Chris Rock originally approached Lionsgate with the idea for a new Saw film, and the final product feels like a vehicle for his talents, though not necessarily his dramatic ones. At the story’s center is Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks (Chris Rock), seemingly the only virtuous cop in a department of corrupt scumbags, and the son of a respected retired police captain, Marcus Banks (Samuel L. It’s gaudy, intense, and enjoyable in a way the series hasn’t been for ages, but everything tumbles downhill from there. It’s a simple, back-to-basics trap that pivots away from the large-scale Rube Goldberg torture houses of later entries. Spiral, the ninth entry in the series (and the second soft reboot in recent years), has an opening scene that promises an understanding of what made the series tick. The key difference, however, is that Saw VI knew how to have fun with its premise. Spiral, similarly, attempts to draw thematic connections between two forms of predatory death-dealing: Jigsaw traps, which force victims into self-mutilation in order to survive, and a brutal system of policing that shields itself from consequences, even when its officers kill people. Saw VI, the last enjoyable entry, took aim at America’s broken healthcare industry by placing a health insurance CEO in its central game, forcing him to choose which of his employees would live or die. Granted, it wouldn’t be the first Saw film to attempt this.
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