SAW VI Slices Up Nice!

The latest entry in the Saw franchise delivers some nice shocks, good story and of course TRAPS! Directed by Kevin Greutert, Saw VI starts off with a bang as the opening prologue sets the pace for a nice ride that flirts with getting over the top gory but chooses not to cross the line. The main thrust of the story revolves around a medical insurance businessman whose history of choosing the bottom line over human life comes back to haunt him. Played by Peter Outerbridge, William Easton is set through a series of traps and games that put him in the position of having to face fatal decisions he was flippantly making, but now with people he knows and works with. One of the last lessons left by the deceased serial (but not really) killer Jigsaw. While Easton is maneuvering through the traps, Jigsaw’s apprentice Lieutenant Hoffman is on the verge of being uncovered by the authorities. A lot of flashbacks are involved as loose ends from the last 3 movies are tied up, putting together many of the puzzle pieces.

The centerpiece of the Saw movies are the traps, and in this one the tradition continues quite well. My favorite was the “pound of flesh” trap from the opening sequence. I’d like a little bit more of the “what would YOU do” type scenarios as one tends to get more involved with it than the “how will this person escape” type. But still, the traps in Saw VI hold up well and are inventive.

One of the chief complaints of the latest entries has been the almost non-existent presence of the commanding Tobin Bell. It seems like he was well missed enough that he has more screen time in this one and it is really noticed. The other actors don’t have too much to do but they dutifully carry their roles well enough to keep the momentum going. Noticeably, Costas Mandylor as Hoffman is there just to set up the traps, not to give reasoning behind them (that is left to Bell). So pretty much the main villain is there without much to do.

Another fault of the last couple of movies were if you were not well versed in all the installments you were pretty much left scratching your head. While Saw VI still needs you to be somewhat familiar with its predecessors, it can work (to a degree) on its own at the same time cleaning up the questions left over from the previous Saws. Though the cliffhanger ending is a pain, it’s expected as Saw VII has already been announced.

Saw VI is a nice Halloween movie that follows through on the promises of scares, tension and lots of blood. Check it out.
--Monstar
Monstar@HorrorOnDvd.com