Spiral of Life and Death – review of the film “Spiral: From the Book of Saw”

John Kramer made a mark in the iconography of horror as an extraordinary murderer who punished others for the sins he committed using a series of elaborate traps. Although we witnessed his death in the third part of the series, the memory of him seems to be alive forever. The newest part, which also draws on his legacy, can be treated as an independent story about a group of policemen with whom someone plays a murderous game and tries to bring justice.

On the trail of a serial killer

Detective Ezekiel Banks (Chris Rock) is the son of the famous Homicide Commander. Living in the shadow of his father, get out of him and live his life .. He finally gets the longed-for chance – he receives a case regarding the brutal murder of a man, which was committed in the subway. During the investigation, Banks works with a new partner, William Schenk (Max Minghella), to assist him in the investigation. What they both find at the scene exceeds their wildest expectations – a dismembered body, a severed head and a torn out tongue. In addition, the murderer left a mysterious recording for the heroes, which is an invitation to a murderous game with the entire Homicide Department.

Return to the director’s stool

Darren Lynn Bousman is responsible for the latest version of the Saw . This is another endeavor of the creator related to the cult series. Previously, he was in the director’s chair during the filming of the second, third and fourth parts. So far, Bousman has such productions as: 11-11-11: number of destination ,Zakon Świętej Agaty czy Death of me. Miał też swój udział w filmowej antologii grozy Tales of Halloween jako reżyser jednej z historii. Niestety praktycznie wszystkie produkcje przeszły bez większego echa. Informacja o kolejnej odsłonie serii nie powinna nikogo dziwić, w końcu  Bousman zna temat od podszewki, jednakże u części fanów obudziły się wątpliwości związane z jakością nowej części. Jest to powrót na reżyserski stołek, który w opinii wielu już dawno powinien zostać odstawiony, a cała seria zakończona.

Series expert

We don’t have to wait long for the action to take off in the movie. The first scene is already a harbinger of the bloody festival. Anyway, the previous parts got us used to the fact that we have nothing to complain about the amount of cruelty, brutal murders, fancy traps and fictional twists – which is what tigers like best. Bousman is able to narrate, drawing on the best of iconography .He knows when to speed up, slow down and catch. He also knows how to use symbols and flashbacks to give the story a deeper meaning, and he is pretty good at it. He can also choose the right scenery – abandoned buildings, underground tunnels or dark corridors, and play with the background of the characters and create the appropriate aura of the story. You can see that the director is the greatest expert and fan of the series at the same time. Unfortunately, this is where the advantages of the next edition of the cult Piła , announced as a “new chapter”, end.

Another moderately successful attempt to revive history

The vast majority of the previous parts of the series have not been received too favorably. The first part, for which James Wan, currently one of the best directors of modern horror cinema, is responsible. The latest installment of the series also collects unflattering reviews. However, Bousman cannot be accused of unnecessary pathos or moralizing, because these elements are just like medicine. The allegations relate to the selection of an appropriate film cast and redundancy. The main character, Chris Rock, looks pale, and his comedy accent does not quite fit the situation. It is true that he cannot be denied his comedy talent, but he does not fully fit into the philosophy of the entire series, conducted in a cool, gloomy tone, full of murderous but intriguing games in which human life is at stake. The new version of PiłaIt does not bring anything new to the universe, and what’s more, we can expect the course of events and all the cards to be put on the table in about half of the movie. In a word of summary, the latest part of the series is another secondary horror movie proposed by the United States.

We would like to thank the Cinema City chain for the opportunity to watch the movie Spiral: From the Book of Saw!