Spiral (2021) (Saw Sequel) Plot
Spiral is a 2021 horror film written and directed by Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger and produced by Darren Lynn Bousman. Saw 9 is the ninth film in the franchise. It stars Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, and Samuel L. Jackson and explores police attempts to catch a Jigsaw copycat murderer. Exec producers include James Wan and Leigh Whannell, as well as Rock and the show's longtime cast member Kevin Greutert.Chris Rock wanted to venture out into horror following Jigsaw's 2017 release. The Spierig Brothers, who directed Jigsaw, considered returning but didn't. Rock is refining a Stolberg and Goldfinger script. Filming continued in Toronto during July and August with the remainder of the cast.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lionsgate postponed the release of Spiral until May 14, 2021. Critics applauded the film's fresh approach but were split on whether it reinvented the series.
Spiral's storyline
Off-duty Detective Marv Bozwick gives pursuit to a criminal who escapes during a Fourth of July parade by following him through a sewage drainage pipe. After being ambushed from behind by a person wearing a pig mask, Bozwick awakens to find himself suspended by his tongue in an active subway tunnel. He is given a choice via recorded message: either rip out his tongue and live, or remain until the next train arrives, which will kill him. Bozwick chooses to rip out his tongue and live. Bozwick is murdered by the train because he was unable to free himself in time from the trap. The next day, Police Captain Angie Garza partnered Detective Zeke Banks with an optimistic rookie named William Schenk. Banks and Schenk examine the death of Bozwick, and throughout their investigation, Banks finds that the manner in which Bozwick died is very similar to the Jigsaw Killer's mode of operation, which has since been put to rest.In the meanwhile, a murder investigator named Fitch is kidnapped and put in a trap where he must pull off his fingers to prevent electrocution in a filling water basin; he too fails to escape and dies. Fitch had rejected a backup call from Banks some years before, which almost cost him his life. Due of Banks' relationship with Fitch, a number of police begin to assume he may be responsible. The station then receives a package containing a pig puppet and a bit of Schenk's tattooed flesh. A little vial inside the box takes the police to a butcher shop that Banks and his father, former chief Marcus Banks, used to frequent as hobbyists. The squad finds a recording recorder and the skinned body of Schenk upon arrival. Marcus decides to pursue the murderer himself and goes to a warehouse, where he is taken. Garza is then abducted and put in a trap in the precinct's cold storage, where she must slice her spinal chord with a blade to prevent molten wax from dripping down her face. She is unable to do so and dies as a result of her burns from the molten wax as Banks finds her corpse.
Banks is taken captive while following a lead, and when he comes to in the warehouse, he is tied to a pipe and there is a hacksaw nearby. He gives some thought to cutting off his arm, but he is able to get away by using a bobby pin that is loose. He then finds his old colleague, Peter Dunleavy, who was sacked and sentenced to jail after Banks uncovered a murder he committed, shackled in place. Banks was the one who exposed the crime. In front of him is a large piece of machinery designed to break glass, and it has been adapted to swiftly throw shrapnel in his direction. A voice on a tape recorder tells Banks that he has the option of either releasing him or abandoning him to his fate. In spite of Banks' best efforts, he is unable to retrieve the key in time to rescue Dunleavy. Banks then moves to another chamber where he discovers Schenk, who it turns out pretended to be dead by using the skinned body of the thief who lured Bozwick into the tunnels. Schenk was the copycat the whole time, and it was shown that he had faked his own death. He says that his real surname is Emmerson and that he is the son of Charlie Emmerson, who was the victim of a murder committed by Dunleavy because Charlie had promised to testify against a corrupt law enforcement official. In addition to this, he discloses that Marcus, during the period that he served as chief, purposefully sheltered corrupt cops in order to rid the streets of crime more effectively in accordance with Article 8.
Emmerson believes Banks may be an ally, so he puts him to the ultimate test by suspending Marcus in the air and slowly draining his blood. Emmerson dials 9-1-1 and pretends to be a citizen being chased by a gunman, prompting a SWAT squad to be sent to his area. He delivers Banks a handgun and one cartridge, instructing him to either fire a target that would save Marcus while allowing Emmerson to go, or murder Emmerson and let Marcus bleed to death. To rescue his father, Banks shoots the target, loosening his shackles and lowers him to the ground, before fighting Emmerson. The SWAT squad comes shortly after and accidentally sets off a tripwire, forcing Marcus' handcuffs to tug him upward once again. Marcus' arm has a gun attached to it, causing the SWAT squad to mistake him for the shooter and murder him. As Emmerson flees, Banks shouts despondently.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw starring who?
Detective Zeke Banks was acted by Chris Rock.Max Minghella was William Schenk/Emmerson. Leonidas Castrounis played William. Marcus Banks was played by Samuel L. Jackson.
