THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Saw was a game changing film in the 2000s when introducing the controversial ‘Torture Porn’ violence. Like many horror franchises, it’s quality slowly declined within each entry. When 2017’s Jigsaw brought back creativity it’s predecessor was known for, audiences were open minded for it to keep going.
PLOT
The 2021 spinoff dubbed Spiral follows Detective Marv Bozwick (Dan Petronijevic) being brutally murdered in a subway during the Fourth of July parade. He was suspended from his tongue above a tunnel and was unable to pull it off in time before being killed by a train. His former partner, Detective Ezekiel ‘Zeke’ Banks, has been unable to trust fellow officers after turning in an officer who killed a murder witness 12 years prior. He is assigned a new partner that is William Schenk and they investigate the subway death. When a flash drive with a cryptic video is sent to the police station, there is reason to believe that the new serial killer could be a copycat of the infamous Jigsaw. When recognizing the location of the video to be recorded outside the city's courthouse, Zeke checks it out and finds a box containing Boz's tongue and badge. He is saddened to discover his former partner to be murdered. He than convinces his superior Captain Angie Garza (Marisol Nichols) for him to be allowed to lead the case. When visiting Boz's widow Kara, he retrieves some of his cellular devices to find a new lead on who could've killed him. He then gets a visit from his father (and landlord), ex captain Marcus Banks, who offers his help to look over the case with him. At night, fellow Detective Fitch (Richard Zeppieri) finds footage at a pawn shop of Boz chasing someone but chooses not to share it with Zeke. He makes this decision because the man Boz chased is his informant. He gets abducted by the killer and is put into a trap. He must pull off his fingers before being electrocuted in a filling water basin. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to succeed. He was a victim for simply shooting someone who insulted him (flipping him off). Before Zeke discovers his dad not to be at home, Schenk calls him and shares his research on Boz. It turns out that he was accused of lying under oath many times, putting innocent people behind bars. This explains the killer's motivation to target him. The next day, Banks receives another cryptic video from the killer. When finding the location of the new video to be under a bridge, he than discovers a box containing Fitch's badge and fingers. This disturbs him because he recounts how the detective did not attend his call for backup, resulted in him getting shot by a suspect. When Marcus found out at the time, he assaulted Fitch for not aiding his son. Zeke and Schenk make contact with a drug dealer who sold drugs to Benny Wrights. Allegedly, he died of an overdose. They then visit Pete Dunleavy (Patrick McManus), the cop Zeke arrested, asking him of his whereabouts the night Boz died. He shares that he only got into a fight with someone who attended an AA meeting drunk. Another day goes by, another box is sent to the station for Zeke. The box contains a pig puppet covered in skin a letter reading "Am I getting under your skin, Detective Banks? Careful, while you're looking for more bodies to drop, I'll take your head". Looking at the skin covered puppet, he notices the tattoo 'Charlie' that was written on Schenk, meaning that he has been killed as well. When being called in to check out a butcher shop, he finds a human corpse that is likely Schenk's. Just as he checks on an officer who got attacked by someone in a pig mask, he realizes that Angie is the next target. Captain Garza gets lured to the 'Cold Case' basement and is placed into a trap. She must sever her spinal cord on a blade before her face is covered in hot wax. She seems to succeed but dies from her wounds and Zeke reaches the basement when it's too late. When looking over that the security footage was tampered, they discover that Dunleavy last had access to the server. Detective O'Brien (Thomas Mitchell) has him leave the precinct because due to how Marcus also had access, he finds him too close to the case. When he goes out looking for Dunleavy, he also gets abducted. He then wakes up at an old soap factory with his left arm handcuffed to a pipe. He almost cuts it off with a saw, but finds a bobby pin to free himself. He also finds Dunleavy hung above the ceiling but he is killed by a machine that hurled shrapnel at high speed. When moving to another room, he finds William Schenk to be alive, revealing him to be the killer the whole time. He also admits to not have a family and the skin was from Benny. He had aspired to kill corrupt cops ever since Dunleavy killed his father, the same murder witness years prior. Because of his admiration towards Zeke, he hopes to recruit him. He makes a 911 call pretending to be a civilian being chased by a shooter, before he takes him to Marcus. He than takes him to him who is held above as well, but has his blood being drained. Schenk was able to lure him by texting him with Zeke's phone, as he did with Garza. He explains that they're victims because they allowed corruption to occur without consequence, resulting in cleaner streets. He gives him a gun with a single bullet. He gives Zeke a choice to shoot a target that'll free his father or shoot him and he'll die from blood loss. He shoots the target and his father is lowered. Both men fight but when the SWAT shows up, they inadvertently trigger a tripwire that brings Marcus back up. They shoot him down when the restraints pull his right arm upward, affixed with a shotgun. The film ends with Zeke screaming in anguish as his father dies and Emerson escapes.
