Saw V Reviews

After viewing "Saw V" and walking out of the theater, then to my car, I noticed something very peculiar. I wasn't thinking about it. Every "Saw" film before it left me thinking about its ending and the events prior to it. Next to the first, "Saw V" is easily the weakest of the series.

Killing off your main villain in a more realistic horror franchise, then attempting to churn out more sequels seriously degrades the quality of the films. At least that's the secret "Saw V" let's us in on. They couldn't really bring Jigsaw back as a zombie-esque slasher maniac, ala Jason Voorhees, and we couldn't find out later that one John Kramer is aligned with some underground cult, carrying a curse that mysteriously gives him invulnerabiliy. Therefore most of the movie is presented in flashbacks in order to give the ol' Jigster proper screentime - also revealing how Detective Mark Hoffman became the key apprentice he was revealed to be at the end of "Saw IV" - and I REALLY appreciated all of the high-concept plot and big reveals. But Patrick Melton & Marcus Dunstan's script ("Feast 1 & 2") left little room for anything else.

With that said, the main game being played in "Saw V" is a major disappointment. As far as I'm concerned, it brings nothing to the film and, comparably, nothing new to the franchise as a whole. It is simply an excuse to kill off a number of mind-numbingly stupid people in increasingly grisly ways. That being said, "Saw V" also marks the one film in the franchise where the series' trademark traps, deaths, and torture devices truly begin to jump the shark. Not only is everything less imaginative, but it's also far less graphic than much of "Saw's III" and "IV." Horror sequels are supposed to up the ante - violence and gore included - and "V" rests firmly on its laurels.

Then again, it was great to see Tobin Bell as Jigsaw once again and, as always, he does not disappoint. He isn't on-screen enough, but when he is the man doesn't disappoint. Costas Mandylor, as Mark Hoffman, gets a much jucier role this time around and he doesn't waste it. I found myself rooting for Scott Patterson's Agent Strahm, but no one else in the cast really made much of an impact on me.

I even found myself jonesing for "Saw's 2, 3 & 4" director Darren Lynn Bousman's kinetic visual style. Not that David Hackl is talentless behind the lens, mind you, but the film just feels so lifeless; kind of like "Saw Sequel 101." Darren brought so much life to the franchise and truly made it his own, and Hackl is simply too point-and-shoot. I never thought the words "Saw sequel" and "generic direction" would fit firmly into the same sentence.

Even with all of the mediocre crap, "Saw V" is OK for what it is; a torture flick just in time for Halloween. It is definitely the weakest of the "Saw" films since the original. The gore is way too low (perhaps much of it was cut for an R rating?), much of the flick too inept to be considered anything more than just a decent time at the movies, and the ending is piss-poor. But that's not what "Saw" is. For the record, it should have ended at "III."

You won't believe how it ends

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

I was extremely excited after first watching the trailer for Saw V. I was honestly expecting it to surpass most of the other saw films. It had so much hype coming into the theaters. The truth is, it was a huge disappointment. I mean, the story was basically all there, It was excellent as usual, but nowhere near as good as the previous films (In my opinion the original was the best).

I was pretty bored throughout most of this film. They tried too hard to play mind games on us and make the storyline way "too" good. It begins with the investigations of the crimes from Jigsaw, and flashbacks at how they happened. The main character is agent Strahm, who pretty much makes all the investigations and does a great job at discovering who Jigsaw was and who he had helping him. I admit, I thought it was pretty cool how they went back to the previous Saw films and expanded on each scene to show you what was really going on.

The main contraption incorporated was a pretty basic, and not very exciting one. There were Six strangers this time, who all have something in common that make each of them hate each other, but it is like that in all of the films, so no surprise there. They were trapped in a chain-like thing, and had to get the key to escape. And of course the only way to get the key was to have one of the people be killed. I was always very amazed at the genious ways of Jigsaw's previous traps, but this was a poorly made one. The acting from the six strangers was poor as well. Usually they are pretty good, but not this time. In my opinion they weren't shown enough in the film. They were all gone too quick.

I am not saying that "Saw V" is a bad film, but they probably should have just stuck with four. If you are looking for a mildly entertaining mind boggling thriller, then please do watch this film.

5.6/10

''...I want to play a game. Right now, you are feeling helpless. This is the same helplessness you bestowed onto others. But now, it's unto you. Some would call this karma, I call it justice...''

A detective who seems to be the last person alive to carry on the Jigsaw legacy must now work his way to protect his identity before it is revealed.

Tobin Bell: Jigsaw / John

''Today, five people will become one, with the goal of surviving.''

