Spiral (2021) Lionsgate/Horror RT: 93 minutes Rated R (sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, pervasive language, some sexual references, brief drug use) Director: Darren Lynn Bousman Screenplay: Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger Music: Charlie Clouser Cinematography: Jordan Oram Release date: May 14, 2021 (US) Cast: Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, Samuel L. Jackson, Dan Petronijevic, Richard Zeppieri, Patrick McManus, Ali Johnson, Zoie Palmer, Dylan Roberts, K.C. Collins, Edie Inksetter, Nazneen Contractor, Thomas Mitchell, Carvin Winans, Leila Charles Leigh, Chad Camilleri, Genelle Williams. Box Office: $23.2M (US)/$40.6M (World)
Rating: ** ½
Spiral, the ninth film in the Saw series, marks my triumphant return to the movies after 438 days of sheltering in place. 438 days, it’s the longest I’ve ever gone without a trip to the cinema. In that time, I haven’t reviewed a single new film. Instead, I took Movie Guy 24/7 in a different direction, focusing on movies from the 70s, 80s and 90s. While it’s been fun, I think it’s time to get back to reviewing current films. I can’t promise I’ll get to all of them (not at first anyway), but I’ll do my best.
If you know me, you shouldn’t be all that surprised that I chose Spiral as my comeback review. Let me put it this way. If given the choice between a gory horror flick and anything/any genre, I’ll take the gory horror flick as long as it’s rated R. Also, I’m a fan of the Saw movies. I was really looking forward to seeing Spiral last year, but then COVID hit and messed up all of our plans for 2020. Naturally, I made a beeline for it after getting vaxxed and the all-clear from my physician. Now that I’ve finally seen it, I have to admit I’m a bit disappointed.
To be accurate, Spiral isn’t a direct sequel to Saw or any of the sequels. Like its central villain, it’s a copycat. That’s the conclusion reached by Detective Zeke Banks (Rock, Lethal Weapon 4) shortly after arriving on the scene of the first murder with his new partner, rookie detective William Schenk (Minghella, The Handmaid’s Tale). In the opening scene, an off-duty cop chases a thief into a subway tunnel where he’s chloroformed from behind by a guy in a pig’s mask. When he comes to, his tongue is caught in a trap and he’s given the choice to either rip out his own tongue or be killed by an oncoming train. Let’s just say the scene ends with a big SPLAT!
The victim was Banks’ only friend on the force. His fellow cops hate him for turning in his former partner for murdering a witness who agreed to testify against a dirty cop. Banks, in turn, doesn’t care for his co-workers very much, especially after one of them ignoring his call for back-up resulted in him being shot by a suspect. His CO (Nichols, Riverdale) puts him in charge of the case, most likely out of loyalty to Banks’ father Marcus (Jackson, Pulp Fiction), the now-retired chief of police.
Obviously, Jigsaw copycat is targeting Banks for some reason. I won’t say why, but I will say it’ll come as no surprise when it’s revealed at the end. Same goes for the killer’s identity. You’ll have no problem picking this individual out of the line-up. Sadly, Spiral is extremely predictable. Unlike its predecessors, there aren’t any surprises or narrative tricks. It would have benefited from a wild plot twist or two. Plot twists are one of the series’ defining traits. Then there’s the blood and violence factor. While it has a few decent gory scenes, it’s the least bloody entry in the series. The traps aren’t all that imaginative either. The makers didn’t put a lot of thought into them this time around. This is where Spiral truly disappoints. The gore and instruments of torture/death are the whole point, am I wrong?
That being said, I like how director Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, III & IV) tries to change things up a bit in Spiral. Actually, the credit should go to Rock who also serves as executive producer. It was he who approached Lionsgate with the idea of extending the franchise into new territory. It starts off like a goof on an 80s cop actioner and its many conventions- e.g. the maverick lone wolf cop, the fed-up captain and the comedic exchanges with the unwanted new partner as they get to know each other. Sadly, this is dropped about midway through. Spiral also attempts to address the very timely issue of police misconduct. It’s a little more successful in this area.
In the lead, Rock is actually pretty good. He injects a bit of humor into the proceedings. He even manages to work in a witty New Jack City reference. Jackson is brilliantly cast as the father. Is this not a match-up we’ve always wanted to see?
Despite its flawed nature, I kind of enjoyed Spiral. It’s not as great as it could have/should have been, but it’s not a total bust either. If the makers plan to continue this storyline, they might want to consider going full tilt boogie with the crazy plot twists. Don’t be afraid to go off the rails. The audience wants to go for a wild ride; why not give them one?
