BITE-SIZED REVIEW: The Debt Collector 2 (Jesse V. Johnson, 2020)

After surviving their last job, French (Scott Adkins) and Sue (Louis Mandylor) are back again. This time they have to claim three debts for a new client, someone who wants to make sure that the gruesome twosome are beaten and bloodied by the time they complete the assignment.

After the surprise of the original, I was looking forward to another day in the lives of the professional leg-breakers.

I liked Debt Collectors - particularly the rapport between the title characters. Adkins and Mandylor have a solid chemistry and the script finds ways to add more nuance and shading to them. 

Mandylor in particular gets more depth, as their latest job turns out to be far more personal than he initially lets on. 

The movie continues its prequel's emphasis on the pain and brutality our heroes have to endure. In a neat story development, French's unwillingness to get hurt puts the friends at odds just before the final showdown. While the story-telling is not that original, the script has a solid grasp of the character development.

Without the freshness of the original, this movie does feel a little bit short - I could have used some more scenes with French and Sue hanging out in Vegas, interacting with various weirdos. The ending also feels a tad neat, tying up the story far too cleanly.

If we can get a couple more movies out of the premise, I might feel more charitable about the movie. But as is, while the story is interesting and the actors are more secure in their roles, I could have used more time with them.

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