SPIRAL FROM THE BOOK OF SAW REVIEW — ROCK-ING GOOD TIME!
This could be the start of a brand new exciting direction for the whole franchise.
Honestly, the Saw franchise had been a really bad run. The last couple of films were generic rehashing of the same formula with characters that we lost interest in after the first 5 minutes of their introduction. The films became an extended showcase for inventive traps of death with a sprinkle of “who-is-the-new-Saw-killer” added in. The plot, acting, adding something new and refreshing to the franchise — these all became unimportant. No wonder creator Leigh Whannell walked away.
“One of the reasons I had to step away from the Saw films I felt was that I couldn’t think up any more ways to creatively kill somebody, or dismember them. I was like, ‘I’m burned out on this.’ And they kept going and making those movies, but I just had to step away.”
So what makes Spiral different? Two words — Chris Rock.
Never a name that guarantees bums on seats, Chris Rock is synonymous with stand-up comedy and not with dramatic acting. This makes his gritty turn here as the lead character — Detective Zeke Banks — all the more impressive, especially as he was also the movie's emotional center. Samuel L Jackson is the other big name here as Zeke’s father retired Police Chief Marcus Banks, but in my opinion woefully underused. Max Minghella is Zeke’s partner Detective William Schenk and choir boy foil to Chris’s jaded wise-cracking, hard-truth-spitting character. And it is this combination that really drives the film forward in the opening quarter, with Chris given free rein to incorporate his trademark comedic quips into the script, injecting some much-needed humor to balance out the gore and the dread. In fact, it is this infusion of comedy that truly differentiates Spiral from the rest of the movies within the Saw franchise which tends to take itself a little too seriously.
Another change was the character development. Without the burden of having to find some tenuous link to John Kramer or for some ludicrous sin that the victims committed in the past, the characters in Spiral have more depth and we feel more emotionally invested in them and their subsequent torture via the trademark traps. Although the new Jigsaw killer is a dead giveaway — pun fully intended — at least his motivation is plausible and relatable, which is more than what can be said for the later additions of the Saw franchise.
Thankfully the plot is simple and straight to the point. Cops are being killed by a copycat Jigsaw killer. Zeek has to find out who it is, and why. Though the Who is obvious enough, the Why might take a little bit of guessing, which keeps things interesting. At least there is no pressure to have to somehow tie the story to the Jigsaw killer’s legacy and this really frees the story to be more of a straight-up murder mystery which even non Saw fans can enjoy.
The ending was a little abrupt though and a little bit of a letdown. However, if Zeek does get “converted” -a little bit of a spoiler there- the possibility of exploring the ramifications of that decision could make for a delicious follow-up film.
Verdict — If you are a Saw fan, watch it. If you aren’t, watch it anyway. Ain’t going to be a classic, but it's pretty good fun.
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