‘Saw VI’ tops the previous five
Another Halloween brings with it yet another “Saw” movie, making it the sixth in the saga.
Those who have followed the series since the beginning know the movies are released during the Halloween season because of the type of movie it is: deranged.
“Saw VI” continues from the previous “Saw, Saw V,” which finds Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) escaping the eventual grave of Special Agent Strahm. With Strahm’s sudden disappearance, Hoffman takes over the search for the mastermind behind the Jigsaw games.
As known from the previous “Saw” movie, Hoffman takes over the Jigsaw games after Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) dies from a throat-slashing at the hands of a former player, and much like Jigsaw, Hoffman doesn’t disappoint.
The games, as deranged and twisted as they are, seem to jump out to the players (or victims) and give them a new lease on life. That is, if they can survive long enough to get through the games.
Jigsaw’s whole idea for the games is to help the players appreciate life and learn from the mistakes they’ve made. They are more or less designed as motivational exercises.
Throughout the movie, Hoffman is setting up the final pieces of games for those who have done wrong to Jigsaw. The players are those Jigsaw decided needed a new outlook on life for their failed logic on the way to treat others.
The main player, William (Peter Outerbridge), devises a faulty formula for determining the acceptance or denial of his clients’ requests for medical coverage, which lands him in the middle of the game. In a flashback, it is revealed Jigsaw disagreed with William’s perspective on the formula, saying “It’s incredible what people will do when their lives are on the line.”
Without giving too much of the movie up, there are, of course, several portions where the viewer has no idea what could happen next. I think the creative minds behind the franchise really out-did themselves this time.
In whole, the plot was well-written as a continuation from the previous film, and made for a great precursor to the rumored final “Saw” movie.
Unfortunately, some viewers may find themselves lost if they haven’t seen the previous Saws, so some rentals may be called for before viewing this beauty. But, believe me, it is well worth the time.
The movie was directed by Kevin Greutert and written by Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton.
The movie is rated R.
Rating: B+
—Stephen Sossaman
Staff Writer
