SPIRAL (2021) – Review

If there’s anyone that truly believes in the expression, “Everything old is new again”, they probably live in Hollywood. And they are probably a movie studio exec. That’s because there seems to be a reboot, remake, or (the marketers coined this new phrase) a “re-imagining” of a familiar story or concept. Now, this week, the “old” part of that adage is really being put to the test…or stretched thin. After all, the last one hit theatres less than four years ago, And as for the original 2004 entry, it was followed up by six sequels every year, reminding us of the “B” movie franchises of the 30s and 40s, in which you could count on a yearly visit from Andy Hardy’s family, Tarzan, and Boston Blackie. I’m referring to the SAW series. This weekend we’ll see a new spin (sorry) on them via a new thriller whose original subtitle included “From the Book of Saw”, but will now appear on theatre marquees and box office listings as simply SPIRAL. And around it goes…

…until it lands in the middle of a crowded celebration (with the fireworks, it must be July Fourth). In the packed carnival midway, a woman screams that her purse was snatched. A “plainclothes” cop pursues the thief to a “porta-potty”. But the “perp” has vanished…or so it would seem. The er, “seat” has an opening that leads to a ladder that empties into a subway tunnel. It’s then that the cop becomes the prey of a “pig-mask” wearing fiend with a distorted voice and a knack for gruesome torture devices. The next morning we meet another cop who’s having a bad day (though less deadly). The drug bust that Det. Zeke Banks (Chris Rock) worked solo goes sideways. Which leads to a “dressing down” by his boss, Chief Garza (Marisol Nichols). Zeke tells her that he has to work alone since many of the other cops have branded him a “rat” for helping to take down a “dirty” officer. Even though he’s the son of the precinct’s former captain, Zeke will be assigned a partner, a “green” rookie right out of the academy, Will Schenk (Max Minghella). The two are sent out to work a weird subway death of a homeless guy. But later that day, Zeke gets a special delivery package that ID’s the “vic”. Next to a grisly appendage is the badge of Zeke’s only “work buddy”, Boz. Oh, and there’s a flash drive with an image of a red spiral sprayed on the courthouse door along with an audio message from that same distorted voice claiming that Boz has paid the price for his sins. Everyone in the squad room believes it’s the return of “jigsaw”, or a “copy-cat’. That night Zeke goes over the case with his dad Marcus (Samuel L Jackson), who is also his landlord as Zeke’s marriage is crumbling. The news springs Banks Senior into action, though he shares little with his son. As the investigation continues, the packages and bodies pile up. But why do the deliveries always go straight to Banks? Could there be a connection? Or could he be the killer’s ultimate final goal?

Carrying the dramatic weight of this thriller is the always entertaining Rock, who builds upon his recent much-lauded character work in the FX “Fargo” series. The years have given the celebrated stand-up comic a real sense of gravitas making us believe in his Zeke, a man who strives to be just but is frustrated at nearly every turn, by fate and his surly co-workers. Yet, somehow his humor shines through the somber situations as Zeke spouts endless cynical observations and even tosses off an “inside joke” over a very early Rock screen role (30 years already). His work really elevates the often flimsy material. Much the same can be said of Jackson, who makes a most compelling “tough love” pop for Rock’s Zeke. He shows us that retirement hasn’t worked for Marcus, as a return to “the life” actually puts a “spring in his step”. Unfortunately, after an early scene with Rock, which just crackles with energy, the two are apart for most of the flick, making us hope for another pairing as prickly partners. As Zeke’s actual partner, Minghella is quite believable as the “straight arrow’ who can be a “sounding board’ for Rock’s rants, but can also stand up to some of the questionable tactics while getting the job done “by the book”. He gives us hope for the soured system, while we root for him and his ideals to survive the constant chaos.

Series vet Darren Lynn Bousman strives to bring a gritty sense of reality to the often far-fetched fantasy set-pieces. He sets his sights on the classic police/serial killer flicks like SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and especially SE7EN, but is tossed off course by the formula structure of the SAW legacy. The “boiling point” feel is pushed to the limit early as we are told of the city’s “heatwave” and frequent “brown-outs” which layers everyone with a sheen of sweat along with “pit stains” and slowly rotating fans left over from BODY HEAT. But the atmosphere can’t mask some of the script’s extreme “suspensions of disbelief”. We’ve got to accept that the killer can somehow sneak into places (one, in particular, is pretty darn public) and set up and monitor these Rube Golberg-inspired torture contraptions. One somehow meshed broken bottles with what seems to be a sort-of jet engine. The marriage of machine, grime and sticky gore soon becomes tedious as the victims are told via that wonky voice that they have a way out, which never seems to work. It doesn’t help that the mystery elements are so sloppy. There’s a squad room full of suspects, so when the “splatter ” set-ups are disrupted, it’s easy to zero in on the killer’s true identity. An early injection of Tarantino snark, when Zeke does a comic riff on an iconic Tom Hanks role, it doesn’t come close to QT’s pop culture bits (from Madonna to “Green Acres”). All the entrails in “blue boxes” lead up to a climax that’s like a balloon sputtering out it’s last bit of air before its limp plunge to the ground (I was reminded of the last moments of the recent Oscars telecast). Rock is always compelling but the tired gore formula and familiat serial killer tropes just cause SPIRAL to keep spinning its bloody wheel to little effect or real interest. Time to put that worn ole’ saw back in the cinema tool shed.

1.5 Out of 4

SPIRAL opens in select theatres on Friday May 14, 2021