The script characterizes Zeke as somehow both jaded and idealistic, alternating between humorless scenes and ones that play like stand-up sets at times, Rock looks befuddled to find himself plopped into the middle of the Saw universe. Jackson), while dealing with a precinct that hates him because he turned in his old partner for being a dirty cop. Spiral follows Zeke (played by Rock), an officer trying to live up to the legacy of his father, a former police chief named Marcus (Samuel L. ![]() The problem begins with the film’s failure to land on a clear perspective about its hero. Rather than using the genre to illuminate uncomfortable truths about policing, Spiral only gestures at “wokeness” for the sake of relevance. The movie never figures out whether to approach the topic of police reform seriously or satirically. ![]() Even with Rock’s star power and influence as an executive producer, Spiral: From the Book of Saw is a mess, like a pile of dismembered ideas wearing the skin of social justice. “It seems very timely,” Rock said in an interview about Spiral. Its hero is keenly aware of the unpunished crimes committed by his own precinct. Despite being made before last year’s resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement and protests against police brutality, Spiral speaks to the ongoing push to hold law enforcement responsible for alleged abuses. Even the Saw movies have tackled weighty subjects: Saw VI used its grisly games to make a point about the greed of the American health-care system. As the recent era of “elevated horror” films proves, the genre can offer much more than cheap scares. It’s easy to see why Drake would think so. “Chris conceived this idea, and it will be completely reverential to the legacy of the material while reinvigorating the brand with his wit, creative vision, and passion.” Whereas the original villain, Jigsaw, hunted an array of prey, this copycat would focus on weeding out the “ bad apples” of law enforcement. ![]() Rock would star as a detective chasing a serial killer known as “Spiral,” who targets only corrupt cops. Joe Drake, a Lionsgate executive, says he bumped into Rock at a wedding, where the comedian lobbied “in chilling detail” for a reimagined take on the franchise. It needed a new star and a new purpose.Īs it turned out, the studio could kill two birds with one Chris Rock. Even B-listers hadn’t joined the cast in years. The once-popular Lionsgate series had gotten predictable the death traps were rusty, the box-office returns waning. Saw, that undying paean to torture porn, finally started running out of stamina when its eighth- eighth!-entry hit theaters in 2017. This story contains spoilers for the film Spiral: From the Book of Saw.
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