I want to play a game. The rules are simple. You are in a room with four strangers and the only apparent way to save your life is to cut yourself. Would you be able to do it?
A solid return to the silver screen for a horror villain defined by the ways it kills its victims, “Jigsaw” (2017) reminds fans Saw series why his games have become old-school Halloween gore. As usual, the players are as stubborn as ever and are not ready to make life-altering choices in dire stress. Ultimately, the story is just a repeating carousel of Saw troupes, deception, suspicion, and metal traps dragging victims to their untimely deaths.
In this chapter of the Saw saga, police officer Halloran (Callum Keith Rennie) and detective Hunt (Clé Bennett) investigate a series of killings brought on by Jigsaw based on evidence found by medical examiners Nelson (Matt Passmore) and Ellie (Hannah Emily Anderson). All of them play an intricate game of cat and mouse by throwing doubts at one another’s identity. The answers come to light in the final 30 minutes of the film in typical Saw fashion with a twist somewhat predictable.
As a fan of the Saw franchise myself, I enjoyed this watching this film because I did not expect it to bring back the series from its embarrassing downfall in 2010. If you’re a Saw fan wanting to watch John Kramer’s (Tobin Bell) victims figure out their sins in life as the police pursue the identity of the game master, go find the theater nearest you. Is this a movie you can wait until after its run in theaters? Yes. It depends on if you want to play a game.