SAW V (2008)
Review by The Fiend of Grue
Saw V really surprised me, I mean really surprised me. From beginning to end this entry was fresh, new, original and easily the best Saw movie period! It took the story in amazing new directions never imagined. The story was fantastic with one of the scariest premises I’ve ever seen, and the twist ending literally made me shit my pants with excitement, yeah you heard it, shit myself! WOW!
Alright, I’ll stop with the joke since you know I’m pulling your leg. In all actuality, Saw V was anything but what I just said which should come as no surprise to anybody.
After starting off with the standard gruesome death trap scene, the story begins right where it left off with the newly revealed Jigsaw accomplice, Hoffman (Costas Mandylor), walking out of the rusty warehouse that now houses several dead bodies including Jigsaw, Amanda, Jeff, Lynn, Timothy, all of the victims from Jeff’s traps, fuck…basically anyone that has died over the course of the last three Saw films. Once Hoffman is outside, he really plays it up for the police force that arrives to sort through the mess, as the only survivor that made through the carnage. Soon though, Hoffman learns that Strahm (Scott Peterson) who was close to learning the truth in the last film, did indeed survive. Worried about being caught, Hoffman must now find a way to kill Strahm before he finds out the truth. From there, the film dives head first into, you guessed it, flashback heaven, showing how Hoffman became yet another Jigsaw apprentice, intercut with showing Strahm slowly tracking him down.
I’m not going to spoil anymore of the story for people who want to watch it and figure it out on their own but really though, I’m not going to spoil anything because Saw V is a case of already-seen-it-all-before stuff. Some of the new traps are clever actually, but the story itself is bland, dry and tired, kind of like Costas Madylor’s performance. At this point in the Saw universe, there is nothing new to add to a story that should have ended gracefully with part three. Saw V feels very much like a story that exists solely to cash in on its core audience and all of the actors in the film seem to be going through the motions.
The Saw franchise has sunk to new lows and I’m wondering just how bad Saw VI is going to be. Oh yes, there’s going to be a Saw VI, it’s already been green lit and is being developed as we speak. Supposedly it will be the last installment, but how many times have you heard that before from not only this franchise but from any lucrative franchise?
Saw V is directed by David Hackl, who served as the set designer on the last three films. I’ll give him credit for making a more watchable film than the previous entry. His entry has the same Saw look and feel but the camera is more natural this time out and even though the story bounces around a lot, Hackl uses a lot less frantic pace jump cuts and music video stylings like the last couple of films employed, which in and of itself made this a better film that part four.
Saw V is what it is: full of gore, full of traps, full of subplot after subplot that will surprise no one at this point. Not that anyone actually would, but please don’t buy into the whole “You won’t believe how it ends!” tagline because it’s terribly weak and someone with an IQ of ten should see it coming from a hundred miles away. I went into this film with zero expectations (and half drunk) and left feeling nothing except wondering where in the hell the scene was with the guy wearing Jigsaw’s face as a mask like the poster shows?
From the packed theater of early twenty-something daters that I sat with late last night and watched this film, it’s easy to see that Saw V will no doubt be another hit for Lionsgate and I’m sure this film will make multimillions. At the same time, from the grumblings about the ending of the film that I heard all around me, it’s easy to see that the Saw franchise is wearing out it’s welcome and it won’t be long before even the fans are saying….”game over!”
SAW review
SAW II review
SAW III review
SAW IV review
Watch the SAW V trailer:
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