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.
13 Reviews
Despite some drawbacks, The Collectors is watchable
tarbosh220007 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
A.K. (Van Dien) and Ray (Fox) are likable hitmen dispatched to New York City by a New Orleans-based crime syndicate in order to collect gambling debts from a bunch of non-paying customers. While in the midst of their mission, A.K. begins to question the course of his life and thinks he might be too much of a nice guy to be a hitman. Ray, the pragmatic and level-headed one, tries to talk him out of his philosophical quandaries. None of this stops the duo from getting into a whole heap o'trouble, as not only do they have to deal with degenerate gamblers, they have their enemies to deal with as well. Not to mention the fact that the police are hot on their trail, and no one is hotter than Detective Bailey (Oxenberg) - the officer that A.K. feels is in love with him because when she shoots at him, "she misses on purpose"! Will our unlikely heroes make it out of this mess alive?
Out of all the - as we call them - Tarantino Slogs to come out in the late 90's/early 2000's, The Collectors is probably one of the better ones. Van Dien and Fox make an engaging, if somewhat unlikely, pair and the movie overall is entertaining. But there's a caveat (isn't there always?) - you have to be tolerant of a very low-budget DTV look and feel, and also have no problem with post-Tarantino banter amongst the characters.
As audience members, we couldn't help but warm to Van Dien as he has his crisis of conscience. He has Zack Morris-style sass and plenty of wisecracks that make him seem almost like a teenager. Despite the fact that there are shootouts and murders going on, he wouldn't be out of place at Bayside High. Ray isn't just his partner in crime, they're also jogging buddies and they wear prominent fanny packs. They also drink a lot of Snapple and Pepsi and clink their Snapple bottles together to celebrate a good idea they both come up with. When they both appear on screen for the first time, wearing suits, sunglasses, and with sax blaring on the soundtrack, it's hard not to think they look cool together. This is one of Fox's first non-basketball-related movie roles, and he seems to make the most of it. As a basketball-playing man, he's obviously much taller than anyone else he talks to on screen. He must have enjoyed returning to his native Canada to shoot this movie that takes place in New York City.
Speaking of sax on the soundtrack, someone must have decided that jaunty music must play at all times throughout the movie. ALL times. The WHOLE time. This undercuts any action (which is pretty minimal anyway) and any seriousness that may be remaining. But that may be the point: while The Collectors is clearly modeled after Pulp Fiction (1994), the overall tone is far sillier, with a bunch of wacky characters, nutty situations, and humor which works at some times but not others. Probably one of the more interesting facets of the movie was the love triangle between A.K., Ray, and Ray's prostitute girlfriend Lyla (Francique), which is simultaneous with A.K.'s longing for Detective Bailey. Perhaps that could have been emphasized more, but then that would have left less time for the more audience-pleasing aspects elsewhere.
Maybe this is because it was Canada doubling for NYC in many places, but there is a very prominent sign with this misspelling: 9th "Precint". This is the "Precint" that Detective Bailey operates out of. It's surprising no one caught this, because "precinct" is a very French-sounding word, and they were in Quebec, after all. We do tend to point out misspellings in credits and such, because, not to be too nerdy about it, but it's still hard for us to believe a film could be finished and released with no one catching these things. Ah well, c'est la vie.
In the end, we would say that The Collectors is more than watchable, despite some obvious drawbacks threatening to sink it completely.
Out of all the - as we call them - Tarantino Slogs to come out in the late 90's/early 2000's, The Collectors is probably one of the better ones. Van Dien and Fox make an engaging, if somewhat unlikely, pair and the movie overall is entertaining. But there's a caveat (isn't there always?) - you have to be tolerant of a very low-budget DTV look and feel, and also have no problem with post-Tarantino banter amongst the characters.
As audience members, we couldn't help but warm to Van Dien as he has his crisis of conscience. He has Zack Morris-style sass and plenty of wisecracks that make him seem almost like a teenager. Despite the fact that there are shootouts and murders going on, he wouldn't be out of place at Bayside High. Ray isn't just his partner in crime, they're also jogging buddies and they wear prominent fanny packs. They also drink a lot of Snapple and Pepsi and clink their Snapple bottles together to celebrate a good idea they both come up with. When they both appear on screen for the first time, wearing suits, sunglasses, and with sax blaring on the soundtrack, it's hard not to think they look cool together. This is one of Fox's first non-basketball-related movie roles, and he seems to make the most of it. As a basketball-playing man, he's obviously much taller than anyone else he talks to on screen. He must have enjoyed returning to his native Canada to shoot this movie that takes place in New York City.
