The Debt Collector [1999]

Connolly is very convincing and Scott terrifyingly calculating and the film is made a joy to watch, it is a true shame when it ends. Fans of thrillers will love this. Buy it! you won't be dissappointed.


An excellent modern-day Revenge Tragedy   June 19, 2001
9 out of 12 found this review helpful

When I first saw this movie at the cinema, both my companion and I let out a huge exhalation of breath that had been building up, and both let go of the seats that we had been gripping. Watching the film again on the small screen, although I was familiar with the twists and turns of its plot, it lost none of its impact. The film works on two levels - it is an excellently plotted thriller, but also an extraordinary examination of personal psychology, society's attitude to forgiveness and redemption, and the modern cult of artist and celebrity. A very clever plot, with a script that never loses credibility for even a second, these attributes are done justice by one of the best ensemble performances in film history. Billy Connolly is powerfully understated, Ken Stott is credibly menacing and Francesca Annis, playing Connolly's character's wife, is unbelievably convincing in her portrayal of grief and terror. A mention must also go to Annette Crosby, for her representation of innocence amongst a cast of characters who might be said to have 'agendas.' This is not a film for the faint-hearted, but its violence and strong language are in context and justifiable - the point of the film would be lost without them. I cannot rate this film highly enough for its insight, sensitivity in unlikely places, and its ability to shock intelligently and for all the right reasons - to make us think about the world about us and the reality of hypothetical arguments.


Theatre on film   June 3, 2000
smkirk@lineone.net (Scotland)
5 out of 11 found this review helpful

Anthony Neilson comes from a theatrical background and this is evident in his filming. The Debt Collector is performed as a piece of theatre. Though there are some toe curling moments the film on the whole is quite watchable.The extras who played Drydens victims where excellent and really looked like people who had been put through the wringer. Jimmy Logan was playing a part and did not appear believable to me. The most powerful moments came in the parts Annette Crosbie and Francesca Annis played when moving to the mansion and losing their son respectfully. I enjoyed the film but don't rate it amongst the greats. Though everyone talks about Billy Connolly as the Debt Collector was it not Ken Stott?


Les Miserables, Edinburgh style   December 14, 2007
Trevor Willsmer (London, England)
The Debt Collector is another British crime film that doesn't add up to much. A Scottish variation on Les Miserables, it sees Ken Stott's typically bitterly furious cop stalking reformed debt collector turned artist Billy Connolly on the mean streets and leafy suburbs of Edinburgh, here shot in such oppressive and dark tones that it looks more like a Victorian prison than a holiday destination. Iain Robertson offers strong support as a hero-worshipping little gobs**te, but by the time the inevitable confrontation takes place without any great revelation you find yourself wondering if this journey was really necessary.