Home  |  About Us  |  Contacts  |  Products    
 News Items
 Top Stories
 News Briefs
 Vatican
 Origins
 Africa
 Headlines
 Also Featuring
 Movie Reviews
 Sunday Scripture
 CNS Blog
 Links to Clients
 Major Events
 2008 papal visit
 World Youth Day
 John Paul II
 For Clients
 Client Login
 CNS Insider
 We're also on ...
 Facebook
 Twitter
 RSS Feeds
 Top Stories
 Vatican
 Movie Reviews
 CNS Blog
.
 For More Info

 If you would like
 more information
 about Catholic
 News Service,
 please contact
 CNS at one of
 the following:
 cns@
 catholicnews.com
 or
 (202) 541-3250

.
 Copyright

 This material
 may not
 be published,
 broadcast,
 rewritten or
 otherwise
 distributed,
 except by
 linking to
 a page on
 this site.

.
  Movie Review

Saw VI

By John Mulderig
Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) -- The blood flood continues in the predictably gruesome horror sequel "Saw VI" (Lionsgate), director Kevin Greutert's needless extension of a noisome franchise.

This attempt at social relevance would be laughable if the results were not so grisly.

The latest victims in the sadistic life-or-death games initiated by the deceased psychopath Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), and now being secretly carried on by police detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) -- even as he pretends to investigate the crimes -- include two predatory real estate lenders and William (Peter Outerbridge), a coldhearted health insurance executive.

For the bulk of the 90-minute running time, we witness William enduring a gauntlet of torturous tests by which his bones are crushed, his hands mangled and his body scalded. In between, Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan's script resurrects Jigsaw via a series of flashbacks and at least one hallucination so he can engage in ponderous moral mutterings about teaching people to value life by forcing them to confront death.

But such philosophical window dressing can hardly disguise the true nature of this callous descent into gratuitous cruelty.

The film contains pervasive gory violence, including graphic torture and mutilation, a half-dozen profanities, at least 40 uses of the F-word, and some crude and crass language. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

- - -

Mulderig is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. More reviews are available online at www.usccb.org/movies.

END


Copyright (c) 2009 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250


 FIND A MOVIE

   Looking for a
   movie review?

Movie List


   Click "Movie List"
   button above
   
   OR
   
   Enter a keyword
   from the movie
   title in the box
   below and click
   the "Search"
   button.