 "Photo: Courtesy Art")
While “Saw VI” certainly is not the worst entry in the “Saw” series, it is definitely the first one to affirm my suspicions that no “Saw” sequel will ever be good again.
I have come to this realization because “Saw VI” is one of the first sequels to actually try to be an entertaining, gory thriller. The script has its sharp moments, the traps are inventive, most of the actors are believable, and the main character is well-developed to the point that I actually found myself caring whether he lived or died. It is clear the makers really wanted this to be a solid entry in the “Saw” series.
So where does it go wrong? Well, it is the sixth movie, for one thing. By the time “Saw VI” finishes, the series itself has run for a total of 579 minutes. If a movie series has an interesting and complex enough story, the running time should not be a factor. But, in all honesty, the “Saw” series is not one of these. By the time the sixth one rolls around, the B-movie characters from past installments have already overstayed their welcome, and the storyline is reduced to running on fumes.
“Saw VI” picks up right where “Saw V” left off. Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) continues to do Jigsaw’s bidding and, in doing so, captures William (Peter Outerbridge), a corrupt chief executive of a health-insurance company.
We see the true heartlessness of William when he refuses to support a man whose survival rests on an insurance-covered treatment. Later that night, Detective Hoffman captures William and forces him to play Jigsaw’s twisted game.
The most enjoyable story arc was definitely the one that dealt with William. I liked how Outerbridge created his character. We really get to see both slimy and compassionate sides to the character, who also contains an almost heroic quality within his initial heartlessness. In one scene, he has to expose his body to scalding bursts of steam so that one of his friends can go free. It is a brutal scene, but through it we realize that William is not just the selfish, money-grubbing CEO he initially appeared to be. He is a complex character and because of that complexity, he is one of the most intriguing characters to come along in the “Saw” franchise. Unfortunately, the other characters were not as well-written.
The movie starts to show its age whenever it focuses on Detective Hoffman or Jill: both characters were introduced in “Saw III,” and even then they were not interesting people. In this installment, they do not have anything to do; they simply brood and throw forgettable dialogue back and forth. Obviously, the makers could not get rid of these characters completely as they are a well-known part of the “Saw” franchise. However, it is a shame that Hoffman and Jill no longer have the ability to further the plot in an interesting way. They merely serve as excess baggage that bogs down the rest of the film.
“Saw VI” is the first of the “Saws” to suffer from the “been-there-done-that” effect. The storyline has been fully covered, and the characters from previous installments are no longer interesting. The makers need to find a way to jump-start the series, or “Saw VII” and “Saw VIII” will both be failures not even die-hard fans will enjoy.
- Patrick Bales is a senior in elementary education. Send comments to edge@spub.ksu.edu
