Saw-6: Review

I saw Saw-6 on the preceding knowledge that it was much better than Saw-5. And so it was. That is the magic of the whole series that despite the same old gore and the number of sequels the series still kicks ass.
The story begins with the scale trap where two people have to donate flesh to tip the scale in their favour. It was an intensely gory screen that had me wincing. As I had expected the story centered around the contents of the box left to Jill by Jigsaw. The box has 6 envelopes and Jill gives five of these to Hoffman to set up the game. The game's main protagonist is William Easton who is a health insurance company executive. He is being tested for his indirect way of taking peoples' lives when they are suffering from disease. This concept is extremely good and the story woven around it is interesting. Jigsaw himself was denied coverage by Easton's company and he warns Easton that he will be judged the same way some day. This leads to series of dangerous traps and the six lessons easton has to learn. The traps involve people associated with William's work.
Meanwhile the FBI is closing in on the Jigsaw accomplice and Hoffman as a tensed out character plays it well. The Agent Perez surprise was great. Hoffman however manages to squeeze out of the situation by killing Erickson and Perez after his double identity is compromised.
The movies moves towards the climax with Easton discovering that his own life is in the hands of the family of a patient he refused cover. This was a great twist as all the time the audience is led to believe that the family is Easton's family. Easton dies brutally after being injected with hydrofluoric acid and his journalist sister watches him die.
The 6th envelope turns out to be for Hoffman himself and he is trapped in the reverse bear trap by Jill for his insensitivity towards the human body and Jigsaw's assessment whether he has what it takes to survive. We knew in Saw-4 that he would be tested at some point and this is it. However Hoffman manages to partly break free from the trap by smashing his hand and preventing the trap to open fully by pushing his head in a window. The movie ends here with the familiar Charlie Clouser score.
Saw-6 answers many of the questions left unanswered. Especially Amanda's story and how she was set up by Hoffman. That was a good one. It also reveals Jigsaw's grand plan for the health insurance companies and the reasons for it.
Kevin Greutert lifts the standard by many folds from the dismal Saw-5. The visuals are great and though the traditional score at the end is a bit modified it still fits the bill.
The stage however is all set for a seventh film as Hoffman has survived and there's a scene where Jill delivers a thick envelope from the box Jigsaw left her to an address which is not shown in the film. I give it a three and a half on five. The Game has again, just begun!