Released: May 2020
Director: Jesse V. Johnson
Not Rated
Run Time: 97 Minutes
Distributor: Samuel Goldwyn Films
Genre: Action
Cast:
Scott Adkins: French
Louis Mandylor: Sue
Marina Sirtis: Mal Reese
Vladimir Kulich: Tommy
It’s rare to see, but sometimes when you see a movie with a particular director, he/she always tends to cast at least one specific actor in a lot of their movies. For example: Martin Scorsese tends to cast Robert De Niro in a large number of his films. Quentin Tarantino usually casts folks like Samuel L. Jackson. Certain directors attract certain kinds of talent. When it comes to actors like Scott Adkins, there are two directors that he tends to work with a lot: Isaac Florentine and Jesse V. Johnson. Whenever Adkins teams up with either of these guys, you’re almost always guaranteed to see something really entertaining. Jesse V. Johnson, as a director, has put out hit after hit after hit over the past 5 years. I’ve pretty much enjoyed most of his stuff, with the exception of last year’s The Mercenary. Not a fan of that one, but everything else that he’s done has been fantastic. His best film to date was also last year’s Avengement. But the one film that I absolutely got a kick out of was The Debt Collector. Not only did Scott Adkins team up again with Jesse Johnson, but he also starred along Louis Mandylor, making for one of the coolest, funniest, and most entertaining on-screen duos in years. Now, in 2020, they team up again in Debt Collectors.
The film opens as Sue(Louis Mandylor)walks into a bar. After taking a seat, a group of belligerent bar patrons start making trouble. French(Scott Adkins)tries to deal with these people as politely as possible until they start making fun of his accent. After all hell breaks loose, French is fired from his job. Luckily, Sue is there to give the man a job as a debt collector again. As one last job, French and Sue are to head to Las Vegas to collect a debt from one of Sue’s former flames, Mal Reese(Marina Sirtis). As tends to happen in the debt collection business, things get a bit more complicated and French and Sue have to find a way to get out of it alive. Story-wise, the biggest issue facing Debt Collectors was dealing with the ending of the first film. At the end of the first film, Sue and French were not left in the best of places. It’s explained a little bit how they managed to survive, but it seems a little strange. You kind of have to roll with it if you’re going to enjoy the film. Aside from that little….issue, the story here is pretty straight-forward. There aren’t a whole lot of major twists and turns, but there doesn’t really need to be, so long as you understand what’s going on.
At the heart of any good story, you have to have good characters. While most of the side characters in Debt Collectors are semi-interesting, the real focus of the film is on two: Sue and French. Sue is played by Louis Mandylor and French is played by Scott Adkins. I have to tell you, the relationship between these two characters is absolutely unique. There are times when they are antagonistic towards each other, leading to some of the film’s biggest laughs, but other times they actually come across as really good friends. It’s this shifting relationship that makes the whole endeavor work. If the main characters work, the movie works. If it wasn’t for Scott and Louis, these films just wouldn’t be the same. It would be like if Val and Earl from Tremors weren’t played by Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward. It wouldn’t work as well. The chemistry between the characters is phenomenal. I have to say, bringing in Star Trek alumnus Marina Sirtis was a stroke of genius. She gets to play a psychotic ex-girlfriend of Sue’s, and the gravitas that she brings to the role is fantastic, despite the fact that she’s not in the movie a whole lot. Vladimir Kulich, who plays Tommy, also returns as Sue’s boss. He usually tends to play the villain in a lot of movies, but in the Debt Collector films, he’s not the villain, but he’s not a great guy either. Honestly, the main villain of the film is so forgettable, I forgot that there was one. For the most part, the writing and dialogue are spot on with an edge. Thankfully, Scott and Louis are more than up for the task and they nail it. Scott Adkins has improved a huge deal since his days playing an angry Russian.
Debt Collectors, being yet another Scott Adkins and Jesse V. Johnson collaboration, also has the benefit of having Luke LaFontaine as the stunt and action coordinator. The fights are well shot and very well staged. Not only can you see what’s going on, but it really looks like those hits and kicks that Scott delivers and takes hurt. There is a fight between Sue and French that happens later on in the film that is absolutely brutal, yet strangely funny at the same time. I have to say, while Scott definitely brings his physicality to the table, it’s awesome to see Louis Mandylor throw down in a no-holds barred street brawl. Again, credit has to go to Scott and Louis for going all in on this. It’s absolutely wild. A lot of the action scenes are incredibly fun to watch.
If there’s a negative to the entire film, it’s that the pacing can be off from time to time. Some scenes and sections of the film feel like they drag on for a little too long. I think some snips here and there would tighten up the pace a little bit. Aside from that, what we have here is another knock-out punch from Jesse V. Johnson as a director. This guy absolutely knows his stuff and it’s genuinely compelling at times. I really like how he focuses on the characters and not just the action. While the story is somewhat average, it’s bolstered by some really spirited performances by our two main leads and some really rock-solid action and humor. It shouldn’t work as well is it does, but it does work. In anybody else’s hands, I think the film would have fallen on its face. If you’re a fan of Scott Adkins, I would absolutely recommend not just this film, but the first Debt Collector as well.
My Final Recommendation: 9/10