“Beverly Hills Cop takes in the Saw franchise”

Dir: Darren Lynn Bousman
Prod: Mark Burg, Oren Koules
Writ: Josh Stolberg, Peter Goldfinger
Cast: Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, Samuel L. Jackson

If you’ve ever imagined what it would be like if Axel Foley were in David Fincher’s Se7en, your wish has come true, because Chris Rock brings that energy in the ninth installment of the Saw franchise, Spiral. So, what’s Spiral about? There’s a criminal in the city, and every corrupt cop is being killed by a killer very reminiscent of the Jigsaw killer.

What’s new about this movie? For starters, the cast and location are top-notch. Every Saw sequel has felt like an elongated TV series that just kept going, but Spiral feels like a movie that belongs on the big screen. That’s my first positive feedback for Spiral. The second positive is the acting, which is very strong. The trailer didn’t convince me that Chris Rock could act, but to my surprise, he can and he’s very good at what he does in the Saw franchise. His character is likable, and he has good chemistry with Max Minghella’s character. Samuel L. Jackson is great, but at times, he’s just the Samuel L. Jackson we know and love.

Now, starting with the mixed aspects: the story is your typical Saw movie, except it’s more focused on police procedural for the first time in the series, which is good. However, the problem is that the tone doesn’t quite mesh. They seem to want it to be like Beverly Hills Cop, but at the same time, they’re trying to stay committed to the Saw franchise. What we end up with is a mess of a Saw movie. While I appreciate the focus on police procedural, it ends up being a “meh,” forgettable Saw movie. The twist is predictable, the opening is straight out of the first Beverly Hills Cop, and it lacks a committed tone. That said, it’s still watchable. If you like movies like this, you might enjoy Spiral, but for me, it was a disappointment. At least it’s still better than Saw IV, V,VII, and Jigsaw

My rating: C+