The SAW franchise starts up again in this fifth installment, what I expected from SAW V was an equation of parts that ultimately offered something fresh and new to all the other chapters. What I actually got from the whole experience wasn't a enlightened twist at it's end like SAW, nor a range of multiple characters all pieced together like SAW II. It wasn't a dysfunctional family man's torment followed by more revelations and trials like SAW III offered. Nor a jumble of inspiring confusion like SAW IV.
What I actually got from the whole affair was that each future installment takes the whole film to explain the previous film, but this is where this installment ultimately fails.

We the Audience aren't treated to more gore, or even better traps, devices and ways that shock us the viewers. In essence SAW is supposed to be psychological also...So where I ask is the thinking material? Where is the twists and belated answers?
What we get is a mess, more questions, more excuses for back tracking and pointless flashbacks which make the whole franchise start to appear faded. It's resulted in a good cop bad cop routine where Jigsaw isn't even in the equation anymore.

''He was supposed to be the hero.''

We are indeed treated to more people we don't have a clue about, trapped in a similar predicament to SAW II's set up. Only problem is we can't actually feel sorry for them when they have no redeeming qualities.

The opening cracker of a trap that sets the ball rolling for SAW V also isn't shocking enough. We expect something to top off the previous film and for me it just doesn't cut it, pardon the pun. Either increased gore or increased puzzlement/twists required, for a film about a anti-hero of sorts called Jigsaw it seems to be missing it's vital pieces. Where the vital piece seems to be the Director's ability to hold his creation together. David Hackl seems to have waltzed onto this project and not actually looked at the other pieces properly, it's meant to be better not gradually declining in quality.

The cast also seems to be detached from each other.
Tobin Bell as Jigsaw is having a ball with his iconic Jigsaw, who must be having a a bellowing chuckle at home with his flashbacks. I mean a character who's been dead for the duration of 2 films already still has the main chunk to do here. It's like Jigsaw is always trying to be explained in each film we see, it's like the makers don't seem to realize, we get it already. So let's get that message across, he doesn't kill people, he sets a trap to test people then if they fail they die, if not then they are rehabilitated. I'm surprised some places haven't adopted Jigsaw's legacy into a law format already, which cannot be denied, there are indeed gaps in the law and loop holes in the system. When Tobin Bell says this as Jigsaw, thanks to his manipulative nature and disposition, you can believe what he's saying. You can even relate to his cause on some levels. Although this has been done in detail through all 5 chapters, how many times does it take?
Scott Patterson as Agent Strahm, is the main character, who opposes the new nemesis in town, but as with all the films the supposed hero never fares well in a SAW film.
Costas Mandylor as Mark Hoffman, seems to have his actions and meeting with Jigsaw explained in detail for all those who wondered why he did what he did in SAW IV. He's a character like Jigsaw we can sympathize with, yet also at the same time condemn his choices and actions.
So we find he's had bad luck with the system of laws and convictions when we find out that his sister was killed and her murderer only sentenced to five years because of a technicality. We already see just from this he's going to have a connection and seduction to Jigsaw's way of seeking justice.
All the other people involved in his game, which apart from a lady getting her head chopped off and a man getting blown apart which amused, didn't really impress me much. The cast ultimately are B Grade more at home at some late night television slot.
Amusingly also five people, five more excuses to have some formulated reason onto how these individuals are connected to each other, and five being the number of SAW films now. They think it's clever doing this...It's not.

''A technicality gave you freedom, but it inhibited you from understanding the impact of taking a life.''

This SAW V results also in the most boring installment of all of them. I felt compelled to yawn repeatedly half way in due to the fact there wasn't enough going on to engage my brain. Long gone is the compelling kills and back stabbing, who's done this and that but more of a festering game of cat and mouse that never achieves substance. Even SAW IV had a lightening pace at times, while SAW III had truck loads of gore and aggression. This one seems to be like a snail on a hot day then suddenly it pours down and the film can't wait to end. The ending is meant to be the highlight yet it is for all the wrong reasons. The resulting climax is a baffling affair that just stops without letting anything sink in or linger but leaving an empty disappointed feeling of regret. I honestly couldn't believe it.

If there is to be a SAW VI which I hope there isn't, unless there is a major change in story development or a new path of conjecture for plot contrivances, there really needs to be a point of stopping. The issue being that each sequel cannot be another explanation of what happened before. Because I'm now at the point I don't care what's in Jigsaw's box, I don't get care if the new guy carries on testing people, and I certainly am past the point of wanting anyone to stop him. But saying that maybe someone needs to or it's going to be a never ending snooze fest of repetition.

So overall SAW V has peaks of interest on a few scenes but overall it's nothing new and nothing to puzzle over. Jigsaw will quite literally be turning in his grave...

''I am the man you call Jigsaw.''