SAW VI

SAW VI (Lion’s Gate Films)
Directed by Kevin Greutert

Well, here we go again. A year has passed and somehow we have all managed to forget about the last installment to the SAW series, until now; because for the sixth consecutive year, SAW or a version thereof, has been released the Friday before Halloween. That’s right boys’ and girls,’ the famed series that I think we all love to hate, or maybe hate to love, has returned to take aim on the spookiest of holidays. And by now, if you haven’t watched any of these installments, consider yourself lucky, as I often wish I never got roped into this series, which has gone in and out of oblivion the past six years. But for those of us that have seen this series from birth, it’s hard to get excited now, as none compare to the very first one, which took us all by storm. What an idea it was and yet, here we sit at #6, wondering if the ‘thrill’ that held us captive some 90 minutes back in 2004 will ever return to the series.

As expected, the story in this one picks up almost directly where the last one left off, in that convoluted way we have come to expect and love. So again, if you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the first five installments, I wouldn’t start now as it would only bring more pain in attempting to understand the method to the madness by this serial killer dubbed ‘Jigsaw’. Up until this moment in the story, John Kramer, a.k.a. Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) was a somewhat iconic figure and one that was feared by many, especially when you unknowingly became one of his victims. You see, Kramer took pleasure in placing people in the deadliest of situations in hopes of teaching them to respect life for themselves and others; as up until this point, they had not done so, at least in his mind. So, before and even now after his untimely death, he would play this “game” with his victims, giving them an option out, all be it a difficult one both mentally and physically. A legacy which now was being carried out by Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor), a local detective who we last saw trapped in a glass chamber full of ice.

One would think that would be it for the bitter detective, but he gets out, as he planned to do all long, so he could continue Jigsaw’s work; which we find out through a series of flashbacks was very well thought out and planned. And this time, that work surrounded a local health insurance executive over a claims dept., where he meticulously created a system that would determine who to cover, based on probabilities’ of health or illness. Well, this system, once upon a time, turned down Kramer and he never forgot, as the next game would be William’s (Peter Outerbridge) and all his subordinates that have helped him carry out his work. William would have to complete four tests in 60 minutes, in order to not only save himself, but as he later finds out, save his own family and anyone else important to him. And in doing so, he would have to determine who lives and who dies while looking them right in the face, an ironic fate for a guy who made his business of determining exactly that, only he never saw their faces. But that was only the beginning, as the further we dug into this story, the more twisted it became ultimately leading to a very likely, yet somehow confusing conclusion when it’s all said and done.

No one really cares about a cast in film like this, right? Fact is the cast won’t be on screen that long, as most wind up tortured to death by films end. The only good thing is that the producers haven’t fallen into the trap of trying to bring in a well-known actor to get more fans to the theater, choosing to go with a host of unknowns instead. Costas Mandylor is a prime example of this, a marginal actor at best and one that frankly doesn’t cut it, even in this film. And the worst part is, he’s the main villain outside Jigsaw, who technically is dead. And that still bothers me to this day, how he was killed off so quickly into this series. Not only was it unnecessary, it made no sense, as it wouldn’t had been that hard to draw his personal story out a bit longer, given how close in time a lot of the events occur anyway. Truth is, you can throw in all the flashbacks and voice-overs with Bell that you want, which they have, but his character is dead, so it’s still hard for me to get on board with any new protégé, no matter the twist that accompanies it.

Anytime a series gets to six, all bets are off as you just never know what you’re going to get. I know I walked in with absolutely no expectations, which is the key to watching anything this insane. Year after year, though, I wonder if this will be the last, but it won’t be, no matter how ridiculous the story will become as the producers just can’t help themselves. They love seeing their movie get released a week before Halloween, so unless they get tired of that, I don’t see this series going away. Why would it, given how easy it can be reborn every year for the all too easy payoff. I said a long time ago this was potentially a great idea, but somewhere along the way it got derailed and has never quite recovered properly. SAW VI actually had the look of being the “one” to turn it all around, as the story seemed to flow a lot better than the previous, given its premise surrounding healthcare, an extremely hot topic in our country right now. And in some ways, it was a direct slap in the face of the healthcare companies that seem to hold too much power. Although twisted, the point was clear, which is why I wish the rest of the story would have followed suit, but the writers and director fell asleep at the editing table, which is ironic given the director, Kevin Greutert, was editor for the first five films. So, while attempting to bridge the gap of the past to present, the ending felt extremely unorganized and unfulfilling, which is sad given the upside of the rest of the film. It‘s almost as if they couldn’t decide how to end it, so instead of taking more time to figure that out, they threw in more flashbacks and innuendos to cover whatever tracks they failed to bring to light. That’s too bad, because for the first time in a long time with this series, we had a story worth noting, which I guess in the end is still something to hang your hat on.

It can’t be good if I find myself repeating things I have said in the past about this series, but maybe that’s just part of the love/hate relationship I have with it. And as much as I try, I just can’t forget how inventive the very first SAW was, with its endless possibilities and intrigue, clearly hoping the subsequent installments would equal that feeling, which instead has made you wish they stopped after one. Because if you go back and somehow manage to forget about the last five and watch the first installment, you will see the true intensity and thrill that made this film an overnight hit. However, given all the crap that has been thrown into this series over time, even that is debatable at this point, but at least SAW VI isn’t the worst one of the bunch, which is an improvement given how atrocious the last one was.

C+