AKA: The Pay Up

Director: Jesse V. Johnson

Cast: Scott Adkins, Louis Mandylor, Vladimir Kulich, Tony Todd, Michael Paré, Rachel Brann, Selina Lo, Sean Crampton, Rachel Brann

Running Time: 96 min.

By Paul Bramhall

There’s something undeniably satisfying about watching the collaborations of a director and star who you know work well together, and now 3 titles in (in less than 2 years), this seems to very much be the case for Jesse V. Johnson and Scott Adkins. After a rough (but redeemably entertaining) start with 2017’s Savage Dog, the pair hit their stride with the follow-up, a comic book adaptation which was a passion project for Adkins, in the form of 2018’s Accident Man. Adkins co-wrote the script for Accident Man along with Stu Small, and Small is also the co-writer for The Debt Collector, this time sharing a co-credit with Johnson himself. Could this trio be the modern-day incarnation of the Iron Triangle?

When I interviewed Adkins in January of the same year The Debt Collector was released, he explained that the script for it had been around since 2001 (under its original working title The Pay Up), but Johnson had felt it was never the right time to make it until now. This is the audiences good fortune, as Johnson’s output during the 00’s was fairly abominable, a celluloid wasteland filled with such curiosities as Mark Dacascos playing a secret alien agent, and Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson as an electronically enhanced soldier. Indeed, sometimes it’s best not to look back. As a director, the British stuntman began to find his footing in more recent years, helming the likes of the Dolph Lundgren and Steve Austin actioner The Package, and the tragically mistreated gangster flick The Beautiful Ones.

While fans of Adkins have long held his collaborations with director Isaac Florentine on a pedestal, I daresay that if his work with Johnson continues to be of the quality reflected in both Accident Man and The Debt Collector, that pedestal may have some strong competition. In their latest collaboration Adkins plays the master of an MMA dojo in L.A., a school that’s lack of students has left him financially hard up, and facing the constant threat of a rival school pressuring him to sell up. The opening almost feels like a modern remake of a similar sequence in No Retreat, No Surrender, only instead of Jean Claude Van Damme appearing on the scene, we get Korean Australian martial artist David William No (Blindsided: The Game) and two of his lackeys. Like in Accident Man, Adkins is able to utilize his British accent, and offers to sort them out just “like a kung fu movie”, and we’re treated to fantastic 3 vs 1 brawl straight off the bat.

His money troubles lead to him being reluctantly recommended to become a debt collector for an agency run by the morally ambiguous Vladimir Kulich (Savage Dog), and he soon finds himself paired with a grizzled and world-weary alcoholic, played by Louis Mandylor (The Quest). That’s the last we hear about Adkins’ dojo, so despite The Debt Collector setting itself up as a tale of a martial arts school being saved from the clutches of the bad guys, proceedings head in a distinctively different direction. I’d speculate that the opening could well have been a modification to the original script once Adkins and his considerable martial arts talent came onboard, but whatever the reason, thankfully the dojo’s disappearing act doesn’t serve as a detriment to the plot.

Instead, we get what could best be called a 2018 version of the 90’s buddy movie, set on the sun-drenched streets of Los Angeles. This is the first time for Adkins to share equal billing with a co-star (at least, one who’s on the same side as he is), and Mandylor’s grizzled veteran collector is the perfect foil to the fresh-faced Brit. It could well be argued that the large bulk of the movie is basically a series of vignettes, with Mandylor showing Adkins the ropes as they cruise around L.A. suburbia in a gas guzzling Coupe de Ville, armed with a piece of paper listing the names and debts of those they need to visit. One of the biggest strengths of Johnson’s latest is the chemistry shared between his leads, with Adkins’ eagerness to earn some quick cash and Mandylor’s devil may care attitude providing the perfect balance.

