And they wrote a Jigsaw movie that actually kind of needed a whole lot more acting than the originals before (2017 "Jigsaw"),which forced Rock into acting mad; tired; emotional; exhausted; sad and desperate. And yet his face was the same for every single scene of the movie, regardless of the emotion his character was supposed to be feeling.

The more superfitial things about the saga were there thanks to Bousman, the director (also director of Saw II, III and IV).

But the fundamental stuff that made Jigsaw legendary was his "code", his "purpose", his "logical madness" (and also the ingenious traps). There is none of that here, with brutal but not that clever traps, and a villain that lacks any kind of coherent philosophy, which makes him basically a simple (and boring) serial killer.

Yikes...this movie was not good. Possibly in the bottom two worst movies in the franchise..and that's too bad because this movie was so hyped up and anticipated, it could have made for a major blockbuster. Honestly, the second I saw that Darren Lynn Bousman was directing I kinda knew it was doomed. Bousman has directed the three highest grossing saw films but all three are indie budgeted films. Bousman is more of a low to mid budget director and i don't think he'd know what to do with a ton of money for a film. Unfortunately, this is more than just a thought as it is apparent as we watch "Spiral" spiral out of control and not in a good way. The opening scene, although rushed feeling, seems to be setting the tone for the film but its actually probably the more vivid and upfront of the torture scenes. And that's just the thing; the torture scenes are weak and there are rather few of them. Most of them are not shown in full but instead through quick glimpses of a flashback. Most of the traps are stupid and vapid. Uninteresting to say the least. The story is too centered on these police officers that get a lot of screen time in the precinct but little elsewhere. Characters are kind of introduced and then are never seen again...like what? Lol, this is all a result of Chris Rock's involvement. It says everywhere that he wrote this movie but he is not credited as a writer in the credits. Regardless I think he had a very heavy hand in the production as he " saw" this as his unique baby and comeback performance and film. The story misses all these major obvious things that could have been fixed, some with as little as better dialogue. Like when Zeke tells all the cops to seal off the precinct and make sure no one gets out, then immediately decides he is going to find his old partner and talk to him and rushes out of the building. Um ok, u just said nobody leaves...w.e. There were so many more, even more annoying than this. Too much of the movie takes place in that unappealing precinct and when other cool locations are used it is shown very briefly. This annoyed me greatly. Many will say Chris Rock overacted. How can u say this when he acts this same way in every movie he is in? But yes, as this was likely his "comeback vehicle", u will notice his acting is quite...bamfy... Samuel L. Is also lackluster and, too, acts the same way in every movie. He seems to be reverse aging. He looks the same way he did 20 years ago. I just don't like him very much. He is typical and every time he's in a movie I'm less likely to get truly immersed.

The jigsaw killer was beyond obvious as to who it was and the twist SUCKED. They had so little to go back and reveal as prior easter eggs and clues because it was all just so lame.

It did have a nice cinematic touch though. Some ok shots and some neat music and like one cool kill scene...thats about it. The gore was cheapish looking and too vague. I think the team behind it forgot they were making an ever loved Saw movie and thought they were making a cop crime thriller you'd see on TV. Saw movies are meant to be HORROR movies at their core, not some timid nonsense lacking blood and gore for the sake of being more intellectual and clean cut. Attempting to that is.

It's quite apt that the the star of Spiral, the latest chapter in the 'Book of Saw', is stand-up comedian Chris Rock, because the film is a joke.

Rock, dreadfully mis-cast, plays Detective Zeke Banks, who is the focus of a campaign of terror by a serial killer who seems to be emulating the infamous John Kramer AKA Jigsaw, only this time the victims are corrupt cops (how topical). Banks is sent parcels in the post by the new killer, leading him from one gruesome discovery to another.

In the opening scene, the trap is situated above a subway line, the victim given the option of losing his tongue or losing his life. Did no-one making this film question the logic of installing a complex mechanical device above an operational railway line? How long would the device have taken to assemble? Did no trains pass by on those days? Was the third rail electrified the whole time? It's just plain dumb....

...but not as dumb as the trap that the maniac somehow manages to assemble in a police evidence room. It pumps boiling wax onto the victims face, thus requiring a power supply and some heavy duty equipment, yet is installed without a hitch, no-one interrupting the (presumably noisy) work, and with no-body questioning the presence of such a device.

And I gotta love the following scene for all the wrong reasons: Zeke picks the lock on his handcuffs using a hair pin and then protects himself from high velocity shards of glass using a dustbin. Firstly, picking a lock is not that simple - it can be done, but takes practice and time. Secondly, that bin ain't protecting him - there's glass flying everywhere, but that's okay... what's a few deep flesh-wounds to a tough guy like Zeke?

The ill-considered script also holds very few surprises regarding the identity of the killer: as soon as Detective William Schenk was declared dead without showing how he was killed or why he was chosen, I knew I had my man. And sure enough... (one might say 'I SAW that coming').

Lastly, what's up with the killer's puppet: not only does it look stupid, but it's got a really daft voice as well. Bring back Billy!

3.5/10, generously rounded up to 4 for the finger-trap, which is undeniably nasty.