Every so often it’s fair to just want a simple buddy movie. The dynamic duo formula is used more than enough, because it works. It’s been done with movies like Lethal Weapon, The Other Guys, Rush Hour etc. Something about it is just fascinating to many audiences, particularly among males. It doesn’t have to be an untold story, or philosophical concept that changes people’s lives, it just has to work and be entertaining. In 2018, The Debt Collector came out and though it didn’t really differentiate from most buddy movie formats, the difference here was that they were criminals instead of cops.
The Debt Collector isc a action/comedy, plain and simple. Scott Adkins with is British wit, fits perfectly in with Louis Mandylor as they set aside differences to do the job.
British martial artist and actor Scott Adkins stars in The Debt Collector as ‘French’ along with partner ‘Sue’ played by Australian/Greek Louis Mandylor in a simple and easy to follow plot. French owns a failing dojo in Los Angeles, and he needs the money to keep it going. His partner Alex links him up with mob leader Tommy, who partners him up with Sue to go and collect his debts. French, being the tough guy he is sees no trouble in potentially needing to crack a few skulls for some quick cash, so he decides to take the job. Once meeting up with Sue, they spend the day collecting money, getting into fights, and being shot at in order to collect the money for Tommy. Soon however, they find themselves in a difficult entanglement that’s far more dangerous than either signed up for.
This is an action/comedy, plain and simple. Scott Adkins with is British wit, fits perfectly in with Louis Mandylor as they set aside differences to do the job. Adkins also slays with his martial arts skill, beating up the baddies with ease in very plausibly choreographed fight scenes that have their own mix of action and humour. Mandylor is equally apart of the fun with his tough guy façade and comedic line delivery that keeps things interesting. The camera work is fair, and not over elaborate, with still managing to catch all of the details of the gun fights and hand to hand combat clearly enough for audiences to view without trouble. Jesse V. Johnson also does a well enough with the writing and directing to keep things light, even where the violence and mature content is concerned. Nothing about it is mind blowing, but there’s room in the world of cinema for movies like this, and it did lead to a sequel.
The Debt Collector is streaming on Netflix in select territories and available for online purchase, to anyone who wishes to just sit back and have a good time. No need to think, no need to feel, or over-analyze. Which is good, as often times viewers just don’t have the energy to sit and hang onto every piece of dialogue in search of some code or hidden message. This movie doesn’t pretend to be anything else, other than what it is: A funny action movie with two different characters with the same goal.
