And we’ve ‘Saw’ it all before…

Oh, Halloween. It’s that time of year again when kids dress scarily, teenagers dress scantily and Hollywood churns out another entry in the popular and highly bankable Saw series.

This sixth episode caps off the second trilogy of the saga which follows the aftermath of central antagonist Jigsaw/John Kramer’s demise. Most people, myself included, would forgive you if your interest in the series had waned after the lacklustre fourth and the inexcusable fifth entries. You also would escape judgement if you question the motives, besides financial, for continuing a series in which the bad guy was killed off three films ago. However, you may be shocked to learn that although not a revolution by any means, Saw VI is a substantial improvement over its two predecessors, offering an involving story with genuinely tense moments despite suffering from several enduring flaws.

The plot in this entry revolves around Jigsaw’s final (at least until Saw VII) game, whilst keeping the focus on his successor Detective Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor). The victim of this latest brutal scheme is William Easton (Peter Outerbridge), a chief executive at a health insurance company who personally refused John Kramer insurance for his cancer. Kramer (Tobin Bell), holding this man partly responsible for his death and those of others, forces William through a series of traps that determine whether he, as well as many other ‘players’, live or die. Meanwhile, Hoffman’s evil machinations behind the scenes are complicated by FBI involvement as well as negotiations with Jill Kramer, Jigsaw’s widow (Betsy Russell).

The most dramatic improvement of this film over its two predecessors is that the story is focused and less convoluted than previous entries. The fifth film languished with a rushed and pointless ‘game’ plot that was just a chore to watch. The main story of this installment, involving the health insurance guy, is far more progressive and clear. Jigsaw’s motives for his capture are relatively more understandable than previous examples. I even remember him kidnapping some poor chump in the fourth film and torturing him on the basis that said chump helped people too much. Seriously. Watch it. Actually don’t. It’s a bad film.

Another aspect of the film deserving of praise are the new traps which, rather than just having got gorier, louder and disgusting-er, have actually experienced an innovative change. This is because, and without spoiling too much, they involve multiple people in sometimes violent and sometimes cooperative ways which add some much needed fresh air and tension into the signature of the series. So those who see the films only because they’re curious as to how the writers will invent new ways to remove limbs and faces from their owners, should not be disappointed. And I imagine that’s a substantial group of people. In fact, the only way I can see them improving the traps in the seventh film is if they involve Piers Morgan and some sexually frustrated bears.

However the innovation of the traps does have a price on the story. Although the main protagonist fits into the series’ pattern of bad people being punished, many other characters in these traps die horrific deaths simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. One poor guy who has only the loosest connection to William Easton has his chest crushed simply because he knew him.

So the new traps, whilst clever and original, completely derail the already questionable motives of Jigsaw. Moreover, the chest crush guy is perhaps the most likeable and relatable character in the film and he has about 30 seconds of screen time. This represents a problem with the saga itself but is no less apparent in this instalment. There is just no one to root for as everyone either dies or is evil.

Also, whilst I have (mostly) praised this half of the film, I have considerably less care for the behind the scenes story involving Hoffman and the FBI. Costas Mandylor, playing Hoffman, offers none of the charisma that Tobin Bell offered as the original Jigsaw and his character is downright impossible to care about. He is often also involved in the most ludicrous scenes, including one featuring the craziest FBI interrogation tactics I’ve ever witnessed. As a result, the flashbacks starring Tobin Bell are some of the highlights of the film yet only serve to remind the audience how much better he was than the new guy.

However, probably the biggest problem for this film is just the stale feeling it exudes. Yes, the traps are relatively innovative but the whole thing just reeks of ‘been there, done that’. As soon as the film opens with another inconsequential trap, you just know you’re not going to be surprised by the following two hours. It also doesn’t help that the format of the main plot with health insurance guy is extremely similar to that in the third film with car accident guy. There are the usual twists and turns and grisly moments but it’s just too familiar and the news that another trilogy is in the works is a move even the most die-hard fan will find difficult to advocate unless they seriously overhaul the series.

So in conclusion, this instalment succeeds over its two predecessors with innovative, clever traps and a focused story. As a result, it should keep fans of the series happy. However it is, perhaps unavoidably, a tired affair which manages to derail Jigsaw’s already dodgy methods whilst offering no new engaging characters.