Name-dropping is an extremely common tactic in cinema, and much to the chagrin of movie fans who would just as soon save twenty bucks, it usually works. I suppose it would be difficult to not name-drop in some regard; how else, with the multitudes of movies many every year, would a film with no extremely well-known actors and actresses get any publicity at all? The pushers of The Collector therefore chose to highlight two individuals involved with Saw IV, V, and VI fame, no doubt hoping that Saw franchise followers, of which there are throngs, would see The Collector and make it an overnight hit. And me? Of fulfilling the name-dropping purpose, I am 100% guilty, but unfortunately, would just as soon have saved twenty bucks.
The opening of the film appears promising: a man and a woman return home to find their power off, and discover a strange box in their bedroom that moves menacingly. The ending of that scene, coupled with the imagery accompanying the electronic/industrial opening soundtrack, does in fact remind of Saw, but that's where the good similarities end.
The Collector's central actor Josh Stewart, who looks as if he could be Sean Penn's younger brother, plays Arkin, a longtime handyman for a rich family. Arkin's ex-wife has apparently accrued a sum of debt with loan sharks, and is relying upon Arkin to get her enough money to appease them. Arkin, utilizing his ties with associates he met while in prison, enters an agreement with said associates whereby he will rob his employer in order to get money by midnight of the day in question. As it turns out, his employer, played by Michael Reilly Burke (of the titular role in indie flick Ted Bundy), is a jewel broker, and has a safe hidden in his bedroom that contains a very large gem. We also get glimpses into the lives of Burke's screen wife and two daughters, one a teen, and one much younger. So far, so good - a story not that much out of the ordinary, and an intriguing movie intro that implies Arkin will run into similar happenstance.
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