WHAT’S IT ABOUT
A sadistic mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in SPIRAL, the terrifying new chapter from the book of SAW. Working in the shadow of an esteemed police veteran (Samuel L. Jackson), brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks (Chris Rock) and his rookie partner (Max Minghella) take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
I don’t think anyone was asking for another Saw movie. Still, as far as horror, thriller, or whatever you want to call this genre’ is concerned, it’s one of the few original old-school franchises out there that continues to stay relevant. As you know, the “original” killer, Jigsaw, is dead. So this time, the killer is a blatant copycat. The film’s only ninety minutes long (many movies these days are 2-hours for some reason), and it wastes no time getting to the first kill. As with the other films in the series, there’s always a point as to why a specific person or people are targeted. In Spiral, it’s the police force. The primary officer in the killer’s scope is Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks (Chris Rock). After the opening scene, nearly every question regarding Zeke’s past, present, and possible future is answered. Bank’s is a good cop, but the other officers disagree with his moral standings. Because of trust issues, he prefers working alone. He also has Daddy issues and marriage problems. I know more about Zeke than I know about some of my associates, and that’s when you know a movie is giving you too much information about a singular character. Needless to say, it didn’t ruin the film. It was just to waste time before the next kill. And that’s what you watch Saw for – the next puzzle-inspired death trap. Spiral stays true to the franchise by introducing more body mutilating devices while offering its captor an ultimatum. The worse part and glaring flaw of Spiral is how easy it was to capture its victims. It’s as if whoever wrote this only had the film’s moral in mind, and everything else was an afterthought left to a crew member to correct. You’re smacked in the face with the moral reasoning behind this film. The motivation for producing a movie that targets law enforcement is a direct inspirational response based on today’s current disgust with what appears to be the majority of the men and women in blue. Because of this, Spiral will definitely appeal more to people of color.
OUR RATING – A SAME, BUT DIFFERENT 7
MEDIA
- Genre – Action
- Street date
- Digital – May 31st, 2021
- DVD/Blu-Ray – July 20th, 2021
- Video – 1080p
- Screen size – 2:39.1
- Sound – English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
- Subtitles – English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras
- Audio Commentary with Director Darren Lynn Bousman, Co-screenwriter Josh Stolberg, and Composer Charlie Clouser
- Audio Commentary with Producers Oren Koules and Mark Burg
- The Consequences of Your Actions: Creating Spiral
- Drawing Inspiration: Illustrated Trap Breakdowns
- Decoding the Marketing Spiral
- Theatrical Teaser Trailer
- Theatrical Trailer