Speaking of sax on the soundtrack, someone must have decided that jaunty music must play at all times throughout the movie. ALL times. The WHOLE time. This undercuts any action (which is pretty minimal anyway) and any seriousness that may be remaining. But that may be the point: while The Collectors is clearly modeled after Pulp Fiction (1994), the overall tone is far sillier, with a bunch of wacky characters, nutty situations, and humor which works at some times but not others. Probably one of the more interesting facets of the movie was the love triangle between A.K., Ray, and Ray's prostitute girlfriend Lyla (Francique), which is simultaneous with A.K.'s longing for Detective Bailey. Perhaps that could have been emphasized more, but then that would have left less time for the more audience-pleasing aspects elsewhere.
Maybe this is because it was Canada doubling for NYC in many places, but there is a very prominent sign with this misspelling: 9th "Precint". This is the "Precint" that Detective Bailey operates out of. It's surprising no one caught this, because "precinct" is a very French-sounding word, and they were in Quebec, after all. We do tend to point out misspellings in credits and such, because, not to be too nerdy about it, but it's still hard for us to believe a film could be finished and released with no one catching these things. Ah well, c'est la vie.
In the end, we would say that The Collectors is more than watchable, despite some obvious drawbacks threatening to sink it completely.
Unintentionally humorous crime thriller
brude200028 March 2000
Some unintentionally humorous dialogue and a pretty neat plot twist barely save this Canadian-American crime thriller from obscurity and an early grave. Staged in the Big Apple, the titular characters - contract killers Casper Van Dien and Rick Fox - stalk assorted "prey" for their Louisiana boss, all the while trying to elude the NYPD (led by Daniel Pilon) and a renegade cop (Catherine Oxenberg) from the Big Easy. Are Oxenberg and Van Dien romantically linked? Will Van Dien ever retire from his bloody business? Does anyone really care?
Director Sidney Furie tries to generate sympathy for his stone-faced players, but Van Dien ("Starship Troopers") and Oxenberg ("Lair of the White Worm") were never known for their sensitive performances. Some dreadfully ham-fisted screenwriting doesn't help either. If you want some real action leavened with humor, try "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead," "Pulp Fiction" or even "The Big Hit."
Director Sidney Furie tries to generate sympathy for his stone-faced players, but Van Dien ("Starship Troopers") and Oxenberg ("Lair of the White Worm") were never known for their sensitive performances. Some dreadfully ham-fisted screenwriting doesn't help either. If you want some real action leavened with humor, try "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead," "Pulp Fiction" or even "The Big Hit."
An unassuming but interesting movie with something for everyone
groucho371025 August 2004
The Collectors is an unassuming but interesting movie that has a little bit of everything-cops, killers, shootouts, buddies, comedy, and love (both requited and un). The plot revolves around two semi-unsavory characters, Ray and A.K., who collect unpaid mob debts, and when they can't, heads may roll. But somehow we never really feel much menace from these guys, who are played for sympathy by Casper Van Dien and Rick Fox.
Van Dien's A.K. in particular, who at times projects an almost childlike likableness, would really like to get out of this risky business and be law-abiding, if he could afford to, but he won't leave his partner, who still feels loyalty to the boss who rescued him from the streets. And A.K. would really like to see his buddy settle down and marry his girlfriend Lyla, a beautiful hooker who is also caught in a no-win, no-way-out profession. Ray is a master of rationalization who neatly compartmentalizes his life, in fact occasionally seeing his job as being a way to improve the world by ridding it of scum. A.K. is just getting tired of it all, but he does make a moral distinction between killing a pimp who murdered a very young prostitute and killing debtors for late payment. Perhaps one last job, and taking one big chance involving deception and theft, will enable them to run, hide, and start over.
Will Ray and Lyla escape their sordid lives and find true love? Will A.K. ever get through to the beautiful cop (Catherine Oxenberg) who's been pursuing him so long, but who, he's convinced, is really attracted to him or she would have killed him by now? Is it love, bad luck or bad aim? We suspect but don't find out until the end of the movie, where we get a couple of surprises.
Van Dien fans will especially love the rooftop scene where A.K., watching Ray and Lyla share a tender moment, fantasizes about doing the same with Lt. Bailey. With hindsight, we know we're watching Van Dien and Oxenberg falling in love right before our eyes.
By some accounts, The Collectors contains ad libbed material that made the cut. Perhaps that's why the main characters seem so natural and likable-it's like watching Butch and Sundance do NYC, but we hope they'll meet a kinder fate. Rent it and see.
