As someone who actually enjoyed the first three Saw films (and thought the series should have stopped there), the slapdash and convoluted plotting of the last two entries disheartened me. Saw VI has now arrived, and while it's not a complete return to form, it is definitely a step in the right direction of what made the original films work. The pacing is tighter and tenser here, and the traps and games set up by the diabolical Jigsaw seem much more imaginative than in the last two. If only returning writers Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton could get over their love of dragged out, soap opera-style flashbacks and dialogue.

One of the interesting things about this latest entry is how it grabs its plot from the headlines, dealing with unscrupulous mortgage lenders and unfeeling health insurance providers as the central targets of the madman this time around. It adds an interesting touch of social commentary that the last two films were missing. Picking up where Saw V left off, FBI Agent Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) continues to carry on the work of the now-deceased original Jigsaw killer, John Kramer (Tobin Bell). Hoffman has successfully killed and managed to frame fellow Agent Strahm for his crimes, only to learn that head investigators Erickson (Mark Rolston) and Perez (Athena Karkanis) have their doubts that Strahm was the new Jigsaw, and are getting close to the true identity. Meanwhile, Jigsaw's latest "game" has been set in motion, with the crooked head of Umbrella Health Care, William Easton (Peter Outerbridge) forced to participate in a series of deadly tests. He will have to decide the fate of his fellow employees, and possibly even his family, as he decides who will live and who will die.

Series editor Kevin Greutert makes his directorial debut here, and he does a much better job of keeping the story and the action moving than the past two attempts. It certainly helps that the tension has been stepped up with some truly clever traps here, the two main standouts being a maze set in a boiler room, and a deadly carousel where six of Easton's employees are about to die, and he must choose two of them who will live. These scenes come the closest to recapturing the original tension of the earlier films. The only thing holding it back is the familiarity. After six movies, it cannot have the same effect it once did, no matter how well done it is. Walking home from this movie, I thought of watching Paranormal Activity yesterday, and how it seemed like an exciting experience. Because the Saw movies have pretty much been employing the same formula for six years straight, Saw VI seems like old hat, while being an improvement at the same time. It leaves a curious feeling on the viewer.

For all of its improvements, the narrative is still overly complex and filled with one too many flashbacks. The dialogue is filled with so much exposition (whenever a character brings up a name, it is usually followed by an explanation, reminding the audience what role they played in a previous film) it borders on parody. There are also enough past secrets, backstabbings, and dramatic reveals to fill an entire season of a daytime soap opera. Chief amongst them is the subplot concerning the widow of John Kramer (Betsy Russell), whose role in the story is finally revealed when we learn the contents of the mysterious box that her husband left to her in his will. I started to wish that the screenwriters would just simplify things. (I haven't even mentioned how the reporter who's been sensationalizing the Jigsaw murders works into the plot, or the trapped family who have become part of Jigsaw's game.) Some better dialogue would be welcome, too.
Still, I have to admit, Saw VI comes the closest to working since the original trilogy came to a close. There's a surprise in the end that genuinely caught me off guard (and in a good way, for once), and a couple scenes that are surprisingly honest, especially the ones dealing with the policies of the health care office. While I still think the franchise is long past its prime, this one manages to stand out just a little more.

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