Captain Angie Garza was played by Marisol Nichols. In the role of Detective Marv Bozwick, Daniel Petronijevic was excellent.
Detective Fitch was played by Richard Zeppieri. Patrick McManus played Dunleavy.
Ali Johnson played Jeannie Lewis.
Kara Bozwick was played by Zoie Palmer.
Dylan Roberts was Morgey Silva. Detective Drury was played by K. C. Collins.
Detective Deborah Kraus was played by Edie Inksetter.
The role of Coroner Chada was played by Nazneen Contractor. Thomas Mitchell gave the performance of Detective Tim O'Brien in the show. Benny Wrights was played by Chad Camilleri.
Speez was played by Chris Ramsay.
Frank Licari played the part of Charlie Emmerson.
Lisa Banks was played by Genelle Williams. Trevor Gretzky was Pat Jones.
This is the only Saw film in which the character of John Kramer / Jigsaw isn't seen onscreen in any way other than through images, since Tobin Bell, who portrayed the role in the previous films, did not return. As Bousman noted, the film's murderer is a Jigsaw copycat, not the real Jigsaw, he stated his decision to not replace Bell in the famous role. When Billy the Puppet's origins were discussed, Bell indicated an interest in returning as Jigsaw.
The participation of Chris Rock in Spiral: From the Book of Saw
Chris Rock went to Lionsgate with his idea for Spiral as a way to bring the Saw franchise and his own career back to life.In an interview with Rolling Stone, Chris Rock reveals that he met Michael Burns, the vice chairman of Lionsgate, during a friend's wedding in Brazil, and that he decided to make a horror picture, even though he wanted to incorporate some humorous aspects. With the help of Lionsgate, Rock came up with the notion of expanding the series. This is a legendary horror series that has been revived by humor, creative vision, and passion from Rock, says Lionsgate's CEO Joe Drake. Rock's approach was totally respectful of the tradition of the material while reinvigorating the brand. Lionsgate was said to be in talks for a ninth Saw picture in January 2018, however the Spierig Brothers would not be involved. In an interview with Screen Rant, the filmmakers stated that their picture lays the groundwork for future sequels to the franchise. Twisted Pictures and Jigsaw authors Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger began work on a sequel in April of last year.
Following Jigsaw's release, Stolberg and Goldfinger pitched a new Saw film focused solely on John Kramer / Jigsaw rather than any of his established apprentices to series veterans Mark Burg and Oren Koules, but Burg and Koules called the duo to inform them about Rock's ideas for a new film, with Rock contacting them shortly afterwards to discuss his concept. Previously, various writers had submitted their ideas for the next Saw picture to Lionsgate, but none had been successful, while Stolberg and Goldfinger had come up with eight alternative versions for the film until Rock came and fused his with the duo's. Burg and Koules assigned the pair the task of developing a pitch for Rock. Stolberg and Goldfinger did just that, and their concept was accepted by both Lionsgate and Rock, prompting them to compose their first script, which was greenlit a week later. Rock assisted Stolberg and Goldfinger with their writing, reworking the tale as needed.
Rock's role was formerly linked to Danny Glover's David Tapp from the previous film in an early draft of the screenplay. Because it failed the smell test, Stolberg and Goldfinger decided not to pursue this path. Bousman said in May 2021 that talks are on regarding bringing Costas Mandylor back as Mark Hoffman in a future film. Bousman and the crew debated whether or not Tobin Bell should reprise his role as Jigsaw until the last day of production, but they decided that having Bell back would make the film seem like a continuation of the Saw series rather than a standalone picture, as it was intended. Because Jigsaw was killed off in the third picture, Bousman believed that previous films had done Jigsaw a disservice by utilizing flashbacks to bring him into the tale, and he didn't want to make the same error in Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021), nor disrespect Bell's legendary portrayal. Bousman contemplated having Bell perform a Johnny Cash song during the concluding scene of Spiral: From the Book of Saw, but decided against it because he thought it was too gimmicky.
Tobin Bell missed Spiral (2021).
Tobin Bell did not reprise his normal role as Jigsaw in Spiral (2021), making it the first Saw film in which Bell did not appear.Despite discussions taking place after the first test screening and throughout post-production, Stolberg stated in an interview with Bloody Disgusting that Jigsaw was never included in any draft for the screenplay of Spiral (2021) because they felt that including Jigsaw would change the foundation of the story they were attempting to achieve, not to diminish the character but to take the franchise in a new direction. Stolberg also believed that, given the franchise's timeline, any possible connection John Kramer could have had with William Schenk / The Spiral (2021) Killer should have occurred when the latter was still a child; Stolberg and Goldfinger proposed at one point to have an after-credits sequence in which Kramer met a young Schenk after the murder of the latter's father and bonded with him, possibly giving him the puppet he later uses as the Spiral: From the Book of Saw Killer.
