The Debt Collector

• Cat.no: VCD 0031
• Cert: 18
• Running time: 105 minutes
• Year: 1999
• Pressing: 1999
• Region(s): 2, PAL
• Chapters: 17 plus extras
• Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Languages: English
• Subtitles: English for the hard of hearing
• Widescreen: 1.77:1 (16:9)
• 16:9-enhanced: Yes
• Macrovision: Yes
• Disc Format: DVD 5
• Price: £19.99
• Extras : Scene index, Trailer, Production Notes
  

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  Director:

  Anthony Neilson

Producers:

Screenplay:

Anthony Neilson

Music:

Cast:

Dryden: Billy Connolly (The Big Man, Mrs Brown, Muppet Treasure Island, Still Crazy)
Keltie: Ken Stott (The Boxer, Fever Pitch, Plunkett and Macleane, TV: Rhodes, The Vice)
Val: Francesca Annis (Cleopatra, Dune, Macbeth, Under the Cherry Moon, TV: Lillie, Miss Marple, Reckless)
Lana: Annette Crosbie (Shooting Fish, TV: One Foot in the Grave, The Six Wives of Henry VIII)

The Debt Collectorbegins with Nickie Dryden (Billy Connolly) having just been released fromone of the toughest prisons in Scotland after 18 years. He’s determined to gostraight, starts a new career as a sculptor and has married Val (Francesca Annis).Even doing the TV interview circuit he wants to put the past behind him.

However, there’s one man who just wants to rake it all up: Keltie (Ken Stott),the policeman who put Dryden away, does not believe that he’s rehabilitatedto any kind of degree like he’s claimed. It turns his stomach and wants to make surethe “policy” is never forgotten. This was when he went debt collecting, butinstead of taking it out on those who owed money, violence was dished out totheir friends and relatives. It’s a dangerous obsession that’s only going to getworse as time goes on.

Someone else who isn’t going to forget is a young boy known to his friends asFlipper (Iain Robertson). He sees Dryden as his hero and wants to emulatehim and his terrible crimes and won’t think twice about punching an innocent womanhard in the face so she falls down and her head cracks against paving stones, orgashing a janitor in the face with a flick knife. Such scenes look veryrealistic and require a strong stomach.

Let’s get one thing straight. I don’t find Billy Connolly in the least bitfunny these days in his more usual profession as a comedian so I wasn’t sure ifI’d warm to him in this. However, like Robbie Coltrane and Lenny Henry,of whom I only find the former funny now, they are certainly capable of putting in agood dramatic turn.

Better still though is Ken Stott. Although we are given an insight into hishome life, which he shares with his mother Lana (Annette Crosbie), he has areally nasty streak in him and pulls off brilliant scenes as his character willstop at nothing to wind up Dryden to breaking point. To go into any more detailwould rob the film of its surprises.

The picture quality of the disc is excellent. Anamorphic 16:9 presentationwith no artifacts are the words you want to hear, not to mention the factthat any disc that can make a bleak backdrop of two tower blocks set behindKeltie’s house in the early evening look crisp and clear is worthy ofapplause. The average bitrate is a fine 5.13Mb/s, often peaking over 8Mb/s.

The sound quality is also very good. While clearly not an action-fest,the film has a pleasing score and the dialogue and ambience come acrossclearly with effective brief surround sounds as Dryden’s voice echoes in aninterview early on in the film. The soundtrack also includes a tune called“Life in Mono” by Mono, which is co-written by John Barry andhas been featured in a recent Rover advert.

When I first received the press released for this film I’d never even heardof it before and the prospect of a film starring Billy Connolly had about asmuch appeal as getting up in the morning to go to work, but what started as afilm with promise soon turned out to be a brilliant and gripping British filmwith strong and superb performances from all concerned. Go get it now.FILM CONTENT : *****PICTURE QUALITY: *****SOUND QUALITY: *****EXTRAS: *½——————————-OVERALL: ****

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2000