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"SAW VI" (2009) (Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Extreme Extreme Extreme Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Heavy Heavy Extreme None Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Mild Minor Heavy Heavy Extreme QUICK TAKE: Horror: A bad cop continues the work of a deranged serial killer who uses elaborate and deadly traps to try to teach unscrupulous people about the error of their ways. PLOT: With the serial killer John "Jigsaw" Kramer (TOBIN BELL) still dead, police Det. Mark Hoffman (COSTAS MANDYLOR) continues to stage his elaborate and deadly traps to try to teach bad people about the error of their ways. He is assisted by John's widow, Jill (BETSY RUSSELL), who hides from him the identity of Jigsaw's final victim. The main victim this time is William (PETER OUTERBRIDGE), an executive with a health insurance company who denied John coverage for his cancer and has made a career out of putting dollars in front of clients' health. He is forced to survive a series of gruesome challenges in which he has to choose who lives and dies among people he knows, works with, and loves. Among them is Pamela Jenkins, a hard-charging reporter (SAMANTHA LEMOLE); Debbie (CAROLINE CAVE), the company's attorney; and nearly his entire research staff at the firm. Meanwhile, FBI Agents Erickson (MARK ROLSTON) and Perez (ATHENA KARKANIS) close in on Hoffman with a potentially incriminating audio recording. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Older teens who are fans of any or all of the first five installments will likely flock to it opening weekend. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For sequences of grisly, bloody violence and torture, and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: TOBIN BELL plays the now dead mastermind behind the elaborate morality traps, seen in flashback or as a ghostly vision to his wife doing his deeds. COSTAS MANDYLOR plays the crooked cop who has secretly been Jigsaw's assistant and has now taken over his work. He goes to murderous lengths to make sure the authorities do not discover he killed an FBI agent who found him out at the end of the last "Saw." He uses strong profanity. BETSY RUSSELL plays the widow of John, the Jigsaw serial killer, who continues to follow the dead man's wishes regarding his elaborate killings. She is a casual drinker. PETER OUTERBRIDGE plays an unscrupulous health insurance executive who delights in denying sick clients coverage if it means improving the company's bottom line. He is eventually pitted in a series of gruesome challenges in which he is forced to choose who lives and dies among those who work for him and those he cares about. He is a casual drinker and curses often. SAMANTHA LEMOLE plays a reporter who is always looking to dig up dirt on the Jigsaw killer and who is continuing his work now that he is dead. Late in the film, we learn she is the wife of one of the main characters. CAROLINE CAVE plays William's attorney whose life is eventually put at risk, forcing her to try and take murderous lengths in order to survive. MARK ROLSTON plays the FBI boss who remains on the hunt for who is continuing the Jigsaw killings. ATHENA KARKANIS plays an FBI agent, thought dead in the last "Saw" film, who returns to cast more suspicion on Hoffman. SHAUNA MACDONALD and DEVON BOSTICK play mother and son, who are imprisoned by Jigsaw and eventually forced to decide whether to kill William or not out of revenge for him denying their dying husband/father health coverage. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated horror film. Profanity consists of at least 24 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. There's also brief sexually related dialogue, while cleavage is viewed. Violence consists of people being murdered or otherwise killed by various and often sadistic means, while others are injured or permanently maimed. Some fighting is also present. Much of this has extremely bloody and gory results. Those scenes, the related visuals, and various moments of potential peril may prove unsettling, suspenseful, and/or frightening for some viewers, particularly the young and/or the squeamish. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, and it's possible some of the sadistic behavior might be enticing for some troubled kids (or adults) to imitate (although the traps the killer sets are ridiculously elaborate). There's brief drinking, one character works in a drug rehab clinic, and one victim is said to be a heavy smoker. Some tense family material is also present. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your household, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content later today. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there are a number of flashback sequences in the film, some of which occur in rapid succession with snippets of scenes flashing before one's eyes at strobe-light speed. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE William and his attorney drink glasses of whiskey in his office. Each time there is a scene in William's office, his small bar with multiple bottles of liquor is visible in the background. Jill drinks a glass of wine while home alone. Jill works in a drug rehabilitation clinic. At one point, John's ghost states the addicts who come to Jill are addicted to the "masking agents" prescribed at the facility. BLOOD/GORE Two mortgage professionals are ensnared in one of Jigsaw's elaborate traps where they are required to cut away as much flesh as they can in 60 seconds. If they don't, an elaborate helmet placed on each of their heads will drive screws through their skulls and into their brains. He or she who cuts away the most in terms of weight survives. The male victim, a heavy-set man, uses a butcher knife to carve away excessively bloody sections of his side abdomen and places the dripping flesh on the scales provided. The thinner female uses here knife to hack off her arm and wins immunity. The screws then drive into the man's head and blood spurts in several directions and out his mouth. The dead man's corpse is shown as part of a crime scene. The dead man's corpse is shown being cut into during an autopsy. Hoffman emerges from his blood-stained glass coffin