Because the film's killer is a Jigsaw knockoff who differs from the original, it was decided to replace Billy the Puppet with a new puppet in the form of Mr. Snuggles, as Bousman believed that if the original Jigsaw was replaced, the original puppet should be replaced as well, so the new killer could not be compared. Because the production feared that using Bell's voice for Mr. Snuggles would raise questions about the killers' relationship, an early draft featured Jigsaw's voice only to be revealed as a digitally altered version of his voice, and the story originally had all the speeches as past recordings of Jigsaw's voice using words in a different order to show that the Spiral (2021) Killer had digitally rearranged the words. The producers tried to substitute Bell's voice with a new one for the murderer. Bousman tried out a variety of female, kid, and male sounds before deciding on the computer produced voice. Only two days before the sound mix was finished, the final voice for the picture was chosen.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021): Behind the Scenes
The film started pre-production on May 16, 2019. Former series director Darren Lynn Bousman will return to direct the feature, with Burg and Koules serving as producers. In addition to developing the narrative concept, Rock served as an executive producer.Rock is executive produced by James Wan, Leigh Whannell, and Daniel Heffner. Stolberg and Goldfinger are authors.
Rock said he's been a Saw fan since 2004. He was eager to make it dramatic and weird.
After Rock demanded that he direct the film, Bousman rejected down the opportunity to helm a Broadway production in New York City.
Rock's handling of Saw, according to Burg and Koules, was analogous to what Eddie Murphy did for buddy cop flicks in 48 Hrs., giving the Saw franchise an entirely new viewpoint. Similarly, Bousman stated that Spiral (2021) contained less violence and gore than previous installments, expressing his belief that gore and violence were his gimmick when he first started working on the Saw films, but that both elements now serve the story, which focuses more on character, tension, and fear.
Stolberg also clarified that the ninth film will exist in the same canon as the previous eight films and would neither be a reboot or a straight sequel to Jigsaw.options for Spiral's cast members
Zeke Banks (Rock) Rock, Stolberg, and Goldfinger conceived the character from conversations they had before writing the screenplay. Rock wondered what he would do if he were the original Saw protagonist Dr. Lawrence Gordon and forced to cut off his own foot. They decided it would be interesting if Rock played a cop ostracized by his colleagues.Samuel L. Jackson decided to portray Chief Marcus Banks because he wanted to do something new, such as the climax sequence in which his character is hung up like a marionette. Marisol Nichols was cast as Captain Angie Garza, a character that was initially scripted for a male actress but was finally given to Nichols, who, while being a Saw fan, preferred to watch David Fincher's Seven instead of the prior films in preparation for the role. Patrick McManus auditioned for the part of Detective Marv Bozwick, but was called back to portray Peter Dunleavy, while Dan Petronijevic was cast as Bozwick, in an effort to pursue an acting career on film and television following years playing on stage.
Max Minghella took up the part of William Schenk / The Spiral: From the Book of Saw Killer because he desired to play in a movie with straightforward story-telling like the buddy cops of his childhood like 48 Hrs., and when he read the script, he believed it was that, as well as a Saw picture.
How was it like to shoot Spiral: From the Book of Saw?
The Organ Donor started filming on July 8, 2019, in Toronto, Ontario, with Jordan Oram as cinematographer. Rock, Jackson, Minghella, and Nichols will star. Lionsgate's CEO Joe Drake said Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Rock, Max Minghella, and Marisol Nichols will make this picture distinctive in the Saw canon and they couldn't wait to share this scary new narrative with viewers. This was full-on Saw. On set, Rock rewrote his character's debut sequence. According to Bousman, a trap scene had to be deleted because it was too violent.The last day of shooting was on August 28, 2019, bringing an end to production. Dev Singh was in charge of the editing work that was done in post-production.
How did Spiral (2021) get advertised?
The film was titled The Organ Donor until January 22, 2020, when the name Spiral and the Canadian distributor were disclosed. The first poster and trailer for Spiral (2021) were published on February 5, 2020.The theatrical and streaming release of Spiral (2021)
Spiral was initially set for release on October 23, 2020. July 2019 pushed it to May 15, 2020. Due to COVID-19, the film's release was postponed until May 21, 2021, replacing John Wick: Chapter 4. It was postponed to May 14, 2021 when cinemas reopened.Lionsgate announced on May 25, 2021 that Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) would premiere on Starz on October 8, 2021. On June 1, 2021, Canada launched Spiral on PVOD.
What was Spiral: From the Book of Saw's rating?
Darren Lynn Bousman says that the Motion Picture Association gave the movie an NC-17 rating 11 times before they cut enough scenes to get a R rating.Spiral made how much money at the box office?
