The Tax Collector (2020) Movie Review

Critiquing a movie like "The Tax Collector" is akin to picking apart a dish that's so poorly cooked that it's almost impossible to pinpoint exactly what went wrong. It's a movie that is deeply incompetent and devoid of any redeeming qualities. It's rife with casual racism, bland characters, clichéd dialogue, incoherent plotting, and baffling editing. Above all, it's numbingly boring, which is perhaps the most insulting thing about it. If you're going to make a movie as lazily as this one, the least you could do is try to make it fun.

The story centers around David (Bobby Soto), a man who collects 30% of all gang activity and delivers it to the boss at the top, played by George Lopez against type. David is introduced as a family man who prays with his wife and kids before heading out to break some kneecaps with his muscle, Creeper (Shia LaBeouf). Creeper does all the glaring, while David does all the talking. They get what they need most of the time, but Ayer drops in hints about the fragility of their situation, of course, in the name of foreshadowing. Whether it's a haul that's $20k short or the return of an enemy named Conejo (Jose Conejo Martin), there are clearly storm clouds on the horizon. And, of course, Ayer opens his script by reminding us that it's almost time for David's daughter's Quinceañera, which is supposed to give us a reason to care. Unfortunately, it also sets the stage for all of the women in this film to become brutalized plot devices.

Everything about “The Tax Collector” is depressing, from its blatant Latinx gang stereotypes to its complete lack of filmmaking competence. The film's editing and plotting in the second half are so inept that it's hard to believe that it was made by the same director who produced "Harsh Times," "Fury," and "End of Watch." The acting is uniformly bad, and even talented performers like LaBeouf are wasted on this film. The protagonist, played by Soto, is a black hole in terms of development and performance. He's given no dialogue or behavior that feels recognizably human, which makes it difficult for anyone to care about his character.

The film is an exercise in macho, violent male cinema that's devoid of any point or purpose. It's all style and no substance, like watching someone play a bad video game about Latinx gang culture. The video game, in fact, would be more entertaining than this film.

It's hard to find anything positive to say about "The Tax Collector." The film is a complete waste of time and talent, and it's insulting to the audience's intelligence. It's hard to believe that a film this poorly made was greenlit and distributed in the first place. If you're looking for a movie that's actually worth your time, this is not it.

In conclusion, "The Tax Collector" is a film that is deeply incompetent on all levels. It traffics in lazy and offensive Latinx gang stereotypes while also failing to serve these stereotypes with even a modicum of filmmaking competence. The plot is incoherent, the characters lack depth, the dialogue is clichéd, and the editing is baffling. Despite having a talented cast, including Shia LaBeouf, who is wasted in a supporting role, the performances are bad to atrocious due to the lack of recognizable human behavior and dialogue. The film is an exercise in macho, violent male cinema that fails to have a point beyond style. In short, "The Tax Collector" is a terrible waste of time, and it's best to skip this one altogether.