THOUGHTS
I had hype for this film when originally binging on the franchise during 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic closed the theaters and changed the landscape of cinema. Now that I’ve finally got to see it after waiting an extra year, I truly thought it was all worth it. Despite hype, I admit to also have low expectations due to how I still hate on Saw: The Final Chapter. Because of that, they were able to exceed thanks to a new direction being handled well by returning director Darren Lynn Bousman. What I liked about this one is how it feels refreshing by distancing itself from the franchise's original arc. While I always enjoy Charlie Clouser's score, it felt atmospheric with the music produced by 21 Savage. The new traps might not be looked at as the best but that doesn't mean they're brutal to witness. What makes it all worthwhile is that because we're in a whole perspective, we're getting a brand new message. Instead of being reminded of how we must not take life for granted, we're being reminded how police brutality is a constant problem in America and in the perspective of William Schenk, there is belief that officers who misuse their power deserve to be punished. It wasn't a big surprise since we never saw him go through a trap beforehand the character reveals himself to our protagonist. Having said that, I do think Max Minghella gives a good performance by presenting as someone who was traumatized losing his father and wanted to avenge him. Because of this, he found inspiration through Jigsaw's work and went through a psychotic path. The biggest difference he has compared to John Kramer is that he doesn't hope for his victims to have a chance. The reason he paints spirals is because of the never ending cycle of police misconduct (besides being noticed on the cheeks of Kramer's puppet named Billy). The things he does just like source of inspiration were hiding in plain sight and being ahead of those he puts to the test. Even though he hoped for Zeke to join him, he needed a back up plan incase he didn't. And getting his father killed either way was part of it. Since he got away, there's no telling how far he'll go to eliminate corruption. The slasher is normally the star of a horror film, but that doesn't mean other performances didn't impress me. I had doubts on Chris Rock having a dramatic role since I had not seen him on FX's Fargo before seeing this film. However, he still impressed by the end. Since he was a fan of this franchise, I had to give him a chance and see where he would go with it. He makes Zeke likable throughout because of his will and determination to do the right thing. Even when his brothers in arms discriminate him for it, he still stood his ground and never goes back on his morals. You can't help but feel bad for this guy because he gets a bucket of bad luck for being good. Getting a divorce, unable to trust others and losing his father, it's hard to tell if he can keep himself together. Speaking of his father, it sounded like a joke that Samuel L. Jackson would be involved because having his name in a horror film sounded unordinary. That was until I remembered he did The Exorcist III and 1408. Aside from that, the actor gives a solid performance of displaying Marcus as a loving father but also a firm man of the law. You may not like his decision to allow corruption during his time as chief, but you also can't help but respect his intentions. Because of those thoughts at play, your emotions over his death will likely be mixed. This is a solid film but like past Saw films, there are a few problems. First off, I think Schenk was getting too comfortable putting that fake family picture in Zeke's car. It's not like they're gonna share the ride, especially if he's the killer that plans to get away. I don't even think there was a point for Zeke to ask the cop what was at the scene when he knew there was a corpse. That's just another excuse to point out every cop hates him for snitching. I even think Zeke was unprofessional when not using gloves for the second box of clues. That would've backfired to worser proportions, especially when other cops opened the fourth box. And if we're gonna get into continuity errors, I was pretty confused seeing a glove on the third box when it wasn't there by the time Zeke grabbed it. Also, why would Zeke's ex Lisa visit Kara when she knew Zeke could come by? I know they're friends as they were with Boz and they both intend to give condolences, but I feel like she should've at least checked with her ex so that they would avoid making a scene. They may have not made one anyway, but you never know. Another thing, Zeke is wrong to say Kramer didn't target cops when Saw II and Saw IV targeted the likes of Eric Matthews & Daniel Rigg. Also, how did the hot wax trap get made in an evidence room basement? Police come in and out of that room everyday for various cases and there is no way it would've worked. That was honestly more illogical than Angie responding to the most vague text to come from Marcus' phone, "Got a hunch, check out file #9246 in the cold case room". I also feel like it was out of character for Marcus to go alone after Schenk's text through Zeke's phone. Since he didn't notice his son's car outside the building when he parked, he should've turned around and went to the station. And lastly, why didn't Zeke pull Schenk with him when corrupting the SWAT? If he had just thrown him in, he likely would've been cuffed before his father would die. Other than that, this movie is still interesting to watch. To wrap up, Spiral: From the Book of Saw is a spinoff that may not be as impactful as the past, but is entertaining to see due to interesting elements that were displayed. If you're a fan of Saw, this one is just as worthwhile as the other sequels.
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