It feels strange to dedicate part of a review for a Scott Adkins movie to his acting, but it’s worthy of mentioning that his acting in both Accident Man and here is a world apart from many of his more recent efforts. Visibly more comfortable speaking in his own distinctly British accent, his banter and delivery are enough to make you wish he’d go back and remake some of his lesser efforts as a British character, rather than an American one. However the other main character in The Debt Collector is L.A. itself, with its sticky climate, sun soaked suburban streets, and shady bars all adding a certain feel to the picture that, had it been shot anywhere else, simply wouldn’t be the same. It’s fair to say that L.A. is just as important to the final product as Adkins’ and Mandylor’s presence.

The most fun is had from watching the pairs visits to the various debtors. Armed with a scale of 1-10 to anticipate the level of violence they can expect from each visit, with 10 being the most moderate and 1 being psychotic, Mandylor views his pairing with Adkins as a chance to let someone else do the heavy lifting for a while, leaving him to tangle with various angry customers. Needless to say within the first 30 minutes, Adkins is already limping around with a bloodied face and tattered suit, having been shot at, dragged along by a moving car, and thrown through a wall. His exasperation at exactly what the job entails is palpable, and never anything less than hilarious, as it quickly becomes apparent almost everyone in L.A. has a bodyguard (who acts as a prerequisite to get through), and nobody is going to cough up without putting up a fight first.

For those clocking in for the presence of the British star, which I imagine would be many, it’s these fights with provide Adkins with his action quota for the lean 95 minute runtime. Frequent Johnson collaborator Luke LaFontaine is on fight choreography duties once more, having last worked with the pair on Savage Dog, and delivers a series of satisfyingly scrappy encounters. From a run-in with 2 burly bruisers within the confines of a small office (which includes a subtle nod to Game of Death), to a throwdown against a raging kitchenhand, the impact of every hit and blow is captured with a skilled lens. LaFontaine has done a great job at adapting Adkins style to the nature of the story, and while he comes across just as versatile and hard hitting as in his most well-known ventures, it’s a relief to see the gratuitous flying kicks have been dialled back. The fights here are brutal and effective, and it suits the tone of The Debt Collector perfectly.

Outside of the action Johnson demonstrates a keen sense of wit. Mandylor’s character, apart from being revealed to be a former amateur boxer, is also explained to be a washed-up action B-movie star. In one of the funniest scenes, he visits a store that has a poster of one of his old movies where he played a ninja, which leads to plenty of ribbing from Adkins over his role in such a production. The joke of course being, that 2 of Adkins most popular titles are Ninja and its (vastly superior) sequel. For those paying close attention, the store also has a poster of Johnson’s own 2009 movie, Charlie Valentine, displayed in the window. It’s a nice touch. Johnson also plays with some interesting imagery, with intermittent shots of cows gradually being led to the slaughter scattered throughout the runtime, serving as a metaphor for the predicament Mandylor and Adkins eventually find themselves in.

The predicament at hand doesn’t reveal itself until 50 minutes in, and is one which could be said to represent the main plot, when a morally dubious client, played by the “Candyman” himself Tony Todd, enlists the agencies services for a questionable collection. Events unfold to what many will consider a surprisingly unexpected finale, as Mandylor and Adkins do their best Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, in a sequence which shows Johnson’s commitment to his vision. Perhaps the biggest strength of the collaborations between the director and star is that, as a stuntman himself Johnson knows exactly how to use Adkins, but he also isn’t afraid to cast him on the basis that he’s an actor that fits the role. But hey, this is the opinion of someone who puts On the Run in their top 3 Yuen Biao movies.

Filled with gravelly voiced tough guys, conversation on the importance of moderating a headbutt, and toothpicks to the face, The Debt Collector feels like a throwback to the unapologetic macho flicks of yesteryear, and that’s a compliment. Needless to say, Johnson’s latest may be indebted to the slices of cinema that influenced it, but it pays it back in spades, interest included.

The Debt Collector hits theaters, digital and DVD on June 5th, 2018.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 8/10