However, Indiewire didn’t find those details to be obvious in the final film, making the character still problematic.
Much of the pre-release buzz surrounding The Tax Collector circled around the character of Shia Lebeouf, who, it appeared, was supposed to be playing a Latino character in the film.
Director David Ayer clarified that LeBeouf’s character is actually a Jewish kid who grew up on the streets and has largely assimilated the culture.
While that review does largely praise Bobby Soto’s performance, it finds the rest of the film so rough that it becomes difficult for Soto to do much with what he has.