Skip Tracer Can. 1977 Dir: Zale R Dalen
Low budget tale of the ambitious loan agent (tracing 'skips' who have defaulted on payment) culminating in his juggling of customers plight with personal conscience. In England, first seen on terrestrial television early to mid 1980's on BBC2's forerunner to the Moviedrome collections.
The mental angst of the hunter grabs your intetest at the outset, but it slowly develops into vulnerability, demonstrating that pressure can make you thrive, but can also leave the door open to compromise and ultimately weaken you. It sets out as a study in power, developing into empathy and ultimately redemption.
Vancouver is set as an unspectacular backdrop; it's portrayed modesty is a comfort - ordinary City, ordinary people like the Skip Tracer. The violence is justified by the subject matter as are the flirtations with sleaze.
I have been hooked from that first showing and it is now 2018, a good time to edit my original review. Skip Tracer was a promising personal vehicle for Peterson. His character, John Collins, made an impression on me. The man was so natural, it didn't seem like acting at all. Effortless and effective - that is a gift. The movie was more popular in England than in Canada; I dont know why? Perhaps because Canadians didnt find it out of the ordinary - I did. Urban Vancouver looked good to me. It is a unique film memory, which has become an English cult following.
