I believed that after years of being a film enthusiast, I had the skills to predict what would come next, but “The Collective” has proven me wrong. But in reality, there isn’t much to guess about because, for some people, the story is kind of predictable, while for others, it’s not, and a few simply say it’s cliché. The film is filled with decent and great actors. The Collective (2023), directed by Tom DeNucci, revolves around a man named Sam Alexander who becomes part of a group and becomes aware of the dark side of the world’s reality and other seemingly respectable people who aren’t that respectable after all.
It takes a film enthusiast with a keen eye for detail to appreciate choreography and cinematography, and that’s the case with The Collective. This film showcases the characters’ skills near perfectly, yet there’s still a missing visual flair. Similar to other films, there are still great aspects, but how promising is it really? I’ll delve into the details to help you decide whether it’s a must-watch or a pass.
The Collective (2023) Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis :
The film opens with the most wanted analyst, who has all the important details about all the members of The Collective. And Miro Lindell keeps the wanted analyst named Neely in his cage. Neely fears what Miro can and will do to him because he is known as a manipulative and dangerous guy among other affluent villains. Therefore, he gives all the information with no trouble to keep himself alive. Miro also has schemed plans that he presents to Neely at an auction held for the corrupt billionaires. Meanwhile, the head of the collective, William, grasps that the only person who can stop Miro from every illegal doing is somebody who shouldn’t be influenced by Neely yet.
They find Sam Alexander, a problematic candidate for the mission, because of his rebellious nature and putting Hugo’s life at risk in the past. Sam is too cocky and takes a test in a series of battles, but it seems like Liam thinks that his nature of being cocky will be a thing to defeat him. He surpasses the records set by all the prior agents, which makes him earn a definite spot in the collective. Liam gives him something special, like a brooch. Then Sam becomes an official member of the group.
Sam is still uncertain why he isn’t allowed to go out in the field, even though he won battles against opponents in simulated crime scenes and gun battles. His senior members are the ones who instruct him that before confronting criminals, one must first undergo training to gain experience. Everybody must be well-prepared for the danger waiting for them in crime scenes because they are worse in reality.
Sam’s response to his senior is that he had envisioned becoming the fastest person ever when he left his previous job at the DA’s office and then joined the collective. When he approaches Liam, who is also in the middle of having no choices, he realizes that Sam is his last resort. Liam thinks that Neely would not have the audacity to give all the information he holds on the collective to Miro, yet it is totally the opposite.
Even Hugo, the greatest of all his agents, was undermined. It happens to be Sam, the only one who’s not registered as a member, and Miro wouldn’t know that he is already a member of the collective at all. Sam goes to Liam to express dissatisfaction with his desk job. Hugo is busy, risking his life to rescue Neely when he attacks Miro’s place. While they are talking, Sam proves he is also intelligent and then indicates that attacking Miro in his apartment isn’t a bold move.
Liam sees potential in Sam as a field agent. Hugo survives, and if he dies, it would be totally useless as Miro has already moved Neely to a secret location. Sam and Hugo can be great teammates. Hugo will become Sam’s guide. Furthermore, Sam can get into Miro’s auction because he is the only collective member who hasn’t yet been exposed. When Sam meets Hugo, they don’t get along together. Hugo sees Sam as cocky due to winning in training. Meanwhile, Sam is eager to fight the villains in the field now.
After Hugo and Miro explain everything to Sam, he immediately understands that this matter is urgent. Neely has attracted multiple wicked billionaires willing to buy him in the auction without even considering the price. One problem they have is that everyone is clueless about the time and place of the auction. Sam uses skills he learned from his previous desk job and focuses on a man known as George Lee (who is a possible invitee to the auction).
One man known as Barry Vanderstorm actually died because he leaked information to other wrongdoers. Now, George is Barry’s friend. Subsequently, he wants to buy Neely in the auction to make him suffer as payback for his friend Barry. Hugo has to resist because if Miro knew Sam targeted an auction member, he might delay it and move Neely to another hidden location. Sam continues with his request, and Hugo is forced. The auction is approaching. Hugo doesn’t make any plan to get Neely, so he reluctantly agrees with Sam.
Sam starts to track down George, and he becomes the first person Sam kills up close. When Sam sees the disfigured body, he even takes a photo of it for paperwork. The auction location will be texted an hour before, so Sam waits at Hugo’s apartment. Meanwhile, Miro investigates the man caught on CCTV who kills his accomplices in his apartment. The CCTV clarifies that it is Hugo, and they can track him by his car’s license plate number. Miro appoints Nikita to hire killers to eliminate Hugo. But she’s unaware that Sam is with him. Hugo and Sam fight the killers, yet Nikita seemingly stabs Hugo.
The Collective (2023) Movie Ending, Explained:
How does Sam get into the auction?
While the auction is about to happen and Hugo still has no plans crafted or designated to get Neely, he goes with Sam’s plan. The location of the auction is going to be sent via text messages before the event starts. Therefore, he has to wait at Hugo’s place. Sam is lucky enough that he also receives the venue just in time. Miro is unaware that George is dead at that moment. When Sam kills George, he enters the auction and pretends to be George. He becomes sneaky and rescues everybody who has been locked up in Miro’s auction and also finds Neely there too.
Did Hugo manage to survive?
Sam abruptly hears Hugo’s voice and is glad he survived. When Sam escapes, he contacts Liam, who is mad at that time because of a wrongful assumption that Miro attacked Hugo because Sam killed George without consulting Liam. He is also concerned that the auction is delayed and Sam is in trouble. He warns Sam to avoid going after Miro as there are higher chances of him being ambushed. However, Sam doesn’t think much of it. Meanwhile, Hugo tries to recover in his cottage. But he can’t imagine letting Sam die. Sam manages to defeat Miro’s accomplices while Hugo helps him by keeping an eye on security cameras. They rescue Neely and other hostages and finally kill Miro. They all survive, including Hugo.
