15 More Dumb Movies Which Are Secretly Smart

Are the Saw films smart? Well, yes and no.

Some of them are intelligently drawn and suspenseful thrillers, while others are just really, really silly and ill-constructed. Still, while the best films in the series have delivered a bevy of smart twists any meaningful social commentary is something that the films have usually avoided.

That is one of the many reasons why Saw VI, which is arguably the best Saw movie after the original, was so satisfying. As well as being a return to form after three disappointing movies in a row, Saw VI wholeheartedly commits to being a stinging, brutal and darkly funny attack on the US healthcare system.

Sure, it's not genius satire, but it does still make for a disturbing and thought-provoking look at what is still a topical, hot-button issue in American politics. As a result, the Saw franchise's famous traps have rarely, if ever, carried more weight than they do here.

And the film's absolutely brutal ending for its game's main player, the corrupt healthcare executive William (Peter Outerbridge) is the cherry on top of a deliciously dark cake.

Staying on the subject of Saw, 2021's Spiral: From the Book of Saw also deserves a shout-out for its solidly effective exploration of police corruption, which had a pleasing amount of nuance to it.