The Death Collector

"The Death Collector" is a very cheaply made film with mostly lesser-known actors although the posters play up Joe Pesci being in the film, as he became a huge star in later years. And, with such an inexpensive project, you expect the film to stink. However, oddly, it didn't. Now I am NOT saying it's a great film by any standard, but considering the costs involved the finished product has some merit.

Jerry Bolanti (Joe Cortese) is a young punk who wants to work his way up through the mob the quick way. Despite having little in the way of common sense, he manages to get a job as a debt collector and he seems well on his way up the chain of command. Suddenly, he's somebody. However, when one of his cases goes sour and nearly kills him, soon he's in serious trouble...and practically everyone seems ready to kill him!! What's next?

The worst thing about the film is its uneven acting. Some is quite good...some seems a bit amateurish. However, it's never dull...and that makes it worth seeing.

I should point out that this film is NOT for everyone. It's really violent and early in the film there is some pretty extreme nudity. Do not show it to your kids or Father O'Malley if he drops by for a visit!

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.

a very surprisingly underrated movie. very realistic. and authentic .with great Dialogue. being Italian, i can definitely relate to the situations and phrases used. I thought Joe Cortese was great. as a crazy mob cowboy type, and pesci and Vincent were great also. I liked the actor Criscuolo who played the boss. He was very authentic. i think the director Ralph devito was on his way to great things , but was cut down too early , maybe because he knew too much. i thought it was great. it deserved more airplay and recognition. it was a sleeper movie. great. very good. it really had good authenticity. it was well done.

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.