Directed By: Kevin Greutert.Starring: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor and Betsy Russel.

Rating: 7 Out Of 10.

Nothing beats stepping outside and smelling the fresh air and mangled flesh of your co-workers. Yes it’s that time of the year and another “Saw” film is in our grasp. Everyone has their reason to either see or skip this years installment after the dreaded and flawed “Saw V.” (Review found here.) Take to the series as you will, either be it a Fanboy, surpporting the Horror genre or just paying the money to poke an almost dead horse with a stick to see what happens until it finally dies. Being a fan of the early “Saw” films I just opted for the third option and decided to poke the horse with the stick and what was my outcome? Read and you shall see. After being dissapointed by the 5th installment I didn’t know what to expect, so I put my thoughts in a bag, tying the top and tossing it in the back of the car until I witnessed the film. 

There is always one good thing when you sit down and watch a “Saw” film and that would be the first SHOCK/DEATH scene. The filmmakers try something different each time, wheather it was the Pendulum trap in “Saw V” or the Chain neck trap in “Saw IV.” Your always expecting a good jolt to the system before the film begins and this time around it didn’t disappoint. Seeing a fat man cut away at his stomach fat for 10minutes was a thrill ride, along with the trap placed on both vitims head while they deal with the scales of fate. After the introductoin the main story for this installment is that Hoffman is taking over as Jigsaw, which was made apparent in “Saw V,” Hoffman begins to use Strams lone hand. Which was the only thing left intact after his death in the crusher and use it to do his cleaning up on vitims who didn’t past their test. After Hoffman is back on the Jigsaw case we see that a past player in Jigsaw’s game is still alive, which throws Hoffman off. Our second story is the “Main” part of the film where a Health associate, who run’s his own business and helps out those in need of help on a Health condition either does good or bad for people based on his contracts rules. The third part is Jigsaw’s wife “Jill” and the contents of the box he willed to her which also started in “Saw V.”

Now with all 3 stories told, let’s combine them all into a paragraph. Hoffman is continuing to carry on Jigsaw’s work and get the people who wronged Jigsaw a second chance, but with the arrival of a past player who didn’t die is back on the case, Hoffman begins to worry that his cover will soon be blown due to the fact that all the evidence making Stram the killer is turning back to reveal him. Jill and the contents of Jigsaw’s willed box contains 6 envelopes and other usefull items. Jill is also in contact with Hoffman and knows what he does, while seeing the ghost of Jigsaw and Amanda. Hoffman takes 5 of the envelopes because the 6th belongs to jill. The health lawyer (Whose name I can’t remember.) is put through many tests to make choices that go against his contract and stretch his limits of sanity because he wronged Jigsaw. Each test he endures a key is given to take an explosive bracelet off his arms or legs. This was the first in along time when going to see the new “Saw” film where I actually was entertained and wasn’t bored with the story where nothing is happening.

This time around you get little bits of backstory going back to where Jill lost her baby and the reason behind it. More backstory on Hoffman and where he was involved during the “Saw 3″ storyline. The contents of the letter that was given to Amanda by Jigsaw and many other elements that fit well within the story. With storyline aside we go into a “Saw” to see the new traps and this edition was an improvement, but still didn’t excite me too much. Each of the 4 tests that the Health lawyer goes through aren’t that great, sure you may gringe at some of them, but I still thought the fat man cutting his fat was the best thing in the kill department. The breathing rib crusher trap was funny, The Young and Old noose trap was boring, The steam maze trap sucked and the merry go round shotgun trap was decent and I give credit for the idea, but I just didn’t care for it. I felt they were trying to go back to what worked in “Saw 3″ where a person must go through tests to fulfill how much he can take. If it works the first time, lets rehash the idea and use a different storyline instead. After “Saw V” it isn’t a hard task to make the next installment better and i’m happy to say there is actually a storyline involved that makes sense and traps that are revelant to that storyline. Most of the questions from past “Saw” films are answered and a few are left open.

Overall with my thoughts still in the bag I enjoyed this “Saw” as a stand alone film that fills in all the loose edges and was a more polished movie. The death count will please those looking for it and the Gore factor is there, but not used to it’s fullest. This is more suspense filled and just makes you wanna know what’s next as the story progresses. It’s still not the best, but it wins the race as being a better film in the “Saw” franchise.