It's quite apt that the the star of Spiral, the latest chapter in the 'Book of Saw', is stand-up comedian Chris Rock, because the film is a joke.
Rock, dreadfully mis-cast, plays Detective Zeke Banks, who is the focus of a campaign of terror by a serial killer who seems to be emulating the infamous John Kramer AKA Jigsaw, only this time the victims are corrupt cops (how topical). Banks is sent parcels in the post by the new killer, leading him from one gruesome discovery to another.
In the opening scene, the trap is situated above a subway line, the victim given the option of losing his tongue or losing his life. Did no-one making this film question the logic of installing a complex mechanical device above an operational railway line? How long would the device have taken to assemble? Did no trains pass by on those days? Was the third rail electrified the whole time? It's just plain dumb....
...but not as dumb as the trap that the maniac somehow manages to assemble in a police evidence room. It pumps boiling wax onto the victims face, thus requiring a power supply and some heavy duty equipment, yet is installed without a hitch, no-one interrupting the (presumably noisy) work, and with no-body questioning the presence of such a device.
And I gotta love the following scene for all the wrong reasons: Zeke picks the lock on his handcuffs using a hair pin and then protects himself from high velocity shards of glass using a dustbin. Firstly, picking a lock is not that simple - it can be done, but takes practice and time. Secondly, that bin ain't protecting him - there's glass flying everywhere, but that's okay... what's a few deep flesh-wounds to a tough guy like Zeke?
The ill-considered script also holds very few surprises regarding the identity of the killer: as soon as Detective William Schenk was declared dead without showing how he was killed or why he was chosen, I knew I had my man. And sure enough... (one might say 'I SAW that coming').
Lastly, what's up with the killer's puppet: not only does it look stupid, but it's got a really daft voice as well. Bring back Billy!
3.5/10, generously rounded up to 4 for the finger-trap, which is undeniably nasty.
Rock, dreadfully mis-cast, plays Detective Zeke Banks, who is the focus of a campaign of terror by a serial killer who seems to be emulating the infamous John Kramer AKA Jigsaw, only this time the victims are corrupt cops (how topical). Banks is sent parcels in the post by the new killer, leading him from one gruesome discovery to another.
In the opening scene, the trap is situated above a subway line, the victim given the option of losing his tongue or losing his life. Did no-one making this film question the logic of installing a complex mechanical device above an operational railway line? How long would the device have taken to assemble? Did no trains pass by on those days? Was the third rail electrified the whole time? It's just plain dumb....
...but not as dumb as the trap that the maniac somehow manages to assemble in a police evidence room. It pumps boiling wax onto the victims face, thus requiring a power supply and some heavy duty equipment, yet is installed without a hitch, no-one interrupting the (presumably noisy) work, and with no-body questioning the presence of such a device.
And I gotta love the following scene for all the wrong reasons: Zeke picks the lock on his handcuffs using a hair pin and then protects himself from high velocity shards of glass using a dustbin. Firstly, picking a lock is not that simple - it can be done, but takes practice and time. Secondly, that bin ain't protecting him - there's glass flying everywhere, but that's okay... what's a few deep flesh-wounds to a tough guy like Zeke?
The ill-considered script also holds very few surprises regarding the identity of the killer: as soon as Detective William Schenk was declared dead without showing how he was killed or why he was chosen, I knew I had my man. And sure enough... (one might say 'I SAW that coming').
Lastly, what's up with the killer's puppet: not only does it look stupid, but it's got a really daft voice as well. Bring back Billy!
3.5/10, generously rounded up to 4 for the finger-trap, which is undeniably nasty.