The Tax Collector: ‘Dreadful’ and ‘barely coherent’ Shia LaBeouf film most-watched new film in US

Crime thriller is one of the year's worst-reviewed films

New crime thriller The Tax Collector, starring Shia LaBeouf, has topped the US charts despite being being torn apart by critics.

The movie, which is written and directed by Suicide Squad’s David Ayer, follows LaBeouf and Bobby Soto as two enforcers for a crime lord who run into trouble when an old rival reappears.

After more than a month at the top of the chart compiling the most-watched film at home, Universal’s animated hit Trolls World Tour was finally toppled by Ayer’s film, which amassed $2m (£1.5m) in video-on-demand sales.

According to Forbes, while The Tax Collector faced minimal competition due to the global pandemic, it also topped the domestic charts, taking $307,00 (£235,000).

This is perhaps a surprise considering just how scathing the film’s reviews were.

Variety’s Peter Debruge said the film is “barely coherent and about as fun as having your face dragged across asphalt from a moving SUV”.

The New York Times‘ Jeannette Catsoulis described the film’s plot as “madly illogical”.

Some lambasted the film for perpetuating negative stereotypes of Latino people, with The Los Angeles Times writer Carlos Aguilar saying: “One of the most atrocious viewing experiences of the year, The Tax Collector relies on a trite visual language built on obvious flashbacks and bland imagery that match the unimaginatively dreadful writing where every Latino in sight is a gangster.”

‘The Tax Collector’ has topped the charts despite being torn apart by critics (RLJE Films)

Earlier this year, Ayer was forced to defend LaBeouf’s role after it was suggested he was playing a character of Latin-American descent.

However, the Suicide Squad filmmaker said that, while LaBeouf’s character is influenced by Latino culture, the actor is in fact playing a white man.

It is worth noting that the home release charts – compiled by DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group – do not include films release on streaming services, including Netflix or Disney+.