Today’s Prayer Focus

The Collector

MPA Rating: R-Rating (MPA)

for pervasive sadistic bloody violence, language and some sexuality/nudity.

Moral Rating:	Extremely Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience:	Adults
Genre:	Crime Horror Thriller
Length:	1 hr. 28 min.
Year of Release:	2009
USA Release:	July 31, 2009 (wide—1325 theaters)

Relevant Issues

Debts

Debt in the Bible

FINANCES—How can I spend my money more wisely? Answer

CREDIT CARDS—Should a Christian have or use credit cards? Answer

MONEY in the Bible

INVESTING—Does the Bible share any wisdom about investing? Answer

Other

Snares in the Bible

About murder in the Bible

Death in the Bible

Final judgment

Husband

Wife

Anger in the Bible

Featuring	Madeline Zima, Josh Stewart, Andrea Roth, Daniella Alonso, Juan Fernández, Robert Wisdom, Michael Reilly Burke, Krystal Mayo, Karley Scott Collins, Diane Ayala Goldner, Gregory Alan Williams, Alexander Feldman, Haley Pullos, Bill Stinchcomb, Michael Showers, Hiro Koda, Colvin Roberson, John Snell, Jabari Thomas, Eric Kelly McFarland
Director	Marcus Dunstan
Producer	Fortress Features, Imaginarium Entertainment Group, Courtney Balaker, Tighe Michael Curran, Brett Forbes, Michael Gozzard, Jennifer Hilton, Mickey Liddell, Christopher Lockhart, Julie Richardson, Patrick Rizzotti, Ron Cosmo Vecchiarelli, Ben Weiss
Distributor	Freestyle Releasing

“He always takes one.”

Here’s what the distributor says about their film: “‘The Collector’ follows the story of handyman and ex-con Arkin, who aims to repay a debt to his ex-wife by robbing his new employer’s country home. Unfortunately, for Arkin, a far worse enemy has already laid claim to the property—and the family. As the seconds tick down to midnight, Arkin becomes a reluctant hero trapped by a masked ‘Collector’ in a maze of lethal invention—the Spanish Inquisition as imagined by Rube Goldberg—while trying to rescue the very family he came to rob.”

Editor’s Note: Bottomline—This perverse and violent movie is definitely one to avoid. We will not be screening this film. Be warned of the following content: pervasive sadistic bloody violence, including torture, impalement, neck breaking, finger cut off, intestines, self mutilation, stabbed in the eye, stabbed in the ear, animal killing, topless woman, hung by hook, gore, head bashed in, throat ripping, language, etc.

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.

Movie Critics

…“The Collector” feels like the final, welcome nail in the bizarrely popular torture-porn coffin.

Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle

…Hyper-violent slicer-dicer takes its time getting to the dismemberments, disembowelments and death by bear trap, but the execution, so to speak, is first-rate. Pic shows utter disregard for auds' gastrointestinal well-being…

John Anderson, Variety

…“The Collector” signals much of what’s wrong with torture porn. It’s a brainless pastiche that attempts to revitalize a genre by out-grossing-out the slasher films of the recent past. … The film’s overwrought and under-developed sense of atmosphere, full of obnoxious techno music and lots of close-ups, does not justify the glaring plot holes, only reminding us that these guys have no greater ambition than to show off their sick toys…

Simon Abrams, Slant Magazine

Positive

Positive—When I was driving home from the theater, the significance of the spiders shown throughout finally hit me. They trap their prey and slowly mutilate them. So it is with the antagonist of “The Collector.” Hopefully, that gives some indication of the superfluous amount of grisly material.

Taking your child and I mean CHILD (anyone under 18) to this is as reckless as leaving them unattended in a remote corner of Wal-Mart. You just wouldn’t do it. So don’t take ‘em to this movie.

Nota Bene: The cat and the dog both have doubles listed in the credits. I think that’s AWESOME. Between that, the beats, and the eponymous boogeyman’s face, I award a whopping 7 outta 10.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Very Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 3½

Mega Tron, age 23 (USA)