[Rating: Minor Rock Fist Down]
In theaters May 14.
It’s fitting that the central antagonist of Spiral is a copycat of a more compelling sadistic killer as Spiral is a blatant copy of the more compelling sadistic thriller Se7en. This alone does not knock the film down too much, because there have been many Se7en knockoffs and Spiral is at least one of the more enjoyable ones.
Chris Rock taking charge as the film’s executive producer and leading man moves the Saw franchise into a more “dark detective” direction rather than the infamous hour-and-a-half torture porn sessions it’s known for. There is a lot of promise on paper for Spiral during the horror renaissance we find ourselves in, however, the film falls into its own self-destructive trap of mediocre writing and clunky pacing, that keeps the Spiral from reaching the heights of its terrifying contemporaries.
Spiral plays a game with its audience, locking them into a sharp hour and 33-minute runtime allowing them to stew in outrage that goes beyond cinema and question the pleasure found in morbid justice. The film does this by taking its old formula of having a mysterious killer put bad people in a series of over the top torture traps, where they are forced to dismember their body to stay alive as a way of atoning for their sins. This time, however, the bad guys are all corrupt cops. Hitting on one of the hottest-button issues of our time, Spiral follows the case of Det. Zeke Banks (Rock) as he attempts to track down Metro’s newest surreal serial killer who has been gruesomely killing officers in his department with elaborate contraptions that look as if they were first constructed in a deranged Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.
Audiences might cheer seeing killer cops receiving extreme punishments, while others will groan as boys in blue are brutally attacked. All of this, however, gets convoluted as the film digs too little into its themes as its attempt at nuance ends up being a messy example of playing both sides. If presenting both sides in an equal manner was not the film’s intention, and a firm stance is present in chaos, then the climax drowns in its ambitious message amid its twist-filled conclusion. The confusion in the film’s messaging could have been avoided if every character other than Det. Banks had more personality than the gritty cop archetype found in a Dick Wolf show. There is no truth in the characters, leaving them to be lifeless caricatures that move the story along without sparking any genuine emotional engagement.
In 2010 Lionsgate released Saw: The Final Chapter. There have now been two more films since the release of the final chapter, proving that nothing in the Saw franchise is predictable, well that is except for this film’s twist. Known for its shocking twists, the Saw franchise has constantly tried to one-up its big reveals, never being able to top the iconic jaw-dropping moment at the end of the first. The pressure is on for writers Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger to stake their claim in the franchise by recapturing the disturbing magic of the first film that comes with the expected reveal. Stolberg and Goldfinger fumble the ball, leaving little room for the audience’s imagination to explore who is behind the madness. The breadcrumb trail left towards the discovery of the killer’s identity is far too large and the mystery is all but solved halfway through. When the big moment finally arrives, there is nothing to be excited for, as the writing has already been on the wall in big, bold bloody letters.
Spiral does itself a great service by presenting itself as a nightmarish neo-noir, rather than once again following the same exclusive torture basement formula. The contraptions lead to well-executed moments of suspense, but overall take a back seat to the hard-boiled detective story. Saw stans will be satisfied with all the blood and gore their heart’s desire, while more tame viewers can find enjoyment in the PG-13 thrilling aspects of the story.
The best game Spiral plays is allowing Chris Rock to not have to rely on his comedic talents to carry the film. Though there are moments of hilarity, Rock more so takes on the role of a traditional hard-boiled lead and is fantastic in it. Rock is the only performer in the film that properly carries the weight of his character and gives a performance for audiences to invest in. Samuel L. Jackson comes close to this playing Rock’s father, however his character is the most mishandled in the film. Moments between Rock and Jackson are electric from the actors’ chemistry, leaving great disappointment given how little the two interact with each other despite what the film’s advertising would expect you to believe. If the material of this film was better, or the concept was original, Rock’s horror performance would be championed in a similar fashion that Toni Collette and Lupita Nyong’o recently have.
Jonah Desneux is a recent graduate from the University of Missouri with a BA in Film Studies. It’s baffling that someone who just spent four years writing film paper after film paper would immediately want to write some more, but hey, he must love it! Along with writing about film Jonah enjoys writing and performing sketch comedy in Columbia and Kansas City.
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