![]() ![]() James: I will concede that there is a lot of trope-heavy fluff in the ride along scenes, but Shia’s delivery and the energy he conveys kept me hooked. And when violence does occur at major turning points, it’s so clumsily introduced that it’s as if Ayer forgot what scenes he was filming on that particular day. Soto gives one of the worst performances of 2020 thus far and LaBeouf’s ambiguous hispanic delivery is the most inconsistent accent work since Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle.Īs for their dialogue, it’s the same old gangster jibber-jabber that Ayer's been recycling his entire career, and it isn’t helped by the dull manner with which they’re filmed, especially the handheld shots from the backseat of Creeper’s black Suburban. Personally, I think The Tax Collector’s biggest flaw is that it forgoes Ayer’s knack for random bursts of action in preference of what has become trendy, which is building to one big, calamitous burst of violence in the third act that throws all character development and whatever groove the film has found to the wind.Įdwin: I found the leads’ rapport as they drive around picking up payments from various drug dealers, well, taxing. I could spend hours riding alongside them. They’re both trying to survive in a world where they will more than likely end up dead, and the only reason they’re alive when we meet them is because of the perfect balance struck by their unique personalities. The Tax Collector finds something similar in its exploration of the relationship between Creeper (Shia LaBeouf) and David (Bobby Soto, A Better Life). It’s not about the bursts of ultra-violence as much as it is the relationships and codependency the characters rely on to survive uncertain times. Fury, in particular, does a wonderful job of humanizing the familiar world of war films. Both films have their flaws, which you already touched upon, but they also deliver some big wins. James: I could not disagree more about Fury or Sabotage. Suicide Squad and Bright were at least entertaining in their awfulness, but his latest effort feels like a sad rehashing of subplots from his earlier LA crime flicks - and without the talent or budget to offer even minor distractions from the rote storytelling. The Tax Collector may be a new low for him. He and Antoine Fuqua sold their souls in a joint deal to make one great film in Training Day, and Ayer’s End of Watch is fairly solid until it cheats on its found-footage premise, but the other films he’s made since then have been disastrous ( Sabotage) or tedious ( Fury). I take it you disagree?Įdwin: Our relationship is beyond toxic, though - out of professional courtesy - I keep giving him chances to rebound, and still hope that he one day will. The Tax Collector is, in many ways, a return to form that his devotees have been longing to see. I’m always willing to roll the dice on his latest creation, especially when he pulls double duty as writer and director. He’s hurt me time and time again, but when he’s good, it’s game changing. James Shotwell: I welcome everything Ayer does with open arms. Is it a welcome homecoming or do you wish he’d stayed in the Land of Make-Believe? Edwin Arnaudin: After tarnishing the DCEU’s already bad reputation with Suicide Squad (2016) and letting the world know that “fairy lives don’t matter today” in the awkward fantasy mash-up of Bright (2017), David Ayer returns to the realistic, gritty Los Angeles streets of his roots with The Tax Collector.
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