Spiral [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD]

Director: Darren Lynn Bousman Darren Lynn Bousman

Overview

Detective Ezekiel Banks (Chris Rock) struggles to amount to the precedent set by Marcus (Samuel L. Jackson), a respected former police chief. When a series of unsettling murders sends the community reeling, Ezekiel teams up with his young, new partner, William Schenk (Max Minghella), to track down the killer. Yet the further they dig into the evidence, the more the recent killings begin to resemble a disturbing period in the city's history, ultimately leaving Ezekiel vulnerable as the murderer's next target. Darren Lynn Bousman directs this ninth installment in the Saw franchise.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/20/2021
UPC:	0031398328476
Original Release:	2021
Source:	LIONS GATE
Language:	English
Sales rank:	18,259

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Morgan David Jones	Officer Barrett
Samuel L. Jackson	Marcus
Ali Johnson	Jeannie Lewis
Daniel Petronijevic	Det. Marv Boswick
Chris Rock	Det. Zeke Banks
Richard Zeppieri	Detective Fitch
Edie Inksetter	Det. Kraus
Leila Leigh	Officer Mark
Max Minghella	William Schenk
Christopher Tai	Officer Johnson
John Tokatlidis	Burns
Genelle Williams	Lisa Banks
Leonidas Castrounis	Young Boy
Chris Collins	Det. Drury
Marisol Nichols	Capt. Angie Garza
Maud Druine	Young Woman
Nazneen Contractor	Chada
Frank Licari	Emmerson
Zoie Palmer	Kara Boswick
Josh Stolberg	Police Officer
Isys Alexis	Woman
Chris Ramsay	Brian Cook
Brian Cook	Reporter
Luke Gallo	Drug Dealer
Andrew Perun	Paramedic
Elena Khan	Homeless 1
C.J. Lusby	Police officer
Heidi Matijevic	Hooker
Johnny Prince	S.W.A.T.
Morgan Davide Jones	Officer Barrett
K.C. Collins	Det. Drury
Charlie Clouser	Composer

Technical Credits

Josh Stolberg

Pete Goldfinger

Josh Stolberg	Screenwriter
Pete Goldfinger	Screenwriter
Darren Lynn Bousman	Director
Jason Constantine	Executive Producer
Kevin Greutert	Executive Producer
Daniel J. Heffner	Executive Producer
Chris Rock	Executive Producer
Stacey Testro	Executive Producer
James Wan	Executive Producer
Leigh Whannell	Executive Producer
Mark Burg	Producer
Oren Koules	Producer
Stephanie Gorin	Casting
Tom Bjelic	Sound Editor
Xerxes Shuzhang Yang	Sound Editor
Robert Woolfson	Sound Mixer
John Laing	Sound Editor
Emile Boucek	Sound Editor

Editorial Reviews

Spiral: From the Book of Saw is a horror crime torture film that relates to the Saw franchise. Detective Zeke and a new partner are tasked with solving a mysterious new series of killings that seem like they may have a copycat on their hands, posing as the new Jigsaw. As they get deeper into the dangerous puzzle, they realize that there are many lives on the line, including their own. After a raid gone wrong, lone wolf Detective Zeke Banks (Chris Rock) is stuck with rookie William Schenk (Max Minghella) for a new partner. Not afraid of the rules or political correctness, Zeke dishes out exactly how to survive in the business of police work and romance. He's also not afraid to turn on his own, blowing the whistle on a corrupt partner. Trying to live up to the legacy of his father, police veteran Marcus (Samuel L. Jackson), Zeke is out to be a good cop, no matter how bad he needs to be to achieve that goal. A slew of copycat killers, reminiscent of the Jigsaw killer of the city's past, have taken it on themselves to put corrupt police officers in harm's way - which are traps that will either kill them, or mutilate them. Zeke must figure out how to connect the killings and solve the puzzle before he and everyone around him are killed by these traps. Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, Saw III), there's a familiarity about the work, as well as a fresh new take on what the franchise could become. Unfortunately, his work is strongest in making sure that there's some frenetic action every moment of the way, without taking a breather to set up some basic character development and let everyone have a moment to decompress before the action picks back up again. The pacing is uneven with a single dimensionality enveloping all the characters in the film because there isn't enough time spent on any of them. Part of Zeke's heroism is that he at least wants to do the right thing, no matter what it takes, whereas his entire police department is incredibly corrupt. It's hard to root for a hero when the villain actually has a pretty legitimate point of view and is justifiably upset, even if that doesn't excuse the merciless torture killings of police officers. Additionally, the premise of the film appears to originally be about racism and how police are corrupt, but this is never exactly addressed. With most of the major characters including the police played by Black actors, it seems to defeat whatever point it hints at by actively working against itself. Grisly, bloody violence has been the calling card of the Saw franchise, and that's delivered in spades in Spiral: From the Book of Saw, in the form of traps that the characters find themselves in. A strong premise is weakened by an attempt to copycat some of the film's predecessors and a lack of focus on the major characters, which is additionally a misuse of the A-list talent playing them. But despite its flaws it's still watchable enough to pass the time, albeit in a horrifying way.