Spiral: From the Book of Saw introduces some topical themes (notably about policing), but overall, character motivations revolve around personal drama and typical Saw-style violence. There's minimal focus on identity politics or obvious forced representation, so narrative integrity is mostly intact, despite some flirtation with contemporary issues.

The film barely touches traditional cultural elements like religion, family, or masculinity in a subversive way. Its central themes are revenge and corruption, familiar to the franchise. There’s little overt undermining of broader cultural traditions, though the police are painted primarily as corrupt, which is not unique to 'woke' storytelling.

Most characters in Spiral share a cynical view of the police force, with little room for opposing opinions. While not a full-on ideological bubble, the film doesn’t offer much holistic or nuanced discussion of policing, instead opting for a one-sided critique - so, there's some ideological uniformity present.