Van Dien's A.K. in particular, who at times projects an almost childlike likableness, would really like to get out of this risky business and be law-abiding, if he could afford to, but he won't leave his partner, who still feels loyalty to the boss who rescued him from the streets. And A.K. would really like to see his buddy settle down and marry his girlfriend Lyla, a beautiful hooker who is also caught in a no-win, no-way-out profession. Ray is a master of rationalization who neatly compartmentalizes his life, in fact occasionally seeing his job as being a way to improve the world by ridding it of scum. A.K. is just getting tired of it all, but he does make a moral distinction between killing a pimp who murdered a very young prostitute and killing debtors for late payment. Perhaps one last job, and taking one big chance involving deception and theft, will enable them to run, hide, and start over.
Will Ray and Lyla escape their sordid lives and find true love? Will A.K. ever get through to the beautiful cop (Catherine Oxenberg) who's been pursuing him so long, but who, he's convinced, is really attracted to him or she would have killed him by now? Is it love, bad luck or bad aim? We suspect but don't find out until the end of the movie, where we get a couple of surprises.
Van Dien fans will especially love the rooftop scene where A.K., watching Ray and Lyla share a tender moment, fantasizes about doing the same with Lt. Bailey. With hindsight, we know we're watching Van Dien and Oxenberg falling in love right before our eyes.
By some accounts, The Collectors contains ad libbed material that made the cut. Perhaps that's why the main characters seem so natural and likable-it's like watching Butch and Sundance do NYC, but we hope they'll meet a kinder fate. Rent it and see.
what a complete load of garbage
jimrip200424 July 2006
I rented this on the "recommendation" of several other reviewers.. little did I know they were all 13 year olds. That's literally the only group of people who could think that this movie was worth 90 minutes of their life. The whole movie has the feel of a porn movie but with no porn, It's got the bad acting, the bad script, the crappy music, the scenes that make no sense and don't develop the story, everything! It's even got as one reviewer so perfectly put it, "the tittie action at the beginning". For those people who think these 2 goobers had "screen chemistry", what kind of life do you lead? Do you talk to your friends delivering one line at a time with pauses between each line? Are you all on drugs? Also, for those who wonder where the "southern accent" went, you've obviously never been to New Orleans. The only thing approaching an accent there is closer to Brooklyn than the south. They sure as heck don't pronounce it New Or-leens though.. the director has obviously never been there either. I wish I had never been near this movie.
collectors of extremely crappy dialogues
bartverberne1610 January 2006
This film is about two hit men that are assigned to do a number of jobs, but meanwhile realize that the lives they lead are not the lives they always wanted to have. They want to quit murdering and start a less complicated life.
The on itself not even extremely boring plot line is carried out horribly. The intention to create a dynamic duo a la Vincent Vega and Jules Winfield of Van Dien and Fox fails completely because of the worthless dialogues. This fact on itself dominates the unpleasant character of the film and thus makes the end result to a complete disaster. The acting performances are truly horrible, but it must be said, that is not so much because of Van Dien or Fox but more because of the emptiness of the characters they must enroll.
This film was total crap and I wonder what more I could've done in the 90 minutes of my life I spent watching it. My god...everything would be more satisfying then watching The Collectors. It is a miracle how this production raised the small amount of money that was needed for producing this film.
The on itself not even extremely boring plot line is carried out horribly. The intention to create a dynamic duo a la Vincent Vega and Jules Winfield of Van Dien and Fox fails completely because of the worthless dialogues. This fact on itself dominates the unpleasant character of the film and thus makes the end result to a complete disaster. The acting performances are truly horrible, but it must be said, that is not so much because of Van Dien or Fox but more because of the emptiness of the characters they must enroll.
This film was total crap and I wonder what more I could've done in the 90 minutes of my life I spent watching it. My god...everything would be more satisfying then watching The Collectors. It is a miracle how this production raised the small amount of money that was needed for producing this film.
not so good
ksf-25 July 2022
Ak and ray ( casper van mullet dien and rick fox) are small timers, in nyc. And seem to be up to no good. They are professional killers. They have a weird buddy buddy relationship. Van dien had just done starship and shark attack. Beaucoup de female nudity, which explains the R rating. Some pretty rough language. The music never matches the scene....another demerit. When the killers are threatening the guy who owes a ton of money, we hear upbeat circus music. Lots of saxophone. I don't think they spent much on the music budget. Co-stars the beautiful cathy oxenberg as detective bailey, trying to catch up with the killers. The dialogue is terrible; they should have done a script tune up. The two dudes are best friends, then yell at each other for no reason. Another demerit. Directed by sidney furie... no oscars. This one is pretty cheesy. Sometimes films are way under-rated on imdb, but this one deserves its low rating. Van dien currently has nine projects in development.
They're So Smooth, You WANT Them To Get Away!