Spiral has earned $40.6 million worldwide as of March 3, 2022, including $23.2 million in the US and Canada and $17.3 million elsewhere.Spiral (2021) was released with Those Who Wish Me Dead, Profile, and Finding You in the United States and Canada, and was expected to make $10–15 million in its first weekend from 2,811 theaters. The picture generated $3.7 million on its opening day (including $750,000 from Thursday night screenings), bringing the total to $9 million, much below expectations. It went on to gross $8.8 million in its first weekend, topping the box office for the sixth time in the franchise's history but also marking the franchise's lowest opening weekend. The audience reported on was 56% male and 75% under the age of 35, with a favorable reaction being first post more common on the East Coast of the United States. The next weekend, it stayed in top place with a 48 percent reduction to $4.6 million.
What did critics say about the movie Spiral (2021)?
Spiral (2021)'s efforts to shake up the series formula were lauded by reviewers, but it fell short of providing Saw with the huge push it needed to reclaim its relevancy.On Rotten Tomatoes, 37% of 221 reviewer reviews are favorable, with a 5.1/10 average. The site's critical consensus was that Spiral: From the Book of Saw reveals a new path for the Saw series, even if the gruesome whole is less than its pieces.
Metacritic gave the film a 40 out of 100 based on 33 reviewers, indicating mixed or mediocre reviews.
CinemaScore rated the picture a B- on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak said 63% of viewers liked it, with 43% saying they'd suggest it.
A film critic said that the movie takes a few unexpected turns, but since it's a thriller about police corruption, it deals with that theme in a weirdly off-topic, almost garishly generic way.
A separate film reviewer said the script maintained the grizzled-cop-movie tone and creates distinctive characters, but the tale was repetitive, the mystery was annoyingly obvious, and the inventive deaths were less imaginative than before. Spiral compromised fun for respectability and failed at both.
Many film reviews praised Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) as a really terrifying, albeit unevenly paced, detective thriller, while criticizing its writing for failing to depict the potential tensions between its major characters' father-son relationship.
Some film reviewers praised the performances and Spiral: From the Book of Saw's plain yet captivating idea, but noted the killer's voice sounded like Kermit the Frog and that the screams and gore aren't for the movie's true audience. They're appealing.
A film reviewer rated the film one star and called the finale hurried, half-assed, badly written, and uninteresting. His evaluation said game over.
In his one-and-a-half-star review, another film critic criticized the movie's tone and Darren Lynn Bousman's direction, which he said disappointed him after he praised the cast. He called the movie "impossible to follow" because it didn't have any tension, story, or progress in the plot.
A separate film reviewer complimented the opening sequence but called the idea dishonest and fear-mongering. This film isn't as sophisticated as Jigsaw's simple puzzles.
One film reviewer awarded the picture a 3 out of 10 rating, claiming that Spiral (2021) is sequel that aspires to woo Saw enthusiasts and mainstream viewers equally, Spiral: From the Book of Saw is likely to offend them both. It's a false replica of the series, failing to match its most basic aesthetic and narrative standards. It's also a terrible picture in general, which attempts to portray a socially important narrative that it can't seem to grasp. He also attacked the picture for its lack of connection to the Saw franchise, noting that Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) is barely a Saw film, delivering only momentarily on the visceral pleasure of mutilation, and on none of the series' other premises. It's also the most artless, tactless form of what it plays like instead: a rejected pilot episode for a monotonous police procedural.
Internet Personality Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) inspired Decker Shado's ideas, which he shared with us. Spiral, the newest film in the Saw series, comes from the Book of Saw and the imagination of Chris Rock. After a whole SUMMER OF SAW, you should surely know the routine by now: a murderer is on the run who doesn't immediately do in his target, but rather tests them with mechanical contraptions as brilliant as they are scary. That is, at least, the idea. Many of these traps leave a lot to be desired... and the technique, as well as the purpose, is a little wrong. It's much better stated in his video.
Another film critic said that it's not exactly a waste of an idea. But the franchise doesn't need a fresh start either. Rock's involvement in Spiral: From the Book of Saw gives it some new blood, but after a promising start, the movie just turns out to be a pretty okay Saw movie with some bigger names than usual—one whose dark lighting and procedural storyline remind me most of David Fincher's Se7en. If the point of the game was to see if a new take on a long-running franchise could survive the sequel machine, then the game is over.
Spiral (2021) blunders through its central mystery without grace, style, or even much thought, according to a film critic. Even the death traps are unimaginative. He acknowledged the film's potential, stating that the most frustrating aspect of Spiral is that there is a better, smarter film underneath all of the nonsense. There are far too many quick cuts and scene transitions. The grating dialogue, which is shouted at full volume, is irritating. Spiral: From the Book of Saw is ultimately a film about corrupt, even murderous cops who face a reckoning, and that kind of material has the potential to be both subversive and timely for a Hollywood film, but it's been said that Spiral (2021) is almost maddening in how little it seems to care about any of this. It only wants to bleed a lot, which it does.