spiral (2021) Spoiler-Free review
Spiral is an excellently paced and nigh-perfectly cast crime procedural that will benefit at the box-office from its association with the Saw franchise even though it would succeed without it. I’d heard from friends that Chris Rock is phenomenal in Fargo but will admit to not taking him terribly seriously as an actor simply because he is Chris Rock. He changed my mind with his performance here. Yes, he once again plays a version of himself but it works due to strength of writing, believability of performances across the board, and electric, pun intended, direction from Darren Lynn Bousman (Bousman also directed Saw II, III and IV). Either Rock hired an acting coach or finally realized that he can’t play every character as Chris Rock. He’s on-screen for 90% of the film and his grounded yet hilarious performance never loses its welcome. I was equal parts curious and jaded when this film was announced as existing in the Saw universe without being a numbered Saw film. I experienced diminishing returns with each Saw entry due to a lack of connection to the carnage. For me, the ingenuity and horror of each deathtrap is tied inexorably to sympathy for the victim. By the fifth and sixth Saw films, the franchise shifted focus from character to Final Destination-like bloodshed where the star of the show is creativity of violence. Spiral uses a simple yet clever plot device to remind us that there are real humans underneath the contraptions. The through-line of the film doesn’t become clear until the very end and to describe it as “ripped from the headlines” would be accurate. It runs the risk of polarizing some but I feel it worked for the story Rock and Bousman wanted to tell. And don’t worry if you’ve never seen a Saw film as you can enjoy Spiral without any pre-existing knowledge. Spiral does make me want to go back and watch Saw though.
Spiral receives a 7.5/10 for general audiences and a 8.5/10 for fans of the Saw franchise. The death contraptions are just a grisly as ever and backed by a tightly paced and gripping story that sets things up nicely for Spiral 2.