Death Collector (1976)(dvd)

Synopsis: An underrated thriller in which young Joe Cortese gets a job as a debt collector and gets caught up in the mafia lifestyle, with suitably violent consequences. Although considered nothing more than a Mean Streets clone at the time, in retrospect director Ralph DeVito's gritty drama foreshadows many of the themes Martin Scorsese would later explore in GoodFellas and Casino. (Look out for Joe Pesci, the star of those two movies, in one of his earliest roles.) Great goon dialogue and quirky details set this apart from other gangster fables with a “crime doesn't pay” message.

Cast: Joe Cortese, Joe Pesci
Runtime: 88 min