Review of Saw VI (2009) by Wesley W — 28 Apr 2015

Finally, another Saw movie that feels like it belongs with the franchise and one that feels more grounded in reality than the other few installments. This for me is another movie in which I don't agree with the tomatometer.

The traps here are inventive, the suspense and tension is there, the acting is better, and most of all, the story is actually there and the script was given at least some thought put into it. Kevin Greutert, the editor of the other five Saw movies, sits in the director's chair this time around and he did a fine job in my opinion establishing all the events happening on screen.

Jigsaw's game in this one really felt like events were coming full circle and things were getting real serious. This installment's story was one of the most interesting in the whole franchise because it deals with decisions that are being made by the health insurance companies and how it affects people who are turned down by them.

Now, I don't know how accurate this film depicts these kind of decisions, but it really had me thinking about what they are really doing and this felt kinda like a satire for insurance companies. Peter Outerbridge as William provided for an interesting main character to follow because on one side you feel sorry for him for what he has to go through and on the other side, you end up not liking him for the bad decisions that he makes for his clients.

Tobin Bell is good once again here and his flashback scenes with Peter Outerbridge gave more insight on how he ended up becoming Jigsaw. On the other hand, Detective Hoffman hopes that the police don't find out he is the accomplice of Jigsaw and he will do whatever it takes to keep from being found out by them.

Costas Mandylor is not great in these films, but his character was interesting enough to watch in this franchise. The flashbacks this time around actually bring us more development on the characters, they were interesting, and they answer questions people may have on other Saw movies.

The traps and gore are better here than they were in the last two Saw films and those things provided for many edge of your seat moments. My only real issues with the movie has to do with some of the acting.

The acting is solid and good for the most part, but the acting from some of the minor characters that had screen time stuck out like a sore thumb, like the mother's kid, and some of William's associates.

Overall, I found this sixth installment in the popular horror franchise to be tense, gripping, and surprisingly unique.