You can change the name, but you can’t change the game. After seven years, the Saw franchise returns and it’s exactly what you should expect if you’ve seen any of these torture tales before. If you think directors Michael and Peter Spierig bring a slice of something new—you’d be mistaken. In Jigsaw, the scares are severely scarce and the deaths, while grisly, are no less inventive.
Bear with me while we untangle the preposterous plot. Jigsaw/John Cramer (Tobin Bell) has been dead for a decade. Or has he? Five people wake up in a slaughterhouse with buckets on their heads and chained up like dogs. Game on! A room full of sinners needing to confess, each person having to face the truth of what they’ve done. Jigsaw is cool like that. As we all know, most of them will suffer horrible deaths. No spoiler there.
Meanwhile, there’s Detective Halloran (Callum Keith Rennie), a hard-bitten guy with a shady reputation, and his partner Det. Keith Hunt (Cle Bennett) finding butchered bodies all over town from Jigsaw’s new game. And these detectives are so good at sniffing out suspects, there’s no need to investigate. They immediately focus on the morgue doctor (Matt Passmore) and his assistant (Hannah Emily Anderson). Why? Well, the doc misses his dead wife and his help is a fan of Jigsaw’s work. If it’s good enough for the cops, then it’s good enough for the audience. Just kidding.
So, how does this all add up? That’s the sadistic beauty of these Saw movies. Jigsaw has its own twist, and kudos to it for delivering a small piece that should surprise. And for fans of this series, you’re a dedicated bunch. But, we both know your expectations have gotten lower and lower with each new movie. Is Jigsaw better than Saw VI or the 3D one? Actually, I don’t know because I never saw them and never will. I was lucky enough to see Saw V though, and we can probably all agree Jigsaw is better than that bloody mess.
Let’s also agree the distinct voice and business of Jigsaw, along with the creepy clown on a tricycle, were the new face of horror, but are now just a shell of what they used to represent.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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