Why So Blu?

The Tax Collector (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

David (Bobby Soto) and Creeper (Shia LaBeouf), are “tax collectors” for the crime lord Wizard, collecting his cut from the profits of local gangs’ illicit dealings. But when Wizard’s old rival returns to Los Angeles from Mexico, the business is upended, and David finds himself desperate to protect what matters more to him than anything else: his family. Written and directed by David Ayer (Fury, Suicide Squad), the action/thriller stars Bobby Soto (The Quarry, A Better Life), Cinthya Carmona (A Dark Foe), George Lopez (River Runs Red) and Shia LaBeouf (Honey Boy, Fury). The Tax Collector was released in a STEELBOOK 4K UHD Blu-ray Best Buy EXCLUSIVE October 6, 2020. The Tax Collector 4K will be available at other major retailers starting December 8, 2020.

 

 

Film

David (Bobby Soto) and Creeper (Shia LaBeof) are friends and associates collecting “taxes” from just about every gang in Los Angeles for their crime lord boss. They spend their days shaking down gangsters, while talking about they want in life. They have quite the colorful stories to tell but are always grounded in reality. David is a God-fearing man who dedicates himself to his wife and kids. Creeper has allegiance to David and himself. He thrives and enjoys being the brutal enforcer of the two. David and Creeper’s world gets turned upside down when a new player comes into town to divide and conquer. Together they will see if they can level the playing field.

2020 has definitely been a crazy year. The buzz for certain films has been no different. The Tax Collector is writer-director David Ayer’s (Suicide Squad, Harsh Times) newest film. It garnered its fair share of controversy when people claimed that Shia LaBeof’s character of Creeper was “brownface.” This is completely false and I was actually surprised that some folks couldn’t see otherwise. In fact, Creeper isn’t the main character, it’s David. Bobby Soto carries the movie and Shia is only supporting character.

Set in Los Angeles, it does a great job illustrating the scope of the city and the work that main characters have to do in order to collect. When the new threat moves in, it makes David and Creeper seem short, because the new player town is brutal beyond their wildest imagination.

I enjoyed The Tax Collector and think it fits perfectly in Ayer’s urban landscape of films such as End of Watch, Harsh Times, and Street Kings. Call it an “Ayer-verse” if you want, but it’s up there. It’s also neat that this film was produced on the independent tip. Ayer got full control and was not hindered by studio interference like some of his bigger scale projects.

Personally, I think that Shia did a great job playing a white guy who grew up in East Los Angeles among the Latino population. I’m sure Creeper had friends that were gang members when he was growing up, so he has that same tone and inflection of speech that a “cholo” might have.  Shia did a great job in his portrayal of that. In any event, The Tax Collector deserves some love and it’s great that we are being treated with a 4K disc of the film. It’s one of the better films of the year.

 

Video

Encoding: HEVC / H.265

Resolution: 2160p (SDR 4K)

Dolby Vision: No

HDR: No

WCG: No

Size: BD-66

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Clarity/Detail: The Tax Collector does looks great on this 4K disc. Sharpness and contrast levels are quite stellar and give the overall film a nice sheen to it. It’s a gritty film, with some slickness to it, if that makes sense.

Depth: An HDR or Dolby Vision pass would have been epic but we are treated to a phenomenal looking SDR 4K. The aerial shots, and there are plenty, look great.

Black Levels: Black levels are deep and inky. Crush is not a factor here.

Color Reproduction: The color palette can look a bit muted here and there, but during certain interior shots, they really pop out.

Flesh Tones: Everyone has great complexions that are brought out by the higher resolution of this 4K presentation.

Noise/Artifacts: The film is gritty but there are no scenes involving noise, debris, or artifacts.

 

Audio

Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Dynamics: Again, a Dolby Atmos or DTS: X soundtrack would have been great, but we do get treated with a reference DTS-HD MA 5.1 that will rock your socks off. Certain scenes involving action and music will do some heavy damage to your audio system…in a good way.

Height: N/A

Low Frequency Extension: The LFE subwoofer channel bumps and thumps its way through the mean streets of L.A. in a classy fashion. The bass is clean and never sounds like it’s going conk out on you.

Surround Sound Presentation: The surround channels handle the ambient sounds from the various family gatherings and quinceañeria to the many scenes involving some epic gunfights. Duck for cover!

Dialogue Reproduction: Dialogue levels are clean and crisp. There are many scenes where characters speak in English and Spanish. The Spanish dialogue sequences has subtitles. There’s also a scene early on where two characters engage in a coded sign exchange. You will need to turn the English subtitles on to understand what they are saying.

 

Extras

This is one of those times that I really wish there was more supplemental materials than just three deleted scenes. An audio commentary at the very least would have been amazing. I would have even taken a a making-of or featurette.

• Deleted Scenes

 

Summary

The Tax Collector makes a fitting entry into David Ayer’s urban landscape films, along with Harsh Times, Street Kings, and End of Watch. The 4K lacks HDR/DV/Atmos, but it does have some reference level 4K SDR and an incredible DTS lossless track. The extras are lame, though. I think folks should give the film a chance. The Tax Collector is highly recommended!

 

DISCLAIMER: This 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray review was judged and graded using the following 4K certified Ultra HD Premium television set found HERE , 4K UHD Blu-ray player HERE, and Dolby Atmos 7.2 AVR HERE.  Make sure to check out all our 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray reviews archived HERE.  The images used above within the review are not actual 4K screenshots. They are for illustrative purposes only.  

 

 

 

The Tax Collector is now available at Best Buy

in an exclusive STEELBOOK edition!

 

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