AzRanger29 August 2001
The on-screen interactions between Casper Van Dien and Rick Fox (I) are natural and unrehearsed. Their characters literally flow through the dialog. I wonder if they are close friends off screen, for them to make this movie look so easy. Now, I don't know if real 'Collector's' work like they portrayed the parts, but I bet they wish they did. It would undoubtedly make their job much easier.
I started out just turning to the channel for some background entertainment while I worked on a computer project. Well, the computer project didn't even get started because I stayed focused on this movie throughout. I gave it a nine, because I like to see movies where the actors/actresses don't look like they're trying hard, but instead, look like they are enjoying making it.
I started out just turning to the channel for some background entertainment while I worked on a computer project. Well, the computer project didn't even get started because I stayed focused on this movie throughout. I gave it a nine, because I like to see movies where the actors/actresses don't look like they're trying hard, but instead, look like they are enjoying making it.
It's better than the crowd implies
cppguy21 May 2005
The current IMDb rating is rather poor. That's a shame. I just finished watching it on cable and found it enjoyable. It's not the top of my list, but the ending left me with mixed emotions: on the one hand, I got liking the characters enough that I had my own set of hopes for them, on the other I had my sense of "do something that's not a cliché." I won't say which won.
The film has a good sense of its own plot. I trace that to the one line where -- after a nearly implausible plot twist -- A.K. mutters "I should have bought a lottery ticket." (or something like that; I'm going by memory)
If you get a chance to catch the film, and don't mind a little tittie exposure (from the adult club scenes), it's no waste of time.
I had a boring Saturday night to watch this and "Sniper" and I think the IMDb scores for the films should have been swapped. I had trouble caring for the lead characters in "Sniper," but I found myself pulling for A.K. and Ray. I think the bad reviews came from trying to compare this to Tarantino films. If you don't, it works just fine.
The film has a good sense of its own plot. I trace that to the one line where -- after a nearly implausible plot twist -- A.K. mutters "I should have bought a lottery ticket." (or something like that; I'm going by memory)
If you get a chance to catch the film, and don't mind a little tittie exposure (from the adult club scenes), it's no waste of time.
I had a boring Saturday night to watch this and "Sniper" and I think the IMDb scores for the films should have been swapped. I had trouble caring for the lead characters in "Sniper," but I found myself pulling for A.K. and Ray. I think the bad reviews came from trying to compare this to Tarantino films. If you don't, it works just fine.
I can't believe this movie was made at all
kvonnegut27 September 2004
And I thought I had seen the worse movie of all until I saw this flick. There's nothing redeeming about this movie.
From the very first quarter of this movie, I was thinking if this is a poor homage to Tarantino's character Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield or simply a pathetic attempt to follow the footstep of Tarantino.
The dialogue obviously is trying very hard to capture the cleverness of the dialogue in Pulp Fiction. It even tried to copy the scene on Pulp Fiction just before they enter the apartment. Unfortunately, the dialogue was soo bad and the acting did not help any.
I give it 1 out of 5 stars.
From the very first quarter of this movie, I was thinking if this is a poor homage to Tarantino's character Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield or simply a pathetic attempt to follow the footstep of Tarantino.
The dialogue obviously is trying very hard to capture the cleverness of the dialogue in Pulp Fiction. It even tried to copy the scene on Pulp Fiction just before they enter the apartment. Unfortunately, the dialogue was soo bad and the acting did not help any.
I give it 1 out of 5 stars.
This was a great film
Evil is back18 December 2001
This movie had it all. Romance, comedy, action, and drama. Rick Fox(Lakers), Casper Van dien(Sleepy Hallow) have impressive acting abilities. I thought the film was stupid but also good in that you want a late midnight movie to watch and you find this. 7.9/10
WOW!
Tuna Phish Tony8 December 2001
This is undoubtably the greatest crime movie of ALL time. Casper Van Dien makes the transition from Starship Troopers as well as Rick Fox does from the basketball court. It is a tale like no other. Two partners in crime, who hail from different world, join together to commit the scandel of a century. One is black, one is white, yet somehow, amidst their differences, through hard times, deadly circumstances and the wittiest of dialogues, they realize they are not that divided and prevail. If you have enough money, I would suggest you tattoo the words, "The Collectors," to your forehead and to the foreheads of your progeny. Then hop on a plane to some third world nation, spreading its word to the sick and the starving. Rick, you Fox!
Are hit-men supposed to be funny???
ABernst10016 June 2002
Van Dien and Fox (of the L.A. Lakers and Vanessa Williams' other half) come off as mismatched hit-men in this off-beat drama. Oxenberg out of her element as an English-born detective sent from Louisiana to put an end to their reign of "terror" (?). This movie had me wondering halfway through it...WHERE THE HECK WERE THEIR SOUTHERN ACCENTS??? Maybe lost with their talents in the script.
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