After playing in cinemas for the last few months, the ninth entry into the Saw franchise, Spiral, has finally arrived on DVD, Blu-ray, 4K UHD and Digital! As a massive fan of the original Saw movie, directed by one of the best horror directors working right now, James Wan, Spiral has been a movie that has had me interested and here’s why it’s a film Saw fans must pick up.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw follows Zeke Banks (played by Chris Rock), a brash detective who is working in the shadow of his esteemed father, who is forced to partner up with rookie cop, William Schenk (Max Minghella), after a series of grisly murders start taking place throughout the city. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the centre of the killer’s morbid game.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw is a return to form for the franchise and takes it back a notch from some of the bloated and overblown traps that we have seen in the past few instalments into the franchise. Sure, some of the traps are brutal and filled with bucket-loads of blood but it never feels like the ‘gorefest’ that Jigsaw or Saw: The Final Chapter are. The blood is kept to a minimum outside of the very few stylised traps that are in this ninth film. There is only a handful of kills in this latest movie yet they are all used effectively and all interweave into the main plot of the film.
Chris Rock is also really good as the protagonist in Spiral. He plays this cocky, hotshot detective who also has trouble trusting all the other cops in the precinct. From the back and forth relationship he has with Schenk to the way he argues with the dirty policemen in the force, he perfectly plays off everyone in the cast. At times, Rock does seem like he might be overacting but it never pulls you out of the film.
Samuel L. Jackson is also solid as Zeke’s father. While his role is small, he acts as the glue for the whole story and is the driving force for Rock’s character. Zeke has been working in his shadow his whole life and you can truly feel that cloud being cast over him.
Minghella is also good in the film. He has a great well-rounded character arc in the film and you can feel his losses and bond with Zeke. He may not have a whole lot of screen time but he chews up the scenery in every scene he is in. Schenk is probably given the most character development and backstory out of everyone in the film due to his route into becoming a cop. He is built up to being the most fleshed out character in the entire film, in my opinion.
The Blu-ray of Spiral: From the Book of Saw also comes with a great selection of special features, including:
- 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
Overall, Spiral is one of the best chapters in the Book of Saw. While it may be a tad predictable at times, it’s made up with great character development, interesting traps and a great performance from Chris Rock.
Spiral: From the Book is Saw is available now on digital, DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD.
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