Deadly Business

Trailer—Deadly Business

Deadly Business_720p(480P)

source: Deadly Business

I saw this little gem of a film on the two occasions when it was shown on British television in the late 70s/early 80s. It came out at the time when American cinema was rediscovering the blockbuster, courtesy of Spielberg and Lucas. That, along with its country of origin, may have been to its disadvantage. Skip Tracer had more in common with downbeat urban films like Coppola's The Conversation and some of the other early 70s 'New Hollywood' fare. It's a film about a 'company man' who has desensitised himself in the service of 'The Company' and gradually starts to feel he's had enough of it. The pivotal points coming when he's attacked and stabbed by one of his debtors and, at the end, when he discovers just how far another of his 'skips' has been driven. His growing tiredness with his job is contrasted with the transformation of his raw, rookie sidekick into an ambitious new 'company man' for the future. Someone to carry on winning the 'employee of the year' awards after his mentor has moved on. This is an excellent and criminally under-rated film. A DVD release and screenings at film festivals are long overdue. See it if you get the chance.

Another 70's low budget film! Many of these quick and fast low budget movies were made for tax ride offs from the Canadian Film Development corporation. A Liberal policy back in the 70's and my dad would say let's skip this one; another tax ride off film! Well I watched Skip Tracer and the movie actually started out strong. A harden repo man and many of the trades and tricks from real life are added to the script. What works is the Collins character as a hard edge collector doing a hard hearted job. Regrettable, the bottom two thirds of the film is hurt by quick and fast filming on a low budget! I think if a bit more time and money would of given the film better take. Like seeing Vancouver as another West Coast city instead of the over crowding of today. 6 stars.

Skip Tracer tells the story of John Collins, a collections agent, whose entire job is to lean on poor people for their outstanding debts, after they have taken out predatory loans, that leave them with a lien on everything they own. Collins' job is to get the money they owe, by any means necessary. If they are unable to pay in the allotted time, he will shamelessly repossess all their worldy possessions, without a second thought. He's so good at his job...that he's been "Man of the Year" at his company, for 4 years running. But it's conditioned him to become, nothing short of, a psychopath in the process. This year, however...he's set to face a reckoning. As he not only gets stabbed by a hockey mask wearing culprit (which may or may not have acted as the inspiration for the Jason character from the Friday The 13th movies). But is forced to reflect on his very nature...when his actions...lead to consequences that he simply cannot ignore. Ultimately leading to his redemption in the conclusion of the film. I caught this on 16mm at a Canadian National Film Day screening at my local microcinema. Going into it with low expectations...fully expecting that it was going to be super cheesey, and all around trashy. Only to be pleasntly surprised to find that it was actually a pretty solid film, that is both competently constructed and generally quite well done. I must admit that I rather quite enjoyed it. Having been shot in Vancouver, it might not be the easiest example of cultural Canadiana to find. But if you can track it down, it's certainly a worthwhile film to watch. As, on top of being a pretty decent film, it also acts a cool little time capsule of Vancouver in the 70's. So definitely give it a shot if you do. 6 out of 10.

I have wanted to see this movie for years and will get a chance on Monday, February 1st, 2016 at the Cinematheque in Vancouver, with director Zale Dalen attending! I'll post a review then. Skip Tracer Canada 1977. Dir: Zale Dalen. 95 min. DCP ZALE DALEN IN ATTENDANCE! ► "One of the most satisfying features ever made on the West Coast" (Colin Browne), Zale Dalen's legendary low-budget Vancouver film, a gritty, energetic urban drama from 1977, has lately been reclaimed as a classic of Canuxploutation cinema. David Petersen is impressive as a zealous debt collector/repo man out to retain his company's "Man of the Year" award. To accomplish the feat, he mercilessly harasses an indebted car salesman, meanwhile teaching the ruthless ropes of his trade to a new hire. Skip Tracer earned international kudos for skilfully capturing the day-to-day milieu of debt collecting and caustically critiquing consumerist values. "In Dalen's film the city of Vancouver is a character. It's an urban labyrinth filled with car lots, parking lots, cheap buildings, tacky offices, noisy streets, junky building sites, unhappy suburbs, and tawdry bars ... Dalen has managed to portray a part of the city's soul" (Browne). DCP courtesy of Library and Archives Canada

Hollywood Suite in Canada (On Demand subscription service available from Telus) has recently added this film to their 1970s library. It's a fun watch to see Vancouver landmarks from the late '70 in the late decade before a development boom for the City of Vancouver. Low budget made-for-TV feel. I'd never heard of this Canadian production until I stumbled across it on Hollywood Suite as of November 2022. Synopsis says, "An accomplished repo man from Vancouver takes a new hire under his wing, while their morals and limits are tested on the job." Date says 1977 and stars John Lazarus and David Petersen. Runtime is 1 hr 34 mins.

This grainy, grimy filmed story of a collection agency superstar (top guy four years running) is one brutal unrelenting piece of dark independent cinema. Director writer Zale Dalen in economically imaginative fashion follows the day to day efforts of an unctuous process collector John Collins (David Petersen) and the sadistic delight he gets on forclosing on anything that isn't nailed down, perfectly summed up as he reposesses a small TV set that a child is watching cartoons on. Played with a very effective bland indifference by Petersen, Dalen makes no attempt to soften Collins or his pond scum associates. "You wanna be loved be a minister," roars one in a sleazy strip joint scene that beautifully sums up the depraved lifestyle and occupation. In addition to his uncompromising storyline, Dalen does some interesting work with his soundtrack to emphasize pressure and inner turmoil as Collins deconstructs and makes a desultory attempt at redemption but not before a brutally powerful reckoning that makes this bleak story bleaker. Unrelenting grim stuff.

Yes, James Cornish is correct, this film has appeared on British TV and like most Canadian productions was well crafted. If memory serves me well it concerns a skip tracer who is exceptionally effective at his job but after seeing the misery his actions cause develops a conscience and makes a complete u-turn. I think the cast was of mainly unknowns but if anyone knows if it is available on video then I'd like to hear from you.