Costas Mandylor:  Mark Hoffman
Tobin Bell:  John Kramer/Jigsaw
Betsy Russell:  Jill Tuck
Shawnee Smith:  Amanda Young
Samantha Lemole:  Pam Jenkins

Release Date: October 23rd, 2009
Studio: Lionsgate /
Twisted Pictures
Genre: Suspense / Horror
Rated: R      1 hr 21 mins

CAST:

Jigsaw and Amanda are still dead but the body count on Saw VI continues to grow just like the numerals after the film's name. It's pretty doubtful that there are any newcomers to this endless series and that most folks are sticking around because they already invested about 10 hours of their lives watching people get torn apart and punished for whatever comes to the creator's mind this time.

The good news is Saw VI is much better than the previous two installments. Is it because Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) and Amanda (Shawnee Smith) return from the grave in the form of flashbacks? No. It's because the film kind of gets back to the "choose your own death" and ditches the Law and Order / CSI junk that clogged up most of parts 4 and 5. Lieutenant Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) is still capturing people but now Jigsaw's buxom and pouty former wife (Betsy Russell) is really thrown into the mix. The plot is also successful in its simplicity. If it weren't for the flashbacks that seem to be only necessary to keep the film in the Saw universe, the film’s main focus would be on one victim's journey through a series of traps. Yes, it's pretty close to Saw III, but the traps and twists are strangely better.

Here's the deal: If you absolutely hated Saw IV or fell asleep during Saw V, skip Saw VI. Also, if you are hoping for the series to end, skip Saw VI. But if you are still looking for a return on your initial Saw investment, you need to watch part 6 because it actually moves the series along. Yes, that's right. Saw VI finally breaks the film away from the continual rehashing of the first 3 films. That's not to say that say that Saw VI isn't crummy. It's just that the film finally piques the interest of how the next film will continue the story. There's a real slim chance that Saw VII won't rely on flashbacks of Jigsaw and Amanda. Yeah, right. But the next film will be in 3D! Excited?

Obviously the Saw franchise is going to continue until the box office and Unrated DVD receipts don't double the budget. Saw VI shows that most recent writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan (Feast series, The Collector) can stick a tippy-toe outside of the box and that the producers won't stop until they start repeating traps. But what really is depressing is that Saw is one of the few exceptions to the current Horror genre rule: It's isn't a remake. That just means it is a wee-bit better than what Rob Zombie is dumping on the big screen. 

Saw VI is a rental; nothing more, nothing less. Again, if you haven't seen anything past the third film, don't bother. Saw VI will be a convoluted mess. But if you are a sucker for this type of crud, by all means, shell out a few bucks and be prepared to see a bit of good gore with rather tepid acting. It’s at least better than the last two installments and all of the recent clones.

SAW VI

December 3, 2009

Reviewer: Rottenbucher

DIRECTOR:

Kevin Greutert

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