''The Debt Collector'' is a 1999 thriller, written and directed by Scottish dramatist

Anthony Neilson Anthony Neilson (born 1967, Edinburgh) is a Scottish playwright and director. He is known for his collaborative way of writing and workshopping his plays. Much of his work is characterised by the exploration of sex and violence. Neilson has bee ...

and starring

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his ...

Ken Stott Kenneth Campbell Stott (born 19 October 1954) is a Scottish stage, television and film actor who won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1995 in the play '' Broken Glass'' at Royal National Theatre. He portrayed th ...

and

Francesca Annis Francesca Annis (born 14 May 1945) is an English actress. She is known for television roles in '' Reckless'' (1998), ''Wives and Daughters'' (1999), ''Deceit'' (2000), and '' Cranford'' (2007). A six-time BAFTA TV Award nominee, she won the 1979 ...

. Loosely based on the character of Jimmy Boyle, ''The Debt Collector'' explores themes of forgiveness, revenge, change and the ''macho'' culture of modern urban Scottish life.

Plot

The film opens in late 1970s

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

; Nicky Dryden (Billy Connolly) is arrested by Gary Keltie (Ken Stott) for his part in enforcing the collection of money owed to a

loan shark A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high interest rates, has strict terms of collection upon failure, and generally operates outside the law. Description Because loan sharks operate mostly illegally, they cannot reasonably ...

. Soon the film moves into the present time. Dryden has left prison and changed his ways. He is now a feted sculptor married to journalist Val Dryden (Francesca Annis) displaying his first show. The show is interrupted by Keltie who is disgusted by Dryden's new-found respectability, and claims that he hasn't paid his debt to society. Dryden wishes to move on from his past crimes, but Keltie is determined not to let him forget his past. Val is disturbed when Dryden confesses to her that his "policy" ''(

modus operandi A ''modus operandi'' (often shortened to M.O.) is someone's habits of working, particularly in the context of business or criminal investigations, but also more generally. It is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode (or manner) of op ...

)'' during his criminal days was to intimidate debtors by assaulting their close relatives. At the same time a young wannabe gangster Flipper (

Iain Robertson Iain Robertson (born 27 May 1981) is a BAFTA award winning Scottish actor. He portrayed Lex in cult Glasgow gang film, ''Small Faces'', though Robertson is also known for his work in the long-running children's drama, ''Grange Hill'' and '' T ...

) is obsessed by Dryden's dark past and wishes to emulate him. He takes part in low level crime, which escalates in a murder of a security guard at a swimming pool (played by

Ford Kiernan Ford John Kiernan (born 10 January 1962) is a Scottish comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for his work with Greg Hemphill on the BBC Scotland comedy series ''Chewin' the Fat'' (1999–2005) and '' Still Game'' (2002–2007, 2016–201 ...

). Keltie continues to harass Dryden and his family, including disrupting a family wedding. When Dryden's stepson is murdered and Keltie shows up at the funeral, Dryden seeks revenge. He contacts one of his old underworld colleagues who arranges for Flipper to attack Keltie. Flipper, however, imitates Dryden's "policy" by viciously attacking Keltie's elderly mother (played by

Annette Crosbie Annette Crosbie (born 12 February 1934) is a Scottish actor.Annette Crosbie fil ...

). Flipper makes contact with Dryden and boasts about his crime to Dryden. Disgusted by the attack on an old woman, Dryden himself brutally attacks Flipper, killing him in the end. Extremely distraught over the attack upon his mother, Keltie breaks into Dryden's home to attack Dryden. Dryden is however at the

Edinburgh Tattoo The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of military tattoos performed by British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and international military bands, and artistic performance teams on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle in the capital o ...

at the time, and Keltie instead takes his vengeance on Dryden by raping his wife. Keltie eventually meets up with Dryden, and in a fight outside

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...

ends up being killed by Dryden. The film ends with Dryden being acquitted of the murder of Keltie, but he is a broken man, disabled by the attack, his marriage has broken up and he is once again estranged from polite society. Finally, Keltie's mother is placed in a nursing home to reflect on the loss she has endured.

Filming locations

Although predominantly set in Edinburgh, much of the film was filmed in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

as part of the condition of the

Glasgow Film Fund Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. and some shot in Edinburgh.

Cast

- Nickie Dryden *

- Gary Keltie *

- Val Dryden *

- Flipper *

Annette Crosbie Annette Crosbie (born 12 February 1934) is a Scottish actor.Annette Crosbie fil ...

- Lana Keltie *Alastair Galbraith - Colquhoun * Shauna Macdonald - Catriona *Sandy Neilson - Duncan *

Jimmy Logan James Allan Short, OBE, FRSAMD (4 April 1928 – 13 April 2001), known professionally as Jimmy Logan, was a Scottish performer, theatrical producer, impresario and director. Family Logan was born in Dennistoun, Glasgow, a member of a famil ...

- Mr. Dryden *

Ronni Ancona Veronica "Ronni" Jane Ancona (born 4 July 1966)''England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007'' is a British actress, comedian, impressionist and writer best known for ''The Big Impression'', which she co-wrote and starred in and ...

- Miss Dryden *

- Janitor

Awards

The film won the

FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...

prize at the Troia Film Festival.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Debt Collector, The 1999 films Scottish films Films set in Scotland Films set in Edinburgh Culture in Glasgow Films shot in Edinburgh Films produced by Graham Broadbent English-language Scottish films 1990s English-language films