My first trip in over a year to an indoor theater was a solo
viewing of the new film in the resurrected SAW franchise. This is very much a
surprise to me as it is the first of the series I have seen theatrically.
I’ve never been very
impressed with the Saw films while being mildly amused by their twisted inventiveness
in interlocking multiple plots across several movies to present a near
incomprehensible series of events that seem to exist to….. well, to exist. Although
they are talked about in hushed tones because of their blood-drenched murder
set-pieces they have always been more interesting to me as the latest (many generations
removed) descendants of the 1960’s krimi films from Germany and the 1970’s giallo
films from Italy. Warped variations on the 1980’s slasher cycle, they celebrate
the creativity of the hideous deaths inflicted while making the fans feel that
they aren’t just wallowing in gore – there is a real mystery involved, dammit! Of
course, the mystery is often so impossible to discern that the final revelations
have to be spelled out with a series of flashbacks to make sure the crowd is
aware of how clever the scriptwriter has been. It often seems a little like
someone trying too hard to justify watching a horror movie. Just enjoy what you
like to watch and be done with the silly aspirations to in-your-face creativity!
If you want to see a bit of the old ultra-violence just step forward, buy your
ticket and ignore the derisive looks from others. In twenty years the Saw films
will be tame in comparison to the next variation on this theme. Trust me.
Sooooo……why did I go see SPIRAL (2021)? Well, it was a new
horror film. Oh! And Chris Rock stars in this re-start of the series AND was involved
in getting the film made. That sounded much more interesting than just another
sequel. And, I have to admit, it was pretty darned good. Rock is the main
reason the movie works as it has become clear that he is now one of the most
interesting actors around. His facility with comedy enhances his ability to play
serious roles and even allows him a believable tenderness when necessary. The
rest of the cast is solid with Sam Jackson having to work a strange balancing act
as a respected, retired cop with a few dark secrets but it is Chris Rock’s
show. He lifts this slasher mystery on his back and carries it across the
finish line.
The only downside for me was that the identity of the Jigsaw
copycat killer was pretty easy to figure out. Not that the ride wasn’t pretty
fun but I can’t be the only one able to note that when a SAW film doesn’t show
us a grisly death but only tells us it happened…..it didn’t happen! But the
movie is inventive in its approach to the material with Rock’s sharp-tongued cop
character getting to toss off funny insults that make his reactions to the
horrors onscreen feel decidedly real. SPIRAL feels more grounded than the previous
films in the series and therefore more interesting. This isn’t a great movie but
it is the first Saw movie I can imagine wanting to rewatch sometime in the future.
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