Saw VI

Who knew that sharp social commentary could be found in a Saw film out of all things? That’s just one of the things that make Saw VI a triumphant return to the roots of the series with strong moral decisions and a tense screenplay that ends the second trilogy with a bang.

Saw VI continues right after Saw V. Hoffman stands tall as the newest apprentice to Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) after killing FBI agent Strahm and managing to pin all suspicions on him. But as deep dark secrets begin to unveil, Hoffman realizes his days may be numbered and he unleashes one final game that’s the culmination of what Jigsaw always wanted.

After the original Saw gained instant success in 2004, it was followed by Saw II which was a smart sequel and launched a successful franchise for Lionsgate. Saw III was a fitting end to the series but producers decided to continue on with a mediocre Saw IV that was more flashbacks than actual film and had ridiculous plot contrivances. Still, it was a success and Saw V followed it. Too bad Saw V was the most critically panned of them all and was criticized for having for forward plotting at all, contrived back-story, and feeling more like the teaser to the next installment than a movie itself. It’s safe to say that Saw VI fixes most of that and is a return to form.

The first thing to notice here that there is a narrative here that moves forward instead of relying on flashbacks that reveal more of the past. As the FBI slowly closes in on Hoffman, he quickly sets a grand game in motion and from there on out, the majority of the film moves forward with the victims of the game and cutting to Hoffman’s and Jill’s story periodically. Sure, there are still flashbacks here and there but unlike Saw V, they don’t feel like time-fillers and actually set up plot points that are later paid off in the end twist. Speaking of the end twist, it is well thought out and intense but ends up being the most predictable twist of the series which you can figure out if you pay attention during the film.

But perhaps the best thing about Saw VI is its decision to add a moral conflict to every single ‘game’ in the film. Jigsaw kidnaps the boss of a major health insurance firm and puts him through a multi-part test where he is faced to see faults in his policies on who get rejected and who get coverage. But instead of doing this in a preachy manner, it’s implemented in the Saw games themselves where he is forced to save lives of a few of his own employees and every decision he makes is painful. Unlike the previous Saw films where characters only care about staying alive, here the decision has to be made on whom to keep alive and who to kill and why.

Which brings me to the gore in the film – Saw VI is definitely one of the goriest installments in the franchise just below Saw III. From the very opening sequence to a very gory finish, this is a movie not for the faint of heart. But as far as the traps themselves go, they were somewhat disappointing. The carousel trap and the ‘flesh’ trap are the only memorable ones but the rest are sub-standard considering the series’ history of inventive ones.

It’s definitely not a film that will gain the series some new fans. Being direct sequels, it is impossible to see this installment without seeing all of the previous ones and even then, no matter how good the film might be, it has sadly evolved into a police procedural/detective story since Saw IV rather than the contained thriller from Saw/Saw II. Maybe Saw VII (in 3-D) will return back to that.

Overall, if you were a Saw fan and were worried of the series going downhill, Saw VI proves that the franchise still has enough juice in it to last a few more sequels (although Saw VI ends perfectly). If you never liked Saw, this won’t change your mind. But if you longed for a good Saw film, this just might be the one after a very long time.

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