One of my favorite martial arts action stars is Scott Adkins who has delivered not only some big screen action with films like Doctor Strange, but also led the charge in popular franchises like Ninja and Undisputed. Now he is reteaming with Savage Dog and Accident Man director Jesse V. Johnson for his latest film The Debt Collector co-starring Louis Mandylor and Michael Pare’, but does it offer up the expected action or will it not be a debt worth collecting?

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The Debt Collector follows a classically-trained martial artist who goes to work as a debt collector for the mob taking on a job that seems easy enough until one “client” pulls him into a situation more dangerous and deadly than he ever expected. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the trailer to this one, but I knew it had to be something fun with Adkins and Johnson involved and I wasn’t disappointed. The story is really simple and nothing overly original, but the dynamic between Adkins and Mandylor makes it feel fresh and fun. The overall film reminded me of the 80s and 90s action flicks with Mandylor reinventing the down and out style character in a way that is familiar but all his own.

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Adkins and Johnson have created a great partnership with yet another fun martial arts action film, but this time a bit more light hearted and funny. Adkins brings his usual martial arts awesomeness to the table, but they did ground his style a bit more than usual so that it would work better for the character. Have no fear that doesn’t mean they aren’t still bad ass fight scenes because they still offer up everything the fans want from an Adkins film. I was actually more surprised by how many fights there were because I thought it was going to be more gun play. While that stuff is there it takes a back seat to the ass kicking of Adkins doing his thing.

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The film offers some laughs and great action all leading to a heavier ending than I expected which in turn makes the overall film work way better. There aren’t many bonus features here other than deleted scenes, but if you are a fan of martial arts films or just Adkins himself then check out The Debt Collector when it hits DVD on June 5th from Sony Entertainment.