Director Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
Genre Horror | Thriller
Cast Tobin Bell, Laura Vandervoort, Callum Keith Rennie, Matt Passmore
Rating R
Release Date October 27th, 2017
“Bodies are turning up around the city, each having met a uniquely gruesome demise. As the investigation proceeds, evidence points to one suspect: John Kramer, the man known as Jigsaw, who has been dead for ten years.”
From directors Michael and Peter Spierig, the brothers responsible for Daybreakers and Predestination (which is under the radar but actually really good), Jigsaw is the latest and seemingly final entry in the Saw franchise of torture horror films- although the potential for a series reboot has been discussed. I feel like fans of the franchise were on the fence about a sequel, primarily due to concern over a terrible movie leaving a bad taste in their mouths, which is certainly understandable. Considering the disaster that was Saw: The Final Chapter (2010), this is a justifiable concern. I wouldn't consider myself to be a hardcore fan of the franchise by any means, but I really enjoyed the first few films and considering the majority to be at least watchable. Let's see if Jigsaw can make a fan out of me yet! The cast includes Tobin Bell, Laura Vandervoort, Callum Keith Rennie, and Matt Passmore.
Jigsaw rolls out the red carpet for hardcore fans and brings to the table enough creativity and backstory to expand its target audience. I will fully admit that the Saw franchise as a whole got old for me personally, as I felt like it quickly reached the point where they were releasing new movies as nothing more than a quick "cash grab" without much creativity. The original Saw released in 2004, my senior year in high school (damn I'm getting old), and even though critics weren't overly enthusiastic, audiences were thrilled with the cat and mouse style horror thriller. Jigsaw reignites a franchise that many thought was dead in the water, and I personally felt nostalgic right from the start.
The Spierig brothers may not share the same level of directorial talent that original Saw director and horror mastermind James Wan possesses, but they are slowly building a very respectable resume, with the vampire flick Daybreakers and the unique and mind-bending sci-fi film Predestination. This time around the brothers are very much in sync and I felt like they took great pride in this opportunity. Jigsaw feels fresh and takes full advantage of the technological advances when it comes to its trademark gore factor. I personally found myself wincing quite a few times, and let's just say I've watched my fair share of movies where eye covering is basically mandatory. That being said, it doesn't feel forced or over the top, which helps with the overall effectiveness of the film. I was genuinely impressed by the creative and fairly elaborate backstory presented in Jigsaw. The events of the film unfold nicely and seem to fall into place just like perfectly placed dominos. The ending actually has a really cool twist that I certainly didn't see coming. Now granted Jigsaw has its fair share of inconsistencies and "why would you react that way?" moments, but none of them take too much away from the overall experience.
The cast for Jigsaw is solid all around and actually above average in terms of what you would expect from a horror film. Tobin Bell reprises his role as John Kramer, otherwise known as the Jigsaw killer. I was extremely pleased with Tobin's performance and I felt like he added a layer of emotional depth to his character rarely found in a horror film. Laura Vandervoort has a significant role and I was impressed with her performance. It was important for her to avoid coming across as corny or too over the top and I think she managed expectations well. Actor Matt Passmore, who only has a couple acting credits and was a truck driver for the Army prior to becoming an actor according to his IMDb filmography, exceeds expectations and delivers (see what I did there?) the performance of a veteran actor. Actor Callum Keith Rennie, who I personally recognized as a character from the Showtime series Californication as well as the classic film Memento, is solid as a rough around the edges detective. The rest of the supporting cast delivered a collective effort they should all be proud of.
Jigsaw caters to its fans first and foremost which is clearly the way it should be, but the film adds enough substance to appeal to a wider audience. Now this is far from a film that deserves critical acclaim but the final product is very entertaining and honestly much better than most people expected. If you can handle the trademark gore and see the value in a horror film during the Halloween season, Jigsaw is well worth the price of admission.
