A Debt Can Be Settled, But Not Erased: Netflix Releases Main Trailer for Thai Action Thriller ‘The Debt Collector’

Can a person ever truly repay the debts of their past?

Netflix's upcoming Thai action thriller, The Debt Collector , attempts to answer this question. The main trailer and poster for the film dropped today, bringing together one of Thailand's most beloved leading men, Nadech Kugimiya, in the most dramatic transformation of his career, alongside DAOU Pittaya Saechua in a role unlike anything audiences have seen from him before. Premiering globally on July 23, the film marks the Netflix debut for both leading men and introduces a dark, complex world where every act of violence carries a consequence - and every character has a debt of their own.

Directed by Surapong Ploensang and produced by Nalina Chayasombat for Jungka Studio, The Debt Collector was inspired by the realities of illegal lending, loan sharks, and the violence surrounding debt collection. Surapong set out to create an action film where the action itself carries emotional weight - one where audiences feel not only the impact of every punch, but also the guilt, consequence, and moral choices behind it.

At the center of the story is Num, played by Nadech Kugimiya, a former debt collector burdened by his past sins. After prison and a terminal illness leave him with little time remaining, he attempts to walk away from the life he once knew. But when he becomes entangled in another act of brutality, he is forced back into a world he hoped never to see again - and into one final fight for redemption.

For Nadech, the role represented one of the biggest creative challenges of his career. To become Num, he underwent a significant physical transformation, stripping away the familiar image audiences had associated with him for more than a decade. Tattoos, scars, weathered skin, and physical exhaustion became part of the character's identity as he worked to disappear into a man haunted by guilt and running out of time. Not a conventional hero, but someone shaped by regret, moral ambiguity, and the question of whether some debts can ever truly be repaid.

"Another interesting aspect of the character, which I don't usually play, is the character's depth, the way he expresses his feelings and emotions," says Nadech. "I'm someone who, when I act or feel something, I express it a lot through my facial muscles or body language. But in this project, I had to swallow all those feelings."

Standing opposite him is DAOU Pittaya Saechua as Po, the volatile son of a powerful loan shark whose hunger for power and recognition pushes him toward increasingly dangerous choices. For DAOU, the role marks a significant departure from the characters audiences know him for. "It was different from simply playing a typical leading man or being in a romance story," he says. "I wanted to see whether I could truly bring this character to life and make audiences believe it. If people end up hating the character, I would actually consider that a success."

The pairing creates an unexpected dynamic between two actors audiences think they know, placing both in unfamiliar territory and allowing them to reveal entirely new sides of themselves on screen.

The trailer offers a first look at that collision. Through long-take fight sequences, brutal street-level action, and moments of intense emotional confrontation, The Debt Collector builds toward a clash between two men shaped by the same system in very different ways. Yet beneath the action lies a deeper story about consequence. Every major character in the film carries a burden - whether financial, emotional, or moral - and must ultimately decide what they are willing to sacrifice in order to escape it.

More than a story about debt collectors, the film is a story about the debts people carry throughout life: debts of guilt, debts of responsibility, debts owed to others, and debts owed to themselves. It is a story about people trying to move forward despite the mistakes, scars, and consequences that continue to follow them.

The Debt Collector premieres July 23, only on Netflix.