Saw VI (2009)
2009
R
90 Minutes
Special Agent Strahm is dead, and Detective Hoffman has emerged as the unchallenged successor to Jigsaw's legacy. However, when the FBI draws closer to Hoffman, he is forced to set a game into moti...
User Review
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Saw VI improves on the arduous torturous formula ever so slightly. Well, didn't think I'd be saying this. Sixth instalment in, and an improvement has been made. Woo. Hey, Jigsaw! Pop those confetti blasters. You've done it! Good job! But, it's by the smallest of margins, so let's not get too excited. Think of it as the lesser of two very blood-soaked evils. It's the exact same premise, with an identical narrative structure as every other bloody film in the series, just more balanced and with a slight commentary on America's healthcare system. Kramer's accomplice is still orchestrating tests set by the recently deceased serial killer, but is rapidly becoming discovered by detectives.
Oh, and don't forget, an individual must undergo a variety of traps and challenges to blah blah blah, you get the idea now. The exact same criticisms that I had with 'Saw V' apply here also. Bad acting (aside from Bell), massively convoluted plot that just goes further down the mechanical rabbit hole, uninspired traps and a mass outbreak of flashbacks that explain even more intricacies that the series has apparently left. Key characters are constantly being resurrected and then dying again, just so that the another sequel can be produced. Honestly, there cannot be anymore detectives left, surely? Yet it's not a complete atrocity.
The corruption and selfish behaviour of businessmen in the healthcare industry is somewhat depicted with an ounce of humanity. The life or death ultimatums that this victim encounters, certainly assisted in ramping up that needed tension. Don't get me wrong, it's still terribly paced with a narrative so splintered that it could be classed as one of Kramer's traps. Predictable right down to the sawed off bone, hitting every beat of the franchise's tedious formula. Six films in and the excessive use of gore has truly diminished any impact. These are no longer categorised as horror films. I'd go as far as saying that "Saw" is now it's own genre. There. It's done. Apparently though, more of the story needs to be told as there is a seventh and final chapter remaining! Jeez...0 member like this review.
