Every Saw Film Ranked From Worst To Best
4. Spiral - From The Book Of Saw
Plot: A Jigsaw copycat starts targeting corrupt cops and Detective Ezekiel Banks (Chris Rock) tries to catch him.
After being delayed for a year, Spiral has finally arrived and luckily, it's one of the good Saw movies.
Spiral is a nasty, brutal and intense mystery that will constantly have viewers on the edge of their seats all while delivering some timely and hard-hitting social commentary. If nothing else, this movie is a consistently stressful and suspenseful watch.
Additionally, the visuals and performances are right on-point (although Samuel L. Jackson is wasted) and, for the most part, the dialogue is surprisingly good too.
As for the inevitable twist-ending, it's a mixed bag. On the one hand, the identity of the villain is so obvious that it's kind-of hilarious but on the other hand, the final scene offers an effective gut-punch.
In terms of flaws, there are several. The pacing is rushed, the new killer's voice sounds like a Muppet, some characters are under-developed and the new villain is a bit disappointing. So, it's in no way a great movie, but it's a rock-solid three-star flick all the same, and it's definitely worth seeing.
Still, Lionsgate should leave this particular storyline alone after this. It feels like these characters got satisfying endings and don't need sequels.