Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)
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A police team must navigate a deadly maze of traps while hunting a Jigsaw copycat killer.
The story
Following the death of an off-duty detective in a series of elaborate traps, a police team is tasked with investigating the incident. The officers soon realize they are dealing with a copycat of the notorious Jigsaw Killer. As they attempt to track down the perpetrator, the line between the hunters and the hunted begins to blur, forcing the detectives to confront both the deadly traps and the internal complexities of their own investigation.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After Detective Marv Bozwick is killed in a subway tunnel by a pig-masked figure, Detective Zeke Banks and rookie William Schenk are assigned to the case. They discover a pattern of elaborate traps and realize a copycat is active. The investigation leads to the discovery of several bodies, including a homicide detective and a butcher shop where Schenk is found skinned. During the investigation, several officers are captured and placed in deadly traps. Zeke eventually finds Schenk, who reveals he is the copycat, 'William Schenk' being a fake identity. Schenk reveals that the police force has been corrupt under 'Article 8'. In a final confrontation, Zeke is forced to choose between saving his father, Chief Marcus Banks, or stopping Schenk. Zeke chooses to save his father, but a tactical error by the responding SWAT team leads to Marcus's death, and Schenk escapes.
- First release year
- 2021
- Runtime (minutes)
- 93
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Darren Lynn Bousman
- Writers
- Josh Stolberg · writer; Peter Goldfinger · writer
- Cast and characters
- Chris Rock · Detective Zeke Banks; Max Minghella · William Schenk; Marisol Nichols · Captain Angie Garza; Samuel L. Jackson · Chief Marcus Banks; Dan Petronijevic · Marv Bozwick
- Genres
- horror; thriller
- Themes
- police corruption; survival
- Tone and mood
- tense; fearful
- Setting
- Modern day urban environment, including a subway tunnel and a warehouse.
- Premise and plot tags
- serial killer; police procedural
- Source material / true-story basis
- Saw film series
- Franchise connections
- Saw
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising the acting and premise while others criticized the script and pacing.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 40 · scale: 100 · review count: 32; PostTrak · score: 63% · scale: percentage
- Production trivia
- The film is the first in the franchise not to feature the character Jigsaw or the actor Tobin Bell.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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