
interesting once a semblance of a plot begins to take hold. It’s here where things become a tad
predictable. I liked it better when Adkins
and Mandylor were just cruising around and breaking bones. I could’ve also done without all the
heavy-handed footage of a slaughterhouse that is peppered throughout the
action.
Adkins
gives a solid performance and Mandylor is quite good as the former B movie
actor-turned-loan shark. I just wish the
banter between the two was funnier. The
other attempts at humor are equally hit-and-miss throughout the film.
Since
this is an Adkins/Johnson joint, that means there are plenty of fight scenes to
go around. They aren’t bad for what they
are, but they lack the gory highs of Savage Dog or the humor of Accident Man. Even if The Debt Collector is a tad off the
mark, there’s enough compelling evidence here to suggest I’m more than likely to sit through
the duo’s next collaboration.
AKA: Pay Day.
No comments:
Post a Comment