The Death Collector
| Family Enforcer | |
|---|---|
DVD cover
|
|
| Directed by | Ralph De Vito |
| Produced by | Peter S. Davis William N. Panzer |
| Written by | Ralph De Vito |
| Starring |
Joseph Cortese Joe Pesci Frank Vincent Bobby Alto |
| Music by | Jake Stern |
| Cinematography | Bob Bailin |
| Edited by | Dominique Milbank |
| Distributed by | Goldstone Film Enterprises |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Death Collector (also known as The Family Enforcer) is a 1976 low-budget crime film directed by Ralph De Vito and starring Joseph Cortese, Joe Pesci and Frank Vincent. Also sometimes entitled Family Enforcer, it was Ralph De Vito's first and last effort as a director and Joe Pesci's first billed appearance in a movie.
Pesci and Vincent's performances in the film were met with high critical acclaim. Actor Robert De Niro saw the film and recommended them to director Martin Scorsese for Raging Bull, which was the start of De Niro's numerous collaborations with Pesci and Vincent.
Jerry Bolanti, a Mafia-connected hoodlum, is released from jail and is looking for a job. During this very uncertain and stressful transitional period, he plays the field to help stay relaxed. He discovers almost by accident that he has a talent for debt collecting and intimidation. He then decides to pay a visit to a mid-level wiseguy acquaintance and offer up his services.
His first task is to collect from a certain Bernie Feldshuh. Before he can deliver the swag to his capo, he is intercepted by Bernie's henchmen, who take back the money and leave him for dead. Jerry returns to Bernie's home while still healing from his gunshot wounds and extracts a moderate amount of retribution. Bernie's response is to hire a top-notch assassin named Marley to take down Jerry as well as the lawyer named Herb Greene who commissioned him to collect on the debt in the first place. An unfortunate secretary becomes collateral damage. Jerry's boss Anthony learns of the deed and sends a man of his own to even the score. An unfortunate bodyguard becomes collateral damage, and Jerry never does recover the $28,000.
His next assignment is to team up with enforcers Joe and Serge to conduct a raid on a shop manager for $40,000 that he may or may not have "owed" to somebody. But Bernie's newly hired hitman Marley is watching and waiting for an opportunity to take Jerry down. This proves disastrous for the entire operation. After the heist, the trio of gangsters heads over to a hotel room to count out the profits and celebrate a little.
While Jerry is downstairs in the hotel restaurant their secret adversary, Marley assassinates both Serge and Joe. He makes off with the money as well. At this point, Jerry's handler Tony begins accusing him of keeping the loot for himself. He refuses to believe that Jerry could make off with so much money, only to immediately lose it all again. Nobody could possibly be that incompetent. Jerry manages to tease out the contractor's identity from a restaurateur named Spinoza. He hunts Marley down and terminates his career in a field of tall grass.
...
Wikipedia