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Directed By
Kevin Greutert
Written By:
Marcus Dunstan, Patrick Melton
Cast:
Shawnee Smith, Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Devon Bostick, Karen Cliche, James Van Patten, Peter Outerbridge, Shawn Ahmed, Tanedra Howard, Jon Mack, James Gilbert
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Saw VI (2009)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
October 24th, 2009
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Having now grown so tried of the 'Saw' franchise, the sixth installment offered nothing particularly appealing to me, though I will say it is an improvement over its immediate predecessor, the tedious Saw V, but one would have to watch all of the previous films, in sequence, numerous times, to understand what exactly goes on this movie, which is hopelessly convoluted, but features some of the goriest, most sadistic, and most cringe-inducing deaths and torture devices since Saw II, the one that had the needle pit, the image of which haunts me still. I don't like needles that much.
I could try to summarize the plot, but that, I think, would be futile. The main victim of Jigsaw, a.k.a. John Kramer (Tobin Bell) here is William (Peter Outerbridge), a heartless insurance executive; his company, Umbrella Health, denied John coverage when he was dying, and so John has a score to settle, to teach this guy a lesson, and force him to understand what it really means to choose one patient's life over another's. Screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan are certainly aware of the ongoing health care debate, and the controversy surrounding government bailouts of large insurance firms, and comment on that in their own unique way.
John, of course, has been dead since Saw III; but he is still able to carry out his elaborate schemes with the help of his proteges, one of whom was Amanda (Shawnee Smith), who was, at least for a while, the only person to successfully escape from one of his traps. This earned his respect, and he became her mentor, and she regarded him like a father of sorts. Amanda was replaced by Lt. Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor), who killed FBI agent Peter Strahm, who was pursuing him and had even figured out his real identity, and Hoffman attempted to frame Strahm for the crimes he carried out in Jigsaw's name.
The exploits of Hoffman, and of Jigsaw's widow Jill (Betsy Russell), and Lindsey Perez (Athena Karkanis), presumed dead, but still alive, and working with a new partner, Dan Erickson (Mark Ralston); their new case centers on the remains of two predatory lenders, Simone (Tanedra Howard) and Eddie (Marty Moreau), who were strapped into head harnesses, with screws poised to drill into their skulls. Their only means of escape is to hack off parts of their body and place them on a scale; once sufficient weight has been achieved, the harnesses will unlock. William's game involves a series of four tests, which he must complete in 60 minutes.
It boils down to him making a series of morally dubious choices, like whether to save his secretary or his file clerk, which two of his six subordinates on a carousel will be rescued, and which ones will be left to have their heads blown off by a shotgun. What these people are willing to do help William make up his mind is frightening; they hurl accusations and mercilessly backstab one another.
Then, near the end of his trial, William encounters a woman and a boy, the wife and son of another deceased Umbrella client, a man who died from an illness he could not afford to treat. This leads into a rather devious (and clever, I must say) twist, and there are several other twists, as well, and while I appreciated most of them, I simply no longer have any interest in this story, and wish it were brought to a proper conclusion, and not end every time with the obvious setting up of yet another sequel.
For those who may still care, you will learn what John bequeathed to Jill, and discover that Jill was not exactly in the dark about John's activities, unless that has already been revealed at an earlier point. The focus on exposition bogs down the pacing, with stretches of dialogue intended only to explain what is going on to audience members who may not have been paying close attention.
The police stuff is boring, too, primarily because it lacks credibility and , as no one can quite yet figure out until it is more or less too late that Hoffman is the guy they are looking for. The director, Kevin Greutert, once served as editor, so this is a franchise with advancement opportunities, if you stick with it long enough.
Tobin Bell is still about the only reason I keep watching these flicks; he is so good, so smart, and so creepy as Jigsaw, that I sincerely wish for the restoration of his physical presence, not just in flashbacks, though I guess I will settle for simply hearing his raspy voice. Bell will be irreplaceable, and his departure will spell the demise of the 'Saw' empire. At least, I think it would. Like Nightmare on Elm Street without Robert Englund. The upcoming remake will test that hypothesis apparently.
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