The Death Collector

I have have always loved B-pictures. Sometimes they are good, sometimes awful, and sometimes very interesting. they usually appear to have been made in someones apartment, or outside the back door, but hey, aspiring film makers have to learn somehow! This film is neither good, or bad, but is an interesting look at Joe Pesci before he became a star. There is no mistaking him - he dominates every scene he is in. His star potential obliterates the rest of the cast.

Other than that, the tea-cosy hair do's and atrocious 70's clothing make this an OK time waster. As it comes on a budget DVD with two other B pictures (one of them a C actually) I don't recommend renting it. Just buy the cheap DVD and watch it with friends one wet weekend.

Surprisingly good "Mean Streets"-type crime drama. Foreshadows elements of "Goodfellas" and "Casino". Joe Pesci's first big role. Clever dialog. I think the Maltin guide gives this a bomb rating. I can only guess no one actually bothered to watch it.

Saw this at Tarantino's film fest and he said Scorsese used a number of these actors in Raging Bull.

This is not the best movie in the world, however, it does come in handy when one is looking for a way to waste time. For a cheesy 70s lowbudget mafia flick, it covers all the bases it needs to and nothing more. It doesn't need to. The best way to view it is to not expect much. This way you will be surprised at how decent a film this really is. The plot is simple. The guy becomes an enforcer for the mob, crosses his boss and his boss comes after him. The acting isn't great but it's far from terrible and the action sequences, while sometimes laughable, are really not too shabby. I would love to get more films like this. They are just very hard to find. Lowbudget cheese doesn't always make for a bad film.

It was an interesting and entertaining movie well worth watching. The acting was decent but it may be out of date for some people. I was glad to see cast members of such highly acclaimed movies as "Raging Bull" and "Goodfellas" in this movie A great and dramatic ending and pretty good writing.

I saw a version of this in a 4 DVD Mafia collection put out by Brentwood and I have to admit that it was a good film. The quality was a little worse for the wear, but it was a well acted and realistic drama involving low level New Jersey gangsters. Pesci once again though, steels the show!