Jigsaw just keeps going and going. Even being dead hasn’t kept the serial killer from plying his trade. After the misstep of Saw V, we get a little more on the right, bloody track. Even more odd is that the film tries to be a message film cloaked in blood and gore.
Woe be unto you if you’ve not seen a Saw film because this plot description assumes you’ve seen the five preceding films. You’ve been warned of spoilage of parts one thru five, the sixth part in a film series is not the one to start watching with anyway. Jigsaw, aka John Kramer (Tobin Bell), is dead but his mantle has been taken up by Lt. Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) and he’s continuing the bloody legacy - but framing the late Agent Strahm for the crimes.
John’s widow Jill (Betsy Russell) also receives an inheritance from the late gamesman in the form of a large box. William Easton (Peter Outerbridge) is an executive with Umbrella Health (shades of Resident Evil?). When we’re introduced to him, he’s meeting with council about the lawsuit of Harold Abbott (George Newbern).
Abbott’s policy was revoked on a technicality so the company didn’t have to pay expensive health bills for his condition. So he died and his family is suing the company. Such a person with the power over life and death certainly deserves to be put through the Jigsaw ringer. It also helps that Easton has a past encounter with another policyholder named John Kramer.
Saw V seemed to be a waltz down the wrong path but still made over 100 million at the box office. The filmmakers seem to get back on the right one with this sixth entry. Although it’s hard to imagine many surprises for a series that has lasted till a sixth entry and especially one that churns out a film every Halloween.
This film wasn’t as successful at the box office and word is that the next film might be the last and may even be in 3D. Success is up to your interpretation since Saw VI was made for 11 million and made 57 million. That sounds pretty successful to me, but I think we all can agree that the bloom is off the Saw rose.
What’s ironic about this entry and what actually makes for an interesting thought is that the makers of Saw VI turn it into a message film about the evils of managed healthcare. Of course, they cast the villains as corporate entities, but I think a faceless, uncaring behemoth of a bureaucracy would fit as well.
Actually that might be worse since at least the company would have a thought to public image and I doubt such a bureaucracy would have as much concern, but I digress. It seems to be a return to what made the first Saw film.
Even with those new twists, or variations of old twists, the film still seems like more of the same. I guess it does seem better in comparison to the previous entry. There’s more left unanswered, but other questions from other Saws are made a bit clearer, so you can expect at least one more film to (hopefully) tie all of it together in one sinew colored bow.
Saw VI is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include two commentaries. The first is from producers Mark Burg, Peter Block and Jason Constantine. The other is from director Kevin Greutert and writers Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton. The 8 minute “The Traps of Saw VI” looks at the gruesome games.
The 8 minute “Jigsaw Revealed” focuses on Tobin Bell. The 10 minute “A Killer Maze” is about the Saw themed Universal Theme Park setup. You also get 4 music videos, the 1 minute trailer, and trailers for other Lionsgate products.
You also get the first Saw film on the second disc. I guess this is to signal that VI harkens back to the first film, but I found this a strange addition as fans will already have it. Oh well, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth I suppose.
Saw VI is an improvement, but at a sixth entry you’d expect a series to be running out of steam. There is some interest as they try and make a message picture out of a splat film, but I’d say the message is still overpowered by the splat.
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