Review of The Collectors

It's hard to see that Sidney J. Furie, who made The Leather Boys and The Ipcress File, has sunk to this low budget fare. The Collectors is one of a multitude of buddy films, which tries to be different by focusing more on the interaction between the characters than plot development. It works to a minimal extent. Casper Van Dien and Rick Fox, of Laker fame, do have a sort of chemistry on film. However, after the film establishes that, nothing else is really forthcoming. The supporting players are barely adequate, the soundtrack sounds like a cheap retread from any of a bevy of late 80's or early 90's movies, and there's very little plot development or complications. We get two buddies and that's it. Catherine Oxenberg is wasted as a New Orleans detective with a British accent! The movie appears to contain a lot of improvisation, and the actors confirm this on the DVD. The effects are poor, especially a door knob that neatly slides out of its hole (as if pulled by a string) followed by a puff of smoke, after it's shot at. Also, get a load of the police precint (sic)! Inexcusable. Pass this by. * of 4 stars.