‘Trust in him’
Saw Ⅵ is a 2009 American horror film directed by Kevin Greutert from a screenplay written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. The movie stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Peter Outerbridge, and Shawnee Smith. It was produced by Mark Burg and Oren Koules of Twisted Pictures and distributed by Lionsgate.
Greutert, who served as editor for all the previous Saw films, made his directorial debut with Saw Ⅵ. Melton and Dunstan, the writers for both Saw Ⅳ and Saw Ⅴ, returned to write the screenplay and Charlie Clouser, who provided the score for all previous Saw films, composed the score.
Plot:
Saw Ⅵ continues the franchise’s focus on the posthumous effects of the Jigsaw Killer and the progression of his successor, Mark Hoffman. In this film, Hoffman sets a series of traps for an insurance executive, William Easton, and his employees.
Meanwhile, the FBI trails Peter Strahm, now suspected of being Jigsaw’s last accomplice, and Hoffman is drawn into motion to protect his secret identity…
Reviews:
“The tried-and-true Saw formula works in spite of a dull plot line that deals with “evil” insurance companies that are painted in the most negative light imaginable, but in all fairness the writers have smartly and adequately intertwined this standalone plot to the series’ overreaching story line…” Martin Liebman, Blu-ray.com
“The bloodletting is grandiose in Saw VI, but strangely uneventful. You know you’ve seen one too many of these films when the sight of man hacking away at his own engorged stomach with a rusty knife elicits a yawn and a quick check of the wristwatch. It seems vile of me to even suggest it, but the intensity of “Saw” is gone…” Brian Orndorf
“This is the first big picture that Kevin Greutert has directed, but he was not unfamiliar with the Saw series. In fact, he was the editor on all the five previous films. There are also some subtle humour put into this film, making it easy to see that even the screenwriters can’t take the story 100% seriously anymore.” Torstein Karlsen, Cinema Terror
“For one, things amazingly enough make sense this time out. The flashbacks don’t seem as shoehorned in as they have been in previous entries and they flow rather nicely in between the murders […] Most of Jigsaw’s traps are pretty weak and would seem more at home in a carnival than in a Saw movie.” Mitch Lovell, The Video Vacuum
Cast and characters:
- Tobin Bell as John Kramer
- Costas Mandylor as Detective Mark Hoffman
- Mark Rolston as Agent Dan Erickson
- Betsy Russell as Jill Tuck
- Shawnee Smith as Amanda Young
- Peter Outerbridge as William Easton
- Athena Karkanis as Agent Lindsey Perez
- Samantha Lemole as Pamela Jenkins
- Tanedra Howard as Simone
- Marty Moreau as Eddie
- Shawn Ahmed as Allen
- Janelle Hutchison as Addy
- Gerry Mendicino as Hank
- Caroline Cave as Debbie
- George Newbern as Harold Abbott
- Shauna MacDonald as Tara Abbott
- Devon Bostick as Brent Abbott
- Darius McCrary as Dave
- Shawn Mathieson as Josh
- Melanie Scrofano as Gena
- Karen Cliche as Shelby
- James Gilbert as Aaron
- Larissa Gomes as Emily
- Billy Otis as Cecil Adams
- James Van Patten as Doctor Heffner
- Mpho Koaho as Timothy Young
Filming locations:
Principal filming took place from March to May 2009 in Toronto, Canada.
Box office:
Saw Ⅵ took over $68 million worldwide, the lowest-grossing Saw film at that point, but still a financial success compared to its $11 million budget.
