The Debt Collector (1999)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Anthony Neilson

Writer:

Anthony Neilson (writer)

Release Date:

25 June 1999 (UK)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Plot:

Mean, gritty, dirty and low and that's just the Policeman Gary Keltie (Ken Stott) out for retribution...

Plot Keywords:

Violence | Jukebox | Press Conference | Car | Scotland

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Billy Connolly	...	Nickie Dryden
Ken Stott	...	Gary Keltie
Francesca Annis	...	Val Dryden
Iain Robertson	...	Flipper
Annette Crosbie	...	Lana
Alastair Galbraith	...	Colquhoun
Shauna Macdonald	...	Catriona (as Shauna MacDonald)
Sandy Neilson	...	Duncan
Julie Wilson Nimmo	...	Young Girl (as Julie Wilson-Nimmo)
Alan Francis	...	Young man
James Thomson	...	Jobbie
Stephen Duguid	...	Kev (as Steven Duguid)
Matt Costello	...	Policeman (as Matt Costelloe)
Stuart Sinclair Blyth	...	Policeman (as Stuart Blyth)
Gordon Orr	...	Scott

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-15 (TV rating) (self applied) | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK

Company:

Channel Four Films

Trivia:

As a condition of funding from the Glasgow Film Fund, Glasgow locations stand in for most of the film's Edinburgh settings.

Movie Connections:

References Braveheart (1995)

Soundtrack:

Longeuval

Recommended!... This movie has heart and soul, though not all angelic.

This is a clever movie. Investigators try to get into the mind of a criminal and become them. That takes obsession, but what happens when obsession takes you? It's a fact of life that most people would like to be the tough, bad guy and this seems to be where this movie gets it's ideas. A life time on stage has prepared Connolly well. His performance is admirable. Admittedly, it's been about 3 years since I seen this film as I write this, though I remember strong feelings associated with it. There's something very real about it. I don't want to spoil this for anyone thinking of watching it, so I'll just say the "assualt" scene is particularly real and horrifically scary, as is the fight scene. No stupid Hollywood sound effects added to this one, and that's what makes it so damn scary because it doesn't seem as though it's just an act. If you like Connolly, check it out. If you like a thriller, same deal. If you like movies at all, there's no reason not to have a peek.