The combination of Chris Rock and Saw seems incredible. After all, this energetic fast-talking comedian has never had any experience in horror movies. In Spiral: From the Book of Saw, the ninth installment of the Soul Reaper series, Chris, who plays Criminal Police Officer Jik, has just appeared on the scene and showed off his talk show skills, sharp teeth teasing Forrest Gump. But when the story brings out his painful past and sinister workplace interpersonal relationships, the film's sharp humor suddenly changes from gags to a negative self-defense. From his attitude of external cold and internal heat, we gradually understand how a law enforcement officer full of impulsiveness can fight against the corrupt environment alone and be consumed by the feeling of powerlessness day after day.
The Soul Reaper series is never short of police. Some people lost to the trap tricks of the devil, and some people took over the mantle of the killer. But in any case, the good cop and the bad cop are only born out of the need of the opposition between good and evil, and their image and personality can be said to be as thin as paper. Regardless of the depth and charm of the characters, the "Soul Reaper" series has never had a hero who can compete with the "puzzle killer" John Kramer, so that he is forced to be a hero and a villain. It is said that the "Soul Reaper Saw 2" and "Reaper Saw 3" from the beginning destroyed Kramer's mystery in the first episode, but let him have an anti-heroic posture in the hearts of the audience as a social sanctioner. After Kramer's exit, the Soul Reaper series was never able to escape his ghost. Since the sequel cannot bring him back to life, the follow-up story can only be through the chaotic and annoying infighting of the successors, constantly pursuing the words and deeds of the master from Kramer's "high disciples".
Happily, "Death Vortex" did not let itself get into this quagmire, but instead created another new hero with a distinct personality and flesh and blood to maintain the centripetal force of the audience, and was always a policeman with limited space to play in the "Soul Reaper" series. This arrangement makes "Death Vortex" like a police mystery drama, and this episode no longer sells in a collective imprisonment or survival game, allowing the audience to follow the criminal police Jik through the bizarre murder scene, in addition to piecing together the true face of the "puzzle killer" imitators, but also combing out the dark truth of the bottom of the city.
Even if the title of "Death Vortex" has been changed, it is actually still the "Soul Reaper 9". It still has a rich multi-line plot, and uses an urgent social problem as the main axis, closely linking the fates of the protagonist and the victims. The murder mechanism in the film is still a assembled industrial style made from local materials, which seems reasonable but is far-fetched. Under the direction of Director Dylan Len Boothman, who has participated in many sequels, "Death Vortex" also regained the high-speed jumping images of the "Soul Reaper" series such as music videos, as well as the rich visual colors that Bosman preferred. The popular theme theme "Hello Zepp" of the fans is also not absent from this film.
But on the other hand, while maintaining the status quo, "Death Vortex" also dilutes the ritualized charm of the puzzle killer. It boldly abandons the doll logo of the "Reaper of Souls" series, the recording announcing the beginning of the game of death, and no longer the deep voice that actor Tobin Bell gave the tired soul of the jigsaw killer. For fans, this is like a religion abandoning the identification of totems or holy relics, leaving believers feeling overwhelmed.
Farewell to the Kramer era, the new beginning of The Soul Reaper Saw
The imitators did not follow John Kramer as a master or mentor. Instead, he removed Kramer's idol crown and cut off the past entangled factional strife. Death Vortex no longer features the image of Tobin Bell or John Kramer, but preserves only the belief that the puzzle killer will reform society with revenge. However, pure belief is actually more contagious and provocative than the cult of personality.
Underpinning this idea is the evil temptation to fight violence with violence, and the police who hunt down the puzzle killer in "Death Vortex" become the first test object. In the name of maintaining urban order, the police who violently enforce the law on the streets, coupled with the deliberate connivance of officials and officials, are unintentionally practicing the illegal justice advocated by the puzzle killer in a contradictory way.
Interestingly, Jik, who is jealous and fierce for the reform of the police community, is somewhat reminiscent of John Kramer before he became a demon. When he finally embarks on a path of alignment with the imitator, the corrupt environment in which he lives and the anger that has accumulated in his heart are enough to push him into the position of successor of the puzzle killer. Compared to the vague "awakening" or morbid cult of previous episodes, "Death Vortex" describes, at least from a reasonable point of view, how extreme anger and despair can gradually distort the moral sense or values of a group of individuals. The mutual trust and resonance between Jik and the imitators, whether it is a plan to lure the snake out of the hole, or a new life that heralds the successor, I am afraid that before the birth of the tenth episode in the planning, it will be a frightening and thought-provoking question.
In view of the racial violence and police abuse controversy in the United States in recent years, it is not difficult to imagine the original intention of Chris Rock, who is also the original creator of the story. Saw of Souls 2 discusses a similar issue, but it's more like a case study of dragonflies dotting water. "Death Vortex" simplifies the criminal process and brutal depiction of the murderer, focusing more on the observation of the ecology of the police community, such as the inner world of Jik, the observation of rookie partners, the distrust of the public for the police, and the closure of the police system, all of which are interlinked with the theme of excessive law enforcement. It gives "Jigsaw Killer" a stronger sense of mission and reasonable motives for committing crimes, and also allows the "Soul Reaper" series to have the core issues of extending and playing freely. Death Vortex is a greeting and farewell to John Kramer, but it will be a fresh start for the Soul Reaper saga.