Saw-mhain is starting to wind down, meaning we’re almost at the end of the Saw franchise. We’ve had the highs of the first Saw and the lows of Saw 3D, and everything in-between. So where does Spiral, AKA Spiral: From the Book of Saw–again, not to be confused with the queer horror movie Spiral from 2019–fit in? I’m contractually obligated to say it’s good. Thumbs up! This is definitely a genuine smile!
Similar to Jigsaw, this movie takes place long after the death of John Kramer and has no recurring characters in common with the previous movies. Our main character is detective Zeke Banks, played by Mr. Chris Rock. He’s the one good cop left on the force, except for, you know, all the times he’s a right bastard who plays by his own rules. He’s forced to partner with a rookie named William Schenk (Max Minghella) in investigating a new Jigsaw-inspired killer who’s targeting corrupt cops. How corrupt? The first victim lied under oath to put away innocent people, the second refused to provide backup to Zeke leading to our hero getting shot, the fourth victim covered up crimes, and the fifth shot a witness who was willing to testify against a cop. The third victim is Schenk, but we don’t hear his tape or learn why he was skinned alive. Zeke goes to the edge of sanity trying to not only catch the killer but also find out where his dad, former police chief Marcus Banks (Samuel L Jackson), disappeared to. Then it’s revealed that the killer is… Schenk! He faked his death and has been getting revenge on corrupt cops because his dad was the witness who got shot. He wants to kill bad cops in order to scare the rest into working within the law, but Zeke’s not going for it. In the end Marcus is shot to death as part of a trap and Schenk escapes, but this isn’t getting a sequel so none of that goes anywhere.
We’ve got returning talent on this movie, but not in the way of any cast. Director Darren Lynn Bousman is back after Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV, bringing back his signature style of jerky camera motions during death trap sequences. Over on writing we have Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger back from Jigsaw. I haven’t pinpointed any specific style they have other than really trying to tell a story that could certainly benefit from a direct sequel, but instead seems to just have to stand on its own, barely connected to the following entry. So it goes, I guess.
Watching Spiral was an interesting experience because while this was my first time watching it, I somehow knew exactly what the twist was. I must’ve read up on it ages ago because once Schenk shows up I immediately knew he was behind it all. Have you ever watched a mystery for a second time, knowing the twist and looking for all the hints? It was like that, except I didn’t know any of the plot points. Like, I knew Schenk borrowing Zeke’s phone was going to be important later, but didn’t know at the time why. Not sure I’d recommend, as it sure felt like the worst of both worlds. So careful about spoilers, you guys! Fairly warned be ye!
I have no choice but to say this is a good Saw movie! It has all the elements I have been demanding over the course of the month: the killer is using terror tactics against corrupt institutions instead of the dregs of society, and Schenk was inspired by Jigsaw rather than being an actual protégé. Never mind the fact that the story really doesn’t know how it feels about cops, or what a “good cop” is. Like, if I were to list flaws, I’d point out that Chris Rock’s character is supposed to be a hero cop for turning on a bad apple, but then later on he bursts into a drug den without a warrant and breaks a dealer’s leg–complete with the bone sticking out–and then more or less tortures him for info that goes nowhere. But I won’t bring that up, cause this is a good movie! Thumbs up! No complaints! This is a genuine smile and not a cry for help!
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