Spiral: From the Book of Saw

"A new game begins."

2021 1h 33m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 2,389

HorrorMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Working in the shadow of an esteemed police veteran, brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks and his rookie partner take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.

“A new game begins.”

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Cast

Chris Rock
Zeke Banks
Max Minghella
William Schenk
Samuel L. Jackson
Marcus Banks
Marisol Nichols
Angie Garza
Dan Petronijevic
Marv Bozwick
Richard Zeppieri
Detective Fitch
Patrick McManus
Peter Dunleavy
Ali Johnson
Jeannie Lewis

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Writers: Pete Goldfinger, Josh Stolberg
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 5 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Saw Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, shot by Jordan Oram. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Charlie Clouser. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Dev Singh shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Chris Rock and Max Minghella and Samuel L. Jackson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A new game begins.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt10342730 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Darren Lynn Bousman directs. Jordan Oram behind the camera. Charlie Clouser scores. Dev Singh cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 5 years ago.
2Part of the "Saw Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, shot by Jordan Oram. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Charlie Clouser. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Dev Singh shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Chris Rock and Max Minghella and Samuel L. Jackson carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A new game begins.".
8IMDB entry: tt10342730 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "sequel", "murder", "police corruption", "survival horror".
10Released under 23 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jordan Oram
Original score: Charlie Clouser
Editing: Dev Singh
Production design: Anthony Cowley
Costume design: Laura Montgomery
Makeup / hair: Patrick Baxter
VFX supervisor: Jon Campfens
Sound: Keith Elliott
Stunt coordinator: Robert Racki
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $40,618,920
Return: 203% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)

Part of

Saw Collection

A mysterious murderer gives his victims macabre riddles they must solve to earn their freedom.

Also by

Darren Lynn Bousman

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Manuel São Bento2021-05-13
★ 3/10
If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @ https://www.msbreviews.com When it comes to horror, I'm always willing to give any film a shot, even when everything indicates it's probably going to be a massive failure. I'm admittedly not a SAW fanatic, despite quite enjoying the first two movies. After these, I can't even remember which installments I actually watched or not. Not even the most recent Jigsaw caught my attention. In preparation for Spiral, I tried to determine precisely how it would be placed in the saga's timeline, which proved to be a surprisingly challenging task. Basically, what matters for this film is that John Walker (Tobin Bell) and his work as the Jigsaw serial killer are acknowledged, making this a sequel. With that said… Unfortunately, Spiral doesn't change my opinion about the franchise. It's a formula-driven saga that no one really cares about too much anymore. In fact, I'm pretty shocked by the fact that this installment was even greenlit, having in mind the particularly sensitive times our society lives in. Countless movies and TV shows are held to stricter standards nowadays with the risk of getting canceled or boycotted if a certain subject is treated poorly. With so much gratuitous violence, it's surprising to see this franchise still alive. Boasting curious casting choices - Chris Rock leading a horror flick is definitely an attention-grabber - the extremely bloody, gory trap killings are packed with life-or-death dilemmas as always, which will surely please hardcore fans. However, these are just not as captivating or "fun" as before. This movie doesn't possess a single, memorable trap that surpasses any of the dozens (hundreds?) from before. Just like Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger's screenplay, it's just another lazy, unsurprising variation of a well-known formula. To be fair, and I'm trusting other critics who watched all of the other installments, this is supposedly the version that separates the most from the structure people first witnessed in 2004 and 2005. Still, being different doesn't mean better, and the competition isn't exactly defined by masterpieces. From my perspective, Spiral is just another generic take on an overdone story. From the repetitively identical kidnapping sequences to the consequent traps, the potential of a great film depended on how Darren Lynn Bousman (SAW II, III, IV) and the duo of writers tackled the characters, mainly the protagonist. The lack of characterization is definitely a problem, but the baffling laziness in storytelling ruins the entire flow of the movie. With an overwhelming amount of flashbacks and an incredibly choppy, annoying editing work (Dev Singh), the non-stop heightened, super tense atmosphere transforms every single scene like it's the most crucial moment of the film. Consequently, a vast majority of the dialogues are characters screaming and cursing at each other in almost every interaction. The out-of-control tone negatively affects the cast's performances. Many people will look at Chris Rock (Dolemite Is My Name, Madagascar) and believe he's delivering an over-the-top display, but he's just following the chaotic environment established by the director. During the first minutes of the movie, Rock is amusing and funny as expected, but he's also able to tap his more dramatic side. However, when every single line of dialogue needs to be interpreted as if it's the most vital part of the film, very few actors can pull it off. Samuel L. Jackson (Glass, Spider-Man: Far From Home) is one of them, but his expectedly short screentime doesn't allow for much entertainment. Though it's always special seeing SLJ cursing at someone. Finally, SAW is also about finding out who is responsible for the disgusting game, and Spiral doesn't remove that essential block of narrative. The issue here is the lack of a jaw-dropping revelation. Obviously, this is as subjective as everything you just read until now, but I would be astonished if most viewers didn't guess who the new Jigsaw copycat is during the first act. I do want to end on a positive note, so I'll compliment the bold ending. It partially holds the studio against the wall in the sense that the probability of this movie getting a sequel being higher, which can make some viewers think it's too forced. I rather believe they just wanted to have an intense finale, which I can't really deny. Spiral might offer enough blood, gore, and brutal traps/murders to fans of the franchise, but overall it's still just another lazy, predictable take on the SAW formula. Despite the violently captivating life-or-death sequences, none stands out as an unforgettable moment. Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger's screenplay lacks efficient character development, impactful revelations, and, honestly, a massive amount of creativity. From the repetitively tiresome flashbacks and kidnapping scenes to the extremely out-of-control tone, Darren Lynn Bousman isn't able to take the story to its potential. Everything is dialed up to its maximum as if every single line of dialogue needs to be screamed from the top of a mountain, which transforms the entire atmosphere into a chaotic environment. Chris Rock can't be the only one to blame for his over-tense line deliveries, especially when he starts so well. A strong yet abrupt ending doesn't compensate for such dull storytelling. I wish I could write that I'm disappointed, but I didn't have high expectations for this one. Rating: D+
JPV8522021-07-15
★ 4/10
The latest entry into the Saw series has a couple okay moments but otherwise this was pretty bad. The acting was probably the worst culprit, chiefly Chris Rock who sprinkles in his comedic rants while Samuel L. Jackson phones it in, not that he's given a whole lot to work with (including a hilariously bad fake mustache for a flashback scene). It's also really predictable as I called who the killer was early on. I'm okay with taking the series in a different direction as there was nowhere else to go with Jigsaw (and they stretched his story out a few movies too many) but this was a misfire. 2.0/5
Martha2022-07-26
★ 5/10
Chris Rock acting like Chris Rock with a daddy Samuel l Jackson acting like Samuel l Jackson in a weird twist of a movie that felt like a small short story in the saw series. It's not a bad movie but there's a few things that it lacked including more blood being spilled and more inventive traps. It kind of became more about the characters and less about what the spiral was trying to do which was copy jigsaw.