Entertainment

Film Review: Jigsaw

still of laura vandervoort in jigsaw

Jigsaw is a welcome addition to the Saw family and for any horror devotee, does not disappoint.

I have to confess to being a devoted fan of the Saw series. I have seen them all and have my favourites. So, naturally I was looking forward to the latest instalment, Jigsaw. I was not disappointed.

Jigsaw opens up new possibilities for a continuation of the franchise which I previously thought impossible with the death of the character John Kramer AKA Jigsaw.

To explain the story would ruin the film for any fan. It is, however, safe for me to give you a number of questions to contemplate before seeing the film. John Logan is dead, or is he? Can Jigsaw’s murders be lesson in morality for us all?  What happened before Saw?

This current offering is well written, referring to the other films in the series and even predating the original movie. I found myself having many ‘lightbulb’ moments and enjoyed trying to keep up with the time flips which abound.

The plot twists and turns until the concluding five minutes when all is revealed. There are quite a number of clues scattered throughout the film.

There are four standout performances for me. Tobin Bell as John Logan does not disappoint. He is a lesson in ‘less is more’, brooding, measured and sinister. His voice rarely rises above a quiet menace. His appearances are brief but have major impact. Matt Passmore‘s Logan Nelson is multi-faceted, emotionally tortured and heroic (seemingly). He is the anchor holds the film together and he handles this extremely well. He is able to elicit sympathy even when we, as an audience, should detest him. Callum Keith Rennie’s detective Halloran could have become a one-dimensional villain, but he is far from that. His performance leaves us guessing until the end of the film. Hannah Emily Anderson’s Eleanor Bonneville makes fitting Logan disciple. She plays the character with malevolent overtones.

The remaining cast work well as an ensemble and even provide some moments of comedy which relieve the ‘on the edge of the seat’ moments.

Of course, there are the gruesome murders that every devotee waits for. There were gasps throughout the audience at times. Even I squirmed in my seat which is thoroughly satisfying for this genre.

All in all, Jigsaw is a welcome addition to the Saw family. If you have not seen the previous films you may find the ending puzzling, but for any fan like me, it was highly enjoyable.

Check out the official site here.

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