Saw VI Review [2]

Posted by Bryan Kristopowitz on 10.26.2009

Jigsaw is back. Again. Let the fun begin.

"Saw VI" Review

Tobin Bell- Jigsaw/John Kramer
Costas Mandylor- Hoffman
Mark Rolston- Erickson
Betsy Russell- Jill
Shawnee Smith- Amanda
Peter Outerbridge- William
Samantha Lemole- Pamela Jenkins

Directed by Kevin Greutert
Screenplay by Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton

Distributed by Lionsgate

Rated R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, and language
Runtime- 90 minutes

Website: http://www.saw6film.com



Okay, let's get right to it. "Saw VI," the fifth sequel in the horror franchise that started back in 2004, became both a worldwide phenomena and a kind of Halloween tradition, is here, and I'm happy to say that it's both a great time at the movies and a major improvement over the last "Saw" flick, which was okay but could have been better. Like the other sequels, "Saw VI" is likely to appeal more to people that have been with the series since the beginning, as the movie uses extensive flashbacks from the previous movies to help fill in the ever growing story. If you haven't seen the previous five movies, do yourself a favor and watch them before part six. You'll enjoy yourself more.



Part six, directed by Kevin Greutert, picks up pretty much where part five ended, with Hoffman (Coastas Mandylor) dealing with the gross aftermath of the crushing of FBI agent Peter Strahm (Scott Patterson). But Hoffman has no time to rest, as he has one more job to finish for the still incredibly dead Jigsaw/John Kramer (Tobin Bell). It involves a man named William (Peter Outerbridge), an executive in a health insurance company. As you'd expect in this kind of movie, William is put through a series of gruesome tests to see if he has what it takes to remain alive. Meanwhile, FBI agent Erickson (Mark Rolston) is still hot on the trail of whoever is continuing the Jigsaw murders. Hoffman, in his role as a local cop investigating the murders, continues to keep tabs on the FBI's investigation, making sure they don't get too close and screw up everything he has planned. We also get to see what John Kramer's wife Jill (Betsy Russell) has been up to since she received that box from her husband's lawyer back in part 5. I'll just say this. We get to see what's in the box.

Part of the fun of the "Saw" franchise is not trying to figure out what's going to happen before it happens but just watching the story unfold before you and then deciding if it makes sense. Part six connects together better than part five and feels more, well, whole. There's a very cool flashback involving a franchise favorite (that would be Amanda, as played by the great Shawnee Smith) that makes sense, and there's a real sense of closure to the whole story although there's still a chance for a viable part seven. Of course, I've been saying the following after each one, I don't know how the hell they're going to keep going but I can't wait to see if and how they pull it off, and I'll say it again: I don't know how the hell they're going to keep going but I can't wait to see if and how they pull it off.

The flick's opening scene is one of the franchise's best (it's actually the only one I've squirmed through. You're probably not going to want to eat barbecued chicken afterwards). The torture devices, for the most part, aren't as physically intimdating as previous ones, but they're incredibly loud and there's always a nasty ass aftermath. The rib crushing machine is pretty nasty. You'll love the playground spinner machine (it's my favorite scene in the movie. It's hysterical and depressing at the same time). And the final torture device would make Don Coscarelli proud. Just great, nasty, awful stuff throughout.



I wonder, though, if people are going to respond to the flick's timely political message/observations. I suspect that the shots the movie takes at the media, in the guise of reporter Pamela Jenkins (Samantha Lemole), will play a little better, simply because what the movie says isn't necessarily political. I applaud the makers for putting the political bit in there because it's not out of place in the grand scheme of the story and it adds another dimension to the story, I just wonder if audiences in general will feel as though they've been duped ("Hey, if I wanted to see a Michael Moore movie I'd go a few theatres down the hall! I came to see bodies get squished!"). We'll see how it plays out.



Tobin Bell is his usual fine, disturbing self as Jigsaw/John Kramer. He once again appears solely in flashbacks, and we once again get to see both the inquisitive and sensitive side to John Kramer and the malevolent, mad as hell killer side to John Kramer. He gets one of the best lines in the movie, one that will not appear in this review's final rundown because I didn't catch all of it, but it's one of the best lines in the series yet. It comes in a scene involving Mark Rolston's William character and William's job. That line should be on a T-shirt. Great, great stuff.

Costas Mandylor does another great job as Hoffman. I was actually kind of scared of him in this one as he just oozes dark contempt and menace from frame one, even more that Bell's Jigsaw. It's also fun watching Hoffman try to contain himself from lashing out at Erickson as he gets a little closer to figuring out this whole continuing Jigsaw murders thing. Betsy Russell, as Jigsaw's wife Jill, doesn't get to do much until the end of the movie, but it's fun watching her wait out the latest Jigsaw game to "fulfill John's wishes." And Shawnee Smith is fine once again playing Amanda.



And then there's Peter Outerbridge as William the insurance company guy. Outerbridge makes William such a douchebag that you don't mind seeing him go through the nastiness that Jigsaw planned for him. I know I didn't. Watch those scenes he has with Bell's John Kramer and ask yourself, do you really feel sorry for this guy?

The flick's only real flaw is the Pamela Jenkins character, as I wanted to see more from her. I wanted to see more of her news reports on the Jigsaw case and wanted to her more involved/interfering with the ongoing police investigation. And what the heck is her fate anyway? It's not a big flaw, it doesn't ruin the movie or anything, but it's there.

"Saw VI" is definitely worth seeing. As I said, it's a great improvement over the last one, and it's just a great time at the movies. If this ends up being the last one (I know part 7 was announced as happening and possibly in 3-D, but that could always change), the series ends on a strong note. I hope it isn't the last one, though. I love going to see these things every October.

See it.



So what do we have here? A roach on a woman's hand, gratuitous opening torture scene that's just horrendously gruesome, not to mention a bunch of fun in a horror movie kind of way, fat cutting, big ass meat cleaver to the arm, brain drilling, gratuitous flashback to the ending of part five, gratuitous Costas Mandylor, a nasty ass crushed body, a jerk ass lawyer, gratuitous George Newbern, gratuitous insurance company hooey, gratuitous Mark Rolston, gratuitous mysterious box, gratuitous mulitple flashbacks to the previous movies, gratuitous Shawnee Smith, a dead security guard, rib crushing, urination, exploding chest cavity, a complicated formula, some serious barbed wire bondage, blood spray, a key, more serious bondage, a burning armpit, gratuitous attack via circular saw, spike through the head, a videotape, a great playground spinner machine, throat slitting, head bashing, gut stabbing, a severed hand, gratuitous gasoline fire, and a great ending that wraps up the entire story, plus a great homage to Don Coscarelli.

Best lines: "Who will offer the most flesh to save their own lives? The choice is yours," "What were we talking about?," "Those are the rules, Harold!," "So what are you telling me, he's a vigilante?," "From now on, I work alone," "When I'm done, we no longer speak," "Addiction is not simple," "Okay, John," "Live? Die? What the fuck?," "Who devised that formula?," "It's a business!," "That's a human being," "When you're killing me you look at me!," and "This is John's will."

The 411: "Saw VI" is a great time at the movies. I can't stress that enough, especially to the fans of the series that were disappointed by part five. Part six is much better than part five. I don't know if this is the end of the series, but if it is, it's an appropriate, strong ending. It all makes sense.

Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]