From the writers of Saw IV through to Saw VII comes this ruthless, torture-porn horror flick with the tagline: "He always takes one".
For handyman and ex-con Arkin (Josh Stewart), a job fixing up a quiet home with it's family occupants on vacation is an 'opportunity'. Inside the house is a safe, and inside the safe is a gem – his only hope for repaying a debt to his ex-wife and keeping what’s left of his family intact. Unfortunately for Arkin, inside the house is also a box containing the latest addition to a collection catalogued in blood, bones and tears. As the seconds tick down to midnight, Arkin becomes a reluctant hero – trying to save the family he came to rob who are trapped by a masked 'Collector' in a maze of lethal invention.
Ah, torture porn. Filling the gap in the horror market since whenever it was that Japanese horror films ceased being relevant. This entry into the sub-genre is a pretty much a textbook example of the style, its perceived strengths and more frequently its glaring flaws.
Before the carnage ensues, a minimal plot is laid down with most characters only getting a solitary scene to win the audience’s sympathy. Unfortunately it’s all very perfunctory and none of them come off as particularly likeable. Maybe that’s because in this type of horror you’re meant to covertly identify with the killer.
Taken in isolation, some of the horror scenes are pretty good but they’re laid out through the running time in haphazard fashion. There doesn’t seem any effort to structure them to build to bigger and bigger moments. Some of the most frightening stuff comes early, meaning later scenes can’t get an effective response. Not helping on this front are unexplained circumstances and plot holes that start cropping up as we get closer to the big finale. The pounding soundtrack isn’t the most appropriate for a film where most of the action involves sneaking around, either.
As is typical with this kind of stuff, the ending the leaves the door open for a sequel. Let’s hope not, as the first installment delivers gruesomeness but not a whole lot else.
By Andreas Heinemann, Flicks.co.nz
Fantastic movie, i normally don't like movies of this kind like Saw etc. but there was something different about this one, no real big names and the storyline was a little drab, but the suspense, drama and action made the movie believable, throw in a little gore and you have a complete movie, I would have given it a 5 if not for the predictable ending, all in all a fantastic movie, probably my best thriller for 2011
I liked the hero but ended up just making me feel sad, couldnt watch again
unless you really like saw and the like, i found this ludercious, and in the end hillerious, watched it only to find out what would come next of the wacky touture coming, not my cup of tea
Now i like my horror flicks & knowing very little about this movie when I saw it I was keen to see what it would be like.. and.. it was.. well.. average. I didnt hate it & i sure didnt love it but it was ok. The plot was wobbly & it had so much potential but failed to deliver on all counts. If you are a Saw or Hostel fan my recommendation would be not to watch it.. its plot isnt nearly as good & the characters shakey. Best wait for DVD...
looking at all the bad reviews i cant believe we were watching the some movie? i thought this movie was great, and i highly recommend it to people that like this genre.
Unless you're a big fan of the genre, The Collector is something you endure rather than enjoy.
A nerve-fraying new take on the home-invasion horror.
In the absence of a sturdy, plausible foundation on which to hook all those grisly bits, the film, originally a Dimension release, tends to play out more like a protracted "Saw" outtake reel.
Either you go for this sort of extreme, senseless gore or you don't. With its plot and lead performance, The Collector is, at least, an unusual specimen.
Offers agony in a vacuum, a villain without a motive and a hero with more personal problems than lines of dialogue.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 12th Aug 2010.
Release date: August 12th 2010.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
