“Spiral: From the Book of Saw” (2021) starring Chris Rock, Samuel L. Jackson & Max Minghella / Z-View

 Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)

Director:  Darren Lynn Bousman

Writer: Josh Stolberg, Peter Goldfinger

Stars: Chris Rock, Samuel L. Jackson, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, Richard Zeppieri, Ali Johnson, Edie Inksetter, Nazneen Contractor and Chad Camilleri.

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

When an off-duty cop is found murdered in a subway, clues indicate the killer is a fan of Jigsaw, the deceased serial killer.  Jigsaw would trap, incapacitate his victims and then kill them using elaborate methods causing pain and disfigurement.  Detective Zeke Banks (Rock) and rookie Detective William Schenk (Minghella) are assigned to the case.

As Banks and Schenk follow leads, more cops are found murdered by Spiral.  Each murder strikes closer to Banks’ circle of fellow officers,,, and now Banks’ father is missing.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I was a fan of the original Saw.  The sequels that I watched (I haven’t seen them all) put more emphasis on gory, bizarre methods of murder.  I realize that is part of the appeal of these movies, but I prefer to see the set-up and let my imagination do the rest.  I was hoping that Spiral would be more of a serial killer mystery with less emphasis on gore.

There’s a twist at the end that for my money works.

Darren Lynn Bousman directed Saw sequels 2, 3 and 4.  I liked the choices he made in Spiral (well, except for some of the torture scenes),

Chris Rock impressed me in Fargo and I enjoyed him here.  Samuel L. Jackson elevates any movie.  I’d never seen anything with Max Minghella before.  He does an excellent job, especially in the film’s final set piece.

Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) rates 3 of 5 stars.