from the end of the last "Saw" movie and surveys the corpse of the FBI man killed in his place. Flashbacks show the agent crushed to death as the walls of the room closed in on him. Quick flashbacks to a previous "Saw" film(s) show a bloody pillow, a wounded Perez in a hospital emergency-room, and a Jigsaw mask being blasted to pieces. Jill is shown twice bleeding from between her legs as she suffers a miscarriage in flashback. A quick flashback to another "Saw" movie shows the killer of Hoffman's sister getting sliced by a large blade while tied to a table, with very bloody results. Yet another flashback shows the bloody aftermath of John's autopsy. William shoots a security guard and blood is shown oozing from the bullet wound. William is pitted in a twisted breathing contest with the janitor in his building, both of whom are tied up. Every time each draws a breath, a metal vice around each man's ribs tightens. The janitor loses, with the vice crushing his rib cage and causing massive internal and external bleeding. William only cracks a few ribs, albeit with bloody results that linger for the rest of the film. William has a bloody wrist after removing one of his shackles. William is then forced to choose between the lives of his middle-aged secretary with a family and a younger staff member with no family. Both have been placed on small pedestals with barbed wire tied around their necks, and William must choose which one gets hung to death. The wire noose tightens around the victim's neck and much blood spurts. William is forced to guide his frightened attorney through a maze in which immensely hot steam burns either her or him, causing graphic burn wounds. She is also fitted with a device that will drive a spike through her skull if she doesn't complete the maze in a certain amount of time. The device ultimately springs and pierces the woman's brain, causing blood to spurt. There is an elaborate game of Russian roulette with a shotgun trained on six of William's co-workers who are tied to a merry-go-round. Each time one of the victims stops in front of the rifle, William has the choice whether to stop the gun from firing or not. He can only save two of the six. With he four who are shot, the bullets blast through their torsos spraying much blood across the room and on the other five victims. Each time William saves one of the two, nails pierce each of his hands. Hoffman is shown in flashback cutting at least one finger off of a corpse so he can plant false fingerprints. Hoffman slashes Erickson's throat, causing blood to spurt from his jugular. He then takes his knife and stabs Perez repeatedly in the stomach with predictably bloody results. A man is pumped full of acid causing him to graphically melt from the inside and eventually split in half, as his intestines spill out and much blood flows. A man tries desperately to remove one of Jigsaw's elaborate torture helmets, causing him to rip off half his face. We see the very bloody aftermath with exposed mouth interior. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Jigsaw (seen in various flashbacks, video recordings and ghostly visits) has a bad attitude for enacting his own justice on people via his deadly traps. Hoffman and Jill willingly carry on his work. William proudly and callously boasts of denying health insurance claims for procedures and surgeries that his clients desperately need. William opts not to take a call from a client who has phoned his office with a concern. He arrogantly boasts that he'll call the client back "in a few days." Jill lies to Hoffman that her husband left her five mystery envelopes in his will when, in fact, he left her six. Hoffman uses the finger of a dead man (that he himself clipped off) to plant false fingerprints. When six of William's employees are faced with death, they turn on each other hurling accusations of lies, laziness, and other personal flaws just to court William's favor in deciding which two will live. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Two mortgage professionals are ensnared in one of Jigsaw's elaborate traps where they are required to cut away as much flesh as they can in 60 seconds. If they don't, an elaborate helmet placed on each of their heads will drive screws through their skulls and into their brains. He or she who cuts away the most in terms of weight survives. William is pitted in a twisted breathing contest with the janitor in his building, both of whom are tied up. Every time each draws a breath, a metal vice around each man's ribs tightens. William is then forced to choose between the lives of his middle-aged secretary with a family and a younger staff member with no family. Both have been placed on small pedestals with barbed wire tied around their necks, and William must choose which one gets hung to death. William is forced to guide his frightened attorney through a maze in which immensely hot steam burns either her or him. She is also fitted with a device that will drive a spike through her skull if she doesn't complete the maze in a certain amount of time. There is an elaborate game of Russian roulette with a shotgun trained on six of William's co-workers who are tied to a merry-go-round. Each time one of the victims stops in front of the rifle, William has the choice whether to stop the gun from firing or not. He can only save two of the six. A mother and son are then forced to decide if William should meet a gruesome death or be allowed to live. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Shotgun/Knives/Elaborate traps: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details. Jigsaw gives each of his first victims in the movie butcher knives to cut flesh with in order to survive one of his traps. Several police are shown throughout the film, typically at crime scenes, with holstered guns. When the power goes out in William's office, he sees the silhouette of a man with a handgun. So, he pulls a gun out of his desk and eventually shoots the suspected intruder. As it turns out, it's just a security guard. There is an elaborate game of Russian roulette plays out with a shotgun trained on six of William's co-workers who are tied to a merry-go-round. Each time one of the victims stops in front of the rifle, William has the choice whether to stop the gun from firing or not. He can only save two of the six. Perez, reeling from having hot coffee thrown in her face, accidentally shoots and kills a police audiologist with her service revolver. Hoffman kills Perez and Erickson with his knife. Jill uses a taser gun to incapacitate Hoffman. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "What the f*ck?" "F*ck you," "Don't f*cking move," "What the f*ck am I supposed to learn from this?" "F*ck this," "I told you he would f*ck with it," "She's f*cking lying," "You spineless, p*ssy-whipped, m*therf*cker," "This is f*cking bullsh*t," "We got it all ass-backwards," "I'm not dying for you, bitch," "You're a g*d-damned criminal," "Who the hell is that?" and "Aw Christ!" It's possible some of the sadistic behavior and imaginative traps might be enticing for some troubled youths to imitate. There is a brief flashback glimpse of a shirtless man showing various tattoos. JUMP SCENES William is seized suddenly from behind by an abductor in his darkened office. Pamela is seized suddenly from behind by an abductor in an apartment building hallway. William pushes a button and the Jigsaw clown puppet springs at him from the dark. Hot steam bursts into the camera on multiple occasions as William tries to lead Debbie to safety. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of ominous and suspenseful music plays throughout the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 24 "f" words (3 used with "mother"), 4 "s" words, 1 slang term using female genitals ("p*ssy-whipped"), 3 asses (1 used with "hole"), 3 hells, 3 S.O.B.s, and 1 use each "Christ" and "G-damn." SEX/NUDITY During a flashback sequence to a previous "Saw" movie, we see a shirtless man strapped down to a table. Jill is fond of wearing tight sweaters that show cleavage. One of William's co-workers refers to him as "p*ssy-whipped." SMOKING One of Jigsaw's victims is said to be a heavy smoker. TENSE FAMILY SCENES A man pleads with William to disregard what William's research staff says is a pre-existing condition and offer him coverage, imploring him, "I have a family!" We later learn that the man has died and his widow and only son come to hold William's life in their hands, the result of one of Jigsaw's elaborate traps. In flashback, John and Jill grieve over the loss of their baby. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Health insurance companies and the sometimes profit-driven decisions they make regarding clients' medical coverage. The unscrupulous activities of mortgage lenders in the recent real-estate meltdown. The current trend of fetishistic torture that horror films are depicting. VIOLENCE Two mortgage professionals are ensnared in one of Jigsaw's elaborate traps where they are required to cut away as much flesh as they can in 60 seconds. If they don't, an elaborate helmet placed on each of their heads will drive screws through their skulls and into their brains. He or she who cuts away the most in terms of weight survives. The male victim, a heavy-set man, uses a butcher knife to carve away excessively bloody sections of his side abdomen and places the dripping flesh on the scales provided. The thinner female uses here knife to hack off her arm and wins immunity. The screws then drive into the man's head and blood spurts in several directions and out his mouth. Via flashback, a man is twice shown slamming a door into pregnant Jill's abdomen by accident, thereby causing a miscarriage. Flashbacks show an agent crushed to death as the walls of the room closed in on him. A quick flashback to another "Saw" movie shows the killer of Hoffman's sister getting sliced by a large blade while tied to a table. William is seized suddenly from behind by an abductor in his darkened office. William shoots a security guard and blood is shown oozing from the bullet wound. William is pitted in a twisted breathing contest with the janitor in his building, both of whom are tied up. Every time each draws a breath, a metal vice around each man's ribs tightens. The janitor loses, with the vice crushing his rib cage. William only cracks a few ribs, albeit with bloody results. William is then forced to choose between the lives of his middle-aged secretary with a family and a younger staff member with no family, both of whom have been placed on small pedestals with barbed wire tied around their necks. The one who William does not pick gets hung, with the wire graphically tightening around the victim's neck causing much blood to spurt. William is forced to guide his frightened attorney through a maze in which immensely hot steam burns either her or him. She is fitted with a device that will drive a spike through her skull if she doesn't complete the maze in a certain amount of time. At the end of it, we find that the key has been put inside William. She tries to take a power saw and cut it out of him. He punches her twice. She kicks him in the crotch once. The device then springs and pierces the woman's brain. There is an elaborate game of Russian roulette with a shotgun trained on six of William's co-workers who are tied to a merry-go-round. Each time one of the victims stops in front of the rifle, William has the choice whether to stop the gun from firing or not. He can only save two of the six. With he four who are shot, the bullets blast through their torsos spraying much blood across the room and on the other five victims. Each time William saves one of the two, nails pierce each of his hands. Pamela is seized suddenly from behind by an abductor in an apartment building hallway. Hoffman slashes Erickson's throat, then throws hot coffee on Perez's face, causing her to accidentally shoot and kills a police audiologist. Hoffman then takes his knife and stabs Perez repeatedly in the stomach before setting all three of them on fire to conceal the murders. Jill tasers Hoffman, incapacitating him. A man is pumped full of acid causing him to graphically melt from the inside and eventually split in half, as his intestines spill out and much blood flows. A man tries desperately to remove one of Jigsaw's elaborate torture helmets, causing him to rip off half his face. We see the very bloody aftermath with exposed mouth interior. Reviewed October 23, 2009 / Posted October 23, 2009

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