Saw V Review [4]

Posted by Bryan Kristopowitz on 11.01.2008

Solid, but underwhelming.

"Saw V" Review

Tobin Bell- Jigsaw/John Kramer
Costas Mandylor- Mark Hoffman
Scott Patterson- Agent Strahm
Betsy Russell- Jill
Julie Benz- Brit
Meagan Good- Luba
Mark Rolston- Dan Erickson
Carlo Rota- Charles
Greg Bryk- Mallick
Alura Gordon- Ashley
Joris Jarsky- Seth
Directed by David Hackl
Screenplay by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan
Distributed by Lionsgate
Rated R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, language and brief nudity
Runtime- 90 minutes
Website: http://www.saw5.com
http://www.officialsaw.com

"Saw V," the latest sequel in the ongoing "torture porn" franchise, is clearly the weakest entry of the series so far. The flick, directed by series veteran but first time director David Hackl, doesn't have the same power of the previous three sequels either in story or moviemaking technique, nor does it have the "originality" of the first flick. However, for a fifth movie in a horror movie franchise that killed its killer two movies ago and clearly has no interest in ending anytime soon, "Saw V" is still a fairly solid horror movie going experience.

"