Bullet Points: Spiral
How many Saw movies does it take to screw in a lightbulb? I have no idea. What I do know is there is a new chapter in the SCU (Saw Cinematic Universe). I was intrigued from the first trailer. Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson’s involvement made Spiral a must watch movie for me. There are a lot of films competing at the box office this weekend for your attention and your hard earned money. Let us see if Spiral makes the cut.
- How Saw is Spiral?: Jigsaw is dead, man. John Kramer has died about 8 times from Cancer. Spiral acknowledges John, but this is not a movie about him. Do not worry, he is not coming back from the dead. His spirit does live on in the style of kills. The kills are some of the most inventive in the entire series. This is saying a lot, because we have had at least 19 Saw movies and roughly 3434 deaths in the franchise. I think Jason, Michael and Freddy are getting a tad bit jealous. Well, maybe not that many movies or deaths, but you get my point: The concept of Saw has been used and used and used some more. How can Spiral be a fresh take on Saw?
- Chris Rock Acts Like Chris Rock: The wisest decision in Spiral is the casting of Chris Rock. He plays a cop (Det. Zeke Banks). A cop who takes no shit. He also cracks jokes like Chris Rock would do on an HBO comedy special. In a way, Chris is playing a version of himself. A lot of Spiral reminds me more of a buddy cop movie than a horror film. I have a feeling the action community will come out in masses to watch.
- How Many Movies Has Samuel L. Jackson Been In?: Here is something funny to me: Samuel L. Jackson plays Chris Rock’s dad in Spiral. It goes to show we are all getting old. Sam does what Sam does, but it is Chris who is the showstopper. Sam’s role is way more on the supporting side of things. Max Minghella is the other actor who receives quality screen time. He plays Chris’ rookie partner. How many cop movies have the lead teamed up with a rookie partner? The correct answer is: Too many to count. I am sure Samuel L. Jackson made enough from Spiral to pay the mortgage this month.
- It Is All About The Cops: Spiral does its own thing because it is all about some lunatic killing cops in very gruesome ways. It is up to Zeke and his partner to solve the case before the entire police department is wiped out. We have plenty of potential victims. Which also means we have a lot of cookie cutter underdeveloped characters. I am cool with it because it helps the kill count.
- Final Words: The word Spiral according to this film means change, evolution and progress. Spiral does not reinvent the horror wheel like Saw, but damn, it is entertaining as hell. Spiral is the type of movie you see with a group of friends you have not seen in over a year, and you and your friends have a blast watching. I do not think Spiral is the last movie in the franchise, and I am honestly excited for the next chapter.
- Grade: A-
