The movie The Tax Collector, starring Shia Labeouf in a minor role, revolves around a troubled military vet who stumbles across a kidnapping with great scientific implications. He partners with a prostitute to help a young escapee and finds a world far more complex, cutthroat, and dangerous than they could ever imagine.
The film takes place in the same universe as the films Training Day and Harsh Times, all written by director David Ayer. The Blood gang member character Bone” (portrayed by Cle Sloan) appeared in Training Day. The film also references the existence of the fictional Latino gang “Hillside Trece,” which was the gang Alonzo Harris had dealings with in Training Day, and the gang is mentioned in Harsh Times as well.
Shia LaBeouf reportedly tattooed his entire chest in preparation for the role of the “tax collector.” In reality, the tattoos are henna, not real ink.
Earlier in the year, the movie made headlines when people accused LaBeouf of being in ‘brownface’ for portraying a Latino character despite being a white Jew, a claim that Ayer has refuted.
Critics savage gangland crime thriller The Tax Collector panning Shia LaBeouf’s ‘two-bit Latino burlesque’ performance with a script ‘written for video game cutscenes’ and many calling it one of the worst movies ever made.
The Tax Collector generated $317,000 at the box office its first weekend in 129 theaters in the United States.
The movie brought in $2,457 from each location — a mix of drive-in venues and traditional theaters.
Arriving on premium video-on-demand services the same day as movie theaters, the film ranked among the top purchases on many platforms, including Google, iTunes, Amazon and FandangoNow, with reports that it pulled in around $1 million in VOD sales.
