Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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With most horror franchises laying dormant, SaW seems ready for another round but with a new villain, new heroes, and the only thing consistent being the traps that made the franchise famous.
| Director(s) | Darren Lynn Bousman | |
| Writer(s) | Josh Stolberg & Peter Goldfinger | |
| Release Date (Theatrical) | 5/13/2021 | |
| Noted Cast Members | ||
| Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks | Chris Rock | |
| Marcus Banks | Samuel L. Jackson | |
| William Schenk | Max Minghella | |
| Angie Garza | Marisol Nichols | |
Official Synopsis
A criminal mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in Spiral, the terrifying new chapter in the book of Saw. Working in the shadow of his father, an esteemed police veteran (Samuel L. Jackson), brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks (Chris Rock) and his rookie partner (Max Minghella) take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.
First Impressions
Being that Jigsaw seemed like a cash grab, more than a necessary reboot, it’s easy to forget and be surprised by it being a hit. But when a film only cost about $10 million to make, it has to be pretty bad to flop. So with Jigsaw being a horror movie released on Halloween 2017, it may not have become one of the greatest in the franchise, but it still repeated its financial success.
With that said, all that seems to be brought to Spiral may make this less an exploitation of a well-known franchise and truly a new entry worth making. For one, the franchise is getting some heavyweights between Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson to join the franchise. Two, I don’t think Black people have been anything but victims in the franchise. So when you consider Jackson and Rock will play relatives, who apparently have some impassioned scenes, it seems we’ll get the kind of drama that may not be considered dull we wait for the next trap.
Now, unfortunately, we weren’t given an idea of what the traps are or what they looked like, but it is noted that the series is moving on from the complex Jigsaw made for the new killer doesn’t have an engineering background. So, with that in mind, it pushes you to wonder what kind of traps we will see?
Thus far, we know one will have a cop hanging from his tongue, but other than that, the only things we were able to pick up is someone will have their skin flayed, scalded with boiling wax, and someone will get slaughtered with broken glass. So between a father/son story, the usual SaW violence, and the story focusing on cops, both as victims and heroes, this could be the revitalization Jigsaw was supposed to be.
Cast & Character Guide
Note: Descriptions are partly based on presumptions from images and/or other press materials.
Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks
Infamous for selling out a crooked cop, Zeke has become a black sheep amongst the force and one of the few good cops the South Metro Police Division can really say they have. But, with the rise of the Jigsaw copycat, who targets cops, don’t think this means the force coming together and healing old wounds. For with Zeke getting shot due to lack of backup previously, he’d rather go alone than even trust his new partner that perhaps hasn’t been tainted yet.
Marcus Banks
Marcus is Zeke’s father, who is a retired and legendary police chief. However, it seems the job came before his relationship to Zeke, so thanks to him ratting on a fellow cop, poking a hole in the blue wall, they have a complicated relationship.
William Schenk
New, naïve, and innocent to a point, William perhaps isn’t ready for not only the baggage his partner Zeke carries but the weight and dangers of this new case.
Angie Garza
Captain Garza is considered intimidating but fair. For example, even with knowing Zeke’s history, because he is a good cop, there is respect there. Mind you, like Zeke’s father, she is a bit uneasy about his decision to sell out a cop, but as long as he gets results and doesn’t cause he too much of a headache, they are good.
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