Saw VI 奪魂鋸6

Directed by former series editor Kevin Greutert, “Saw VI” begins in the most familiar of ways, with a raw pound of flesh. A pair of heartless bureaucrats who, we are led to believe, are sub-prime mortgage lenders, pay for their sins in a competition to survive.

The challenge, should they wish to stay alive, is to see who can remove the heaviest part of his or her anatomy before a timer runs out. The male, rather chubby, chooses to saw away at his belly. A determined woman selects a butcher knife and hacks away at her arm, until eventually she succeeds in sealing his fate and not hers.

The man's pound of flesh: a wholly inadequate offering for “Saw VI.”

The fact that both individuals choose to cause themselves pain and physical disfigurement is the main point of this sado-puzzle. The characters' effective cooperation in the game serves as a metaphor for the audience who enjoy watching the torturous theatrics.

The Jigsaw puppeteer John Cramer (Tobin Bell), a sparkly-eyed sadist-mechanic and instigator of the “Saw” series, was knocked off way back in “Saw III,” but thanks to the wonder of pre-taped instructions, he seems as diligent in death as he was in life about teaching others the value of life. His task, it seems, in “Saw VI” is to show health insurance CEO William (Peter Outerbridge) — who hides his greed behind a fake smile and complex actuarial data — a thing or two about insurance.

It's pleasing to see the producers using topical subjects for bad guys; natural villains such as insurance firms and financial institutions offer a fresh alternative to the usual “Saw” combatants.

However, the trouble with this movie is that it never devises smart or fresh enough contraptions or scenarios to torture people and keep longtime “Saw” viewers entertained. Where are the frighteningly jaw-dropping (or should that be jaw-snapping?) contraptions?

The CEO, at one point is made to choose which of his six underlings strapped to a carousel will live or die. This is representative of his job role, because he gets to play God, but since the characters aren't particularly likeable and the killing method is simplistic, the scene is altogether unsatisfying.

So is the majority of the movie. Whilst “Saw VI” has better sequences and entertains more than the previous two films in the series, this isn't saying much, and it is far from reaching the heights to which it once soared. It does makes you wonder, though, “Were they insured?”

It's the first of the series to be more or less consumed by continual back-story — which is to say, it's one of those franchises devoid of its own script, using fragments from the previous sequels as flashbacks.

Will we then see flashbacks of flashbacks next time round? If all you want is a quick revision of the “Saw” franchise for a round of pub quiz, then this may be right the movie for you.

But, really, do reformers and victims of insensitive health insurers really want a sinister antihero with a fondness for elaborate torture contraptions to be their advocate? How can we get this policy canceled?

If you're looking for jolts of anxiety or quivering trepidation, avoid this sequel and hope that the producers get their despicable acts together next time. Yes, there is another already in the pipeline: “Saw VII” will follow next year. Oh, and apparently it's going to be in 3D, as if viewers need the up-close-and-personal gore.

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