The Saw franchise has been interesting to say the least. The torture horror genre was largely created by the franchise. I was impressed with the premise of the first movie back when the series started some years ago. I was shocked and in a sad sort of way, entertained with the first movie although it and the following predecessors were difficult to watch at times. None of the follow up's to the original movie was nearly as good as the first movie in the series but I felt an obligation to continue to review the series. I was glad when the series ended as I had grown to despise the movies. Then last year, I saw trailers for Spiral, From The Book of Saw a continuation of the Saw series that starred Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson. I was once again intrigued.
Chris Rock plays quite nicely the part of Detective Zeke Banks, a detective who earlier in his career had to turn in a bad cop. At the time his father Marcus Banks played by Samuel L. Jackson was the Chief of Police and did what he could to protect his son from the other police who sought to follow the code of conduct where police officers protect, even bad police officers. It is as Detective Zeke Banks character starts the investigation of police murders that the viewer quickly realizes that Saw or a copycat has brought the character back and is taking out vengeance on bad police officers.
The movie actually develops quite nicely and is shot and filmed well. It is easy to tell early on that Chris Rock is a natural for comedy, there are a few comedic moments that while he is not a great dramatic actor, he does an adequate job and has potential for more dramatic roles in the future. The good cop nature of Zeke Banks is still in tact and he seeks to uncover the mystery that is. He at times gets himself into trouble and is assigned a new partner, Detective William Schenk played by Max Minghella. Zeks doesn't want a partner but he gets one anyway. What begins to transpire as the two investigate the case is a mystery. Who has taken on the new role of SAW?
In the development of the story we see the strained relationship between Zeke and his father. The case brings the two together with an understanding not had previously. We also see how a good cop can be damaged by a good ol boy system.
There are parts of this movie that seriously address the WOKE generation but not from one side or another, but in a way that asks questions. We see the difficulties police go through, seeing that there are both good and bad cops. All of these discussion points are most definitely relevant in the times we live in and the reports we often see on the news and read in our news sources. We see themes often discussed on social media. At least we see an open discussion and presentation that presents all aspects in a entertaining way, without telling us how to think, it allows us to make our own decisions. Hopefully we ponder various perspectives. One question asked, is do we choose to live in a world that allows vengeance or will we live in a world where we fairly judge each case on its individual merit?
I was pleasantly pleased with Spiral The Book of Saw. It had less gore and torture than previous episodes, I felt it could stand alone and be enjoyed for what it is. It truly plays out as more of a mystery thriller than it does a horror film. There are not the long drawn out episodes of torture which made the earlier films so difficult to watch. Sure, there are graphic images of torture, but they are mostly bearable.
In the long run, I was left with the question, are we as individuals the ones to execute justice in a broken world? Can I/we be effective in the execution of justice? Or, is it possible that God is the final authority on justice? Can we wait? Will we be patient? Are those of us who choose to execute justice in such a swift way without considering the facts, the possibility of redemption and change, the real Saws that exist in our world? If judged for past actions, are we all guilty?
On a scale of 1 - 10 while not the best movie ever, take away the 3 letters of the word Saw and this one ranks an entertaining and thought provoking 7
To see the trailer for this film click on the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzy6ORqE9IY
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