A green agent comes into action in this pretty nifty popcorn film from Tom DeNucci.

After working for the D.A.’s office and finding it pretty boring, Sam Alexander is given a chance to join a secretive operative group known as the Collective. When he passes the test, he thinks he’s going to get on the field right away. However, it’s not the case as Sam starts out with looking at contracts. Meanwhile, Liam, the head of the Collective, is in a dilemma. Hugo, a Collective operative, has been attempting to stop Miro Lindell, a known human trafficker who may have kidnapped Neely, another operative.

When Hugo attempts to find Nero, he is nearly made and opts not to go in out of worry of being caught and killed. Liam decides to put Sam on the case as he’s not in the system yet. Hugo is pessimistic but decides to see what Sam is made of. When the duo attempts to find Miro, they are met with resistance from his team, led by the dangerous Nikita. When Hugo is nearly killed and sent to the hospital, Liam wants to abort the mission. However, Sam decides to continue the mission and stop Miro and his goons once and for all.

Having worked in crime dramas and horror, Tom DeNucci’s first foray in a full-blooded action film contains elements of the two genres DeNucci is known for. This film contains a top-secret government team taking on human traffickers who are sold to the highest bidders via auctions held by our villains.

Macgyver 2.0 himself, Lucas Till, takes the lead as Sam, a green agent who we see in the film’s opening show his skills as a test to join the titular Collective, led by Liam, played by the legendary Don Johnson. Johnson brings in a combination of stern authority and a bit of a smart-alecky style to the character while Tyrene Gibson, known for his buffoonish role of Roman in the Fast and Furious franchise proves here to go all serious in the role of Collective operative Hugo. When Hugo is practically made and targeted, Sam helps Hugo, which at first leads to a conflict between the two. However, albeit briefly, the two do work together well on an attempt to stop the villains and rescue kidnapped whistleblower Neely.

As for the villains, despite her brandishing a gun on the poster, Ruby Rose barely throws any action in the film as Daisy, the partner of main villain Miro Lindell, played by legendary actor Paul-Ben Victor. He’s the financier and crime boss while Daisy is the brains of the operation. However, considering this is an action film, there has to be some “muscle”. Enter Mercedes Varnado, who makes her feature film debut in the film as the ruthless enforcer Nikita. For those unfamiliar with that name, Varnado spent a good ten-plus-years in WWE as Sasha Banks and is currently in New Japan Pro Wrestling as Mercedes Moné. Varnado engages in two action scenes, one against Gibson and one against Till. With her background, she was able to get the choreography, by stunt coordinator Anthony Hoang, packed down and executes well. As for Till, his natural athleticism and training in martial arts come in hand with some fights. After all, he did get to fight Jackie Chan in The Spy Next Door.

The Collective is a pretty good action thriller which has little nuances of horror (humans chained and locked in cages) and crime drama, but overall fun entertainment. Lucas Till continues his rise as a future action star and Mercedes Varnado makes an excellent feature debut as the ruthless enforcer of the villains. A fun popcorn flick.

WFG RATING: B+

Quiver Distribution presents a Yale Productions production in association with Dawn’s Light. Director: Tom DeNucci. Producers: Jordan Beckerman, Jordan Yale Levine, and Richard Switzer. Writers: Jason James and Matthew Rogers. Cinematography: Alonso Homs. Editing:

Cast: Lucas Till, Don Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Paul-Ben Victor, Ruby Rose, Mercedes Varnado.

The film will be released in select theaters, VOD, and Digital on August 4.