RANTING


“Star Wars,” “Rocky” and “Saw.”

The gore-filled flick that rolls around every October has entered an elite group of film franchises that have been able to crank out six movies. Six!

There’s no denying that these torture porn flicks and the emaciated Jigsaw will go down in Halloween history with guys like Jason and Freddy Krueger. But, instead of fondly remembering a guy in a hockey mask or striped sweater, the images of an obese man hacking away at his love handles will always be associated with “Saw.”

The sixth film of the franchise is the usual. Guy captures people, wants to play a game and sooner or later someone’s elbow is being sliced like Swiss cheese. This time around we get a devilish health insurance salesman playing contestant.

He’s responsible for finding miniscule details that void a sick customer’s coverage plan. One guy with cancer gets the shaft for not previously reporting oral surgery, so it’s safe to say, this guy is a certifiable jerk. He’s captured, put in that familiar looking, dimly lit, totally spooky warehouse, and he must make literal life or death decisions to escape.

There’s a sadistic merry-go-round, barbed wired nooses, deadly iron lungs; it’s intense stuff, but the blood and guts this time around is noticeably restrained. Besides one graphic meeting with acid and a self-severing, no parts will tickle your gag reflex that hard.

All of the “Saw” sequels blend together like a long weekend in Tijuana. The graphic depiction of violence is the real star of the film here and the nuts and bolts of the plot get lost in the thick of it. “Saw VI” is a slight exception to the rule.

Here, a coherent story is actually developed and expanded upon, even though awkward rhetoric on health care is interjected. I half-expected Jigsaw to start chanting “Yes we can!”

“Saw VI” succeeds and fails on different levels. The attempt at a somewhat engaging premise is admirable, coming from people who became famous for a puppet on a tricycle. But to those die-hard fans who are expecting the “cool kill” bar to be raised to an unprecedented level, stick to the first five.

All comments are moderated before being published. We will not edit your comments, but we also will not approve those that are abusive, off-topic, attack another poster or contain information we know to be libelous or false.

During peak weekday viewing times, most comments will be reviewed within six hours. For more detailed information, click here.

After submitting your comment, check below for a confirmation message.

• Your name:
• Enter text from image:
  

• Your comment:

* 300-character count. HTML formatting will not display.