Say what you want about the Saw franchise, like that it's mindless torture porn or that it's stretched it's plot thinner than deli ham, but it's always there. It's reliable. Like counting on the Redskins to switch to prevent defense during a close game. It's become a staple of the Halloween season, like splattered pumpkins on the sidewalk on Nov. 1st. I've never been a big fan of Saw. I thought the series blew it's load early, peaking at Saw 2 thanks mostly in part to an impeccable sense of continuity and an uncharacteristically strong lead performance by Donnie Wahlberg. Last year's film was the worst by far, so my expectations for the sixth iteration were low. In fact, I thought it would flat out suck ass, but you know what? I was wrong. Saw VI not only met my expectations, it exceeded them by leaps and bounds, and what was once a dying franchise has managed to cobble together the best film of the series yet.
Saw's biggest draw long ago ceased being the "torture porn" aspect. The only thread that keeps me coming back is the intricate detail that they seem to be going through to connect each film. The continuity of the Saw films is staggering, and me being the continuity geek that I am, I'm in love with it. No line is wasted, no scene is excess. Every single bit matters. Jigsaw's web of death grows here, perhaps the most revealing movie in the series after taking a severe step back last year.
The film opens with two predatory lenders, waking up to find themselves caught up in one of Jigsaw's evil games. The survivor must chop off more flesh than their opponent, and of course the fat guy goes directly for his love handles. Hey, dude, I can sympathize. Unfortunately for him, the girl knows that limbs weigh more than belly blubber, and slices off her own arm for the win! Dude gets his brain drilled. The cops are sent to investigate. Typical day at the office for the cops workin' the Jigsaw beat. You'd think by now, with like a dozen dead cops who were on this case, they'd farm it out to a contractor or something, but nope.
The opening death sets the stage for what is the most topical of the Saw films to date. Jigsaw has evolved from a brutal murderer into an almost likable vigilante, focusing his energies on a personal quest for vengeance on the evildoers who screwed him over. The target this time around is on William Easton, a high level exec at a health insurance firm. He and his cohorts use a probability formula to deny coverage to the people most likely to get sick, basically issuing death sentences with a stroke of a pen. Easton finds himself face to face with a dude in a pig mask, usually a sure sign that you're about to be the next competitor in Jigsaw's amazing race of doom. Meanwhile, Lt. Mark Hoffman(Costas Mandylor) continues to elude capture as he continues original Jigsaw's(Tobin Bell) legacy. Also, the box Jigsaw left his wife at the end of the last film comes into the forefront.
The plot of Saw isn't worth delving in much further. It's far too intricate and wide for me to even really begin. They all follow the same familiar formula, but what struck me this time was how personal this was. Who would've thought that Jigsaw would be just a regular old victim of this country's flawed healthcare system just like you and me? I wonder if he'd want a public option? Nah, he's probably a single payer guy. But how good did it feel watching these money grubbing, murdering health insurance flunkies getting the same treatment we've been getting from them, only up close and personal? Oh, it was lovely. I bet Michael Moore was watching and chuckling the whole time. They should show this film on the Senate floor. Maybe it'll help grow Harry Reid a spine.
There's something to be said about Tobin Bell's performance as the original Jigsaw John Kramer, in that he is both pitiful and menacing at the same time. Even as he's literally groveling for the health insurance agency to approve him for an experimental treatment for his cancer, there's a darkness just underneath that you're just waiting to erupt, yet it never does. Bell manages to terrify with the most casual of statements, mainly because we know sooner or later it will all come to pass. The rest of the cast(featuring the son from Family Matters!!! What the...??) is throwaway. This is Jigsaw's show, and he more than brings it home.
Those looking for scares might want to turn to Paranormal Activity(or for my money, Antichrist) for some real freak out material. There's a pretty gnarly bit at the beginning, but as has been the general rule with Saw lately, it's less focused on gore than on deaths that move the story forward. It's a change that I have been mostly pleased with. One of my biggest problems is that often times it seems as if they are rushing through kills in order to move on to the next one. In that sense the formula that's been established backfires. One of the things I did like from the first two movies was the air of mystery surrounding why these particular people were chosen. Some of that has been lost thanks to the curtain being lifted so much on Jigsaw's past.
While little has changed after six films, Saw has managed to shed enough of it's baggage to begin exploring new facets of the Jigsaw puzzle. I'm genuinely curious to see where it goes from here, something I've never been able to say before.
7/10
