Saw VI
Another Halloween, another “Saw.”
Jigsaw is back to his old tricks. Well, Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) is. He’s the one who has taken up Jigsaw’s mantle of torture since John Kramer (Tobin Bell) died at the end of “Saw III.”
This time, however, he’s going after some real sleazeballs. Insurance company types. Fitting, isn’t it, what with health care being the big issue of late.
These guys are predators. It might be cruel (and Lord knows it’s gruesome…this one really is over-the-top in the gore department), but come on, who hasn’t been screwed by and insurance company at one point or another?
Screenwriters Marcus Dunston and Patrick Melton (who took on the franchise with “Saw IV” after their low-budget “Project Greenlight” script for “Feast”) have taken this franchise and helped turn it on its’ ear, finding smart & incisive ways to not only add to Kramer’s character after his death, but also carrying on with the work after he is too sick physically to do it alone, whether it’s with victim-turned-ally Amanda (Shawnee Smith) and Hoffman.
What they’ve wrought for “Saw VI”- and yes, “Saw VII” is set for 3-D release next year- takes things to a new, unnerving level. Is it “scary” in any way? Not really- just stomach-churning. Director Kevin Greutert has learned his craft well from his predecessors in the series. The traps are just as clever. The people just as important to the story, just in need of a moral rehabilitation.
What separates this franchise from the likes of “Halloween,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” and “Friday the 13th” is the focus of a conyinuing story on top of the formula.
Take John’s wife Jill (Betsy Russell). There’s a poignance in their relationship- they devoted their lives to helping people get back on their feet. But a tragedy with their unborn child changed that, and changed John. And Jigsaw was born.
Will my review change your mind as to whether to watch this or any of the series or not? Probably not, and it’s probably for the best. If you’re squimish, this series isn’t for you. If you can stand a little gore (correction, a lot of gore), this is a franchise worth discovering for yourself. Just don’t expect it to end anytime soon.
