The Debt Collector (1999)

After serving an 18-year stretch, The Debt Collector walks out of prison and straight into high society, leaving the cop who originally arrested him wondering if anyone actually changed.

Ex-con turned celebrity, The Debt Collector Nickie Dryden (Billy Connolly), decided to pivot hard after finishing his lengthy sentence. He penned a bestseller autobiography and picked up sculpting as a hobby. Toss in a marriage to a writer, and suddenly he's a staple at every gala, basically a media darling.

Naturally, Keltie isn't buying any of it. The cop who hauled him in nearly two decades ago is back on the beat, tailing Drydenov’s every move, waiting for the mask to slip and for the old criminal habits to resurface. Back in the day, Drydenov’s specialty was collecting debts through intimidation—and if things got messy, he wasn't afraid to take out someone close to the debtor.

Then you have Flipper, this volatile teenager who’s become completely obsessed with Drydenov’s old life. He’s trying way too hard to prove himself by mimicking his idol’s darkest methods.

Anyone else catch this one? What did you guys think?
Personally, I think this movie is a total masterpiece. 🙏 🙏
The cast is top-tier. Connolly is incredible, and you can't overlook Ian Robertson’s performance playing the psycho Flipper; he really nailed it🙏.

10/10. If you consider yourself a real cinephile, go see it.

Alright, let's hear your takes.

here's the photo

It might not be an absolute masterpiece, but the element of surprise is massive: you’re looking at a relatively obscure, underappreciated, and genuinely great film.

It’s not exactly a masterpiece. I’d give it a 6 out of 10.

That said, Billy Connolly is absolutely top-tier, both in this role and generally speaking.

I’ve never been much of a fan of the ten-point scale; I always preferred the old-school approach of grading on a five-point system.
That said, giving this one a 6 feels a bit stingy. If my memory serves me right, you were ( handing 🤷 ) much higher marks to significantly weaker films.

If you decide to list any of those 'weaker' ones, I’d be more than happy to elaborate on my own take.

The Debt Collector isn't a bad movie, per se, but there were a handful of scenes that just felt incredibly stupid—it honestly ruined the whole experience for me... if my memory serves, they were some of the action sequences... unfortunately, I can't quite recall which specific moments I'm referring to.

I can’t recall the specifics right now, but I have a vague memory of seeing films rated in the sevens or even the eights that, in my opinion, didn't actually earn those high marks. If my memory serves me—and don't hold me to it—I think it involved Scorsese, his work with Alice, or perhaps Street of Evil...
I believe you gave Scorsese lower scores, whereas I can't quite wrap my head around which specific blockbusters with inflated ratings I was thinking of.