In 2004, James Wan and Leigh Whannell delivered a film that was special with the first Saw. It defied expectations with its twists and turns. And culminating in that iconic end scene that we love so much with “Hello Zepp” playing.
Darren Lynn Bousman than jumped aboard the Saw train and delivering the next three films. For me, they are some of my favorites of the franchise. Especially with the interconnected storylines that flow throughout them. They all are completely solid. And in the case of II, it upped the game.
After Bousman left, the kinetic energy that he provided started to waver. For some fans, they started to see the films as cookie cutters. Just with a new design of traps. And some traps may have felt a little simple or they harkened back to a previous trap.
When I heard that Chris Rock would be joining the franchise with Bousman returning to direct, I was a little flabbergasted. I was very unsure of what to expect. Chris Rock is best known as being a funny man. What could he bring to a Saw film?
As more news of Rock’s involvement spread, we learned that he had a hand in pitching the idea for the film. I was a bit shook. I took a deep breath and wanting to take the film with an open mind.
Then the word came of Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger returning to write the film. They had previously written Jigsaw. Many people have had quite a few bad things to say about that film. However, I enjoyed it a lot. Yeah, it felt in line with the previous films. But it just had a bit of a distinct feel to it.
I watched the first trailer and my excitement for this franchise began to renew. I understand now how the people growing up with Elm Street and Friday the 13th felt because this is how Saw was for me.
And then the news came of Samuel L. Jackson being involved in the film. This was something I never expected in a million years. But it also helps illustrate that this isn’t your typical Saw film. This is something different. Something special.
And then the pandemic happened throwing the release date in disarray. Goodbye October release that Saw is known for. But in the back of my mind, I was okay with it.
After waiting so long, I finally had the chance to sit down and watch Spiral. Everybody that worked on this film delivered in my opinion.
The main summary of the film goes like this “A criminal mastermind unleashes a twisted form of Justice.”. That’s roughly a good summary of the film. It’s vague. Ultimately that sounds like a summary for one of the other films.
This is different. I have seen a lot of bad reviews towards Spiral. I personally think it’s because it is different. It is an evolution for the franchise. A necessary one.
And the film immediately sets the tone that this is a different type of Saw film with its opening. The opening is very brutal. It left me with my mouth open in shock. Then a smile came to my face. I had the feeling that this was going to be something new. It was a similar feeling I had with all of the Bousman-led Saw films. And it just took me back to seeing Saw II at the theater with my Dad on opening day.
After the opening, we are quickly introduced to Zeke (Chris Rock). He butts heads with his Captain – Angie (Marisol Nichols), who assigns him a partner, William (Max Minghella). William and Zeke uncover that this new Jigsaw copycat is targeting crooked police officers. And Zeke’s father, Marcus (Samuel L. Jackson) checks on his son.
Immediately, I thought back over the past year to everything that happened that was Police related. It helped the film hit differently for me. And also added a different feel. Yeah, we seen other cops in Saw films – but they weren’t specifically targeted. Largely, they would get in the way (exception being Detective Matthews). This felt like a very topical film now than may have hit back in October.
The acting in this film is incredible. It elevates the film to a new standard. Everyone is literally on their A-game. It was difficult for me to find fault with anyone’s performance in this film. They were their characters. And that helped create a living breathing world. Something that in the later Saw films had a hard time with.
Chris Rock’s performance is incredible. I was expecting something with a bit of humor. I wasn’t ready for Chris Rock as a hardened character. Zeke’s been through a lot. It’s something I haven’t seen before from him. I hope that we continue to see more of these performances from him.
Samuel L. Jackson does a great job as Marcus. The chemistry between them is very strong and I could buy them as father and son. This was not the ham Samuel L. Jackson (example: Snakes on a Plane). He is a caring father that will do whatever he can to help his son.
Marisol Nichols did a great job as Angie. She had a very strong presence and it’s easy to see why Zeke looks up to her. It’s about the amount of respect that they have for one another. And that’s on a level that she had with Marcus.
As for Max Minghella, I have seen some of his other performances. (Great example being the movie Horns. If haven’t seen it, I recommend it.) He always delivers a solid performance. In this film, it is lifted up to another level. He is able to be relatable and leaving you wanting to know more about his character. He also does well with delivering a strong presence as well.
The tone for this film is different than the previous Saw films. Well, the more I think about it, it does feel in tone with the original Saw. Which is that grunge Se7en feeling. It feels like a solid return.
The pacing is also fantastic. It didn’t feel like it was a slow burn. It sets up things quickly then just dives off in a very good way. It never left me wishing the film would hurry up and be over.
The traps and gore. It wouldn’t be a Saw film without those. While they are included, they do feel a little toned down. I don’t mean Oh no, they suck. Each of the traps in this film are definitely new and unique. And they greatly reflect that this an evolution. And that’s also because of ‘Jigsaw’ in this film.
It’s not John Kramer. Sorry if I spoiled it. This is someone who has a good reason for doing what they do. I’m not going to spoil it for those who haven’t seen it yet. When it was revealed the who, I was excited. Literally am still excited to see if there is a Spiral sequel, if the threads left in this will continue. I hope so. And I would love to see more of this ‘Jigsaw’ explored. Because it feels like it’s only just a small bit of what makes them tick. And that is fascinating.
*Side Note: The voice in the videos didn’t bother me. I know we are used to Tobin Bell’s voice. But again, this ain’t John Kramer. It was refreshing to hear something different.
Also “Mr. Snuggles” is awesome in a super creepy way. It’s cool that they used something unique than just not having or reusing Billy.*
Darren Lynn Bousman did an amazing job with this film. It was fun seeing the callbacks in terms of the kinetic energy from those early films.
Everything in this film worked to create a very special film. I easily put this film alongside the original Saw. It had me guessing what was going to happen next. Nine times out of ten, I wasn’t prepared for what was going to happen next. It left me wanting to know what could happen next. And I hope that we do get a sequel that picks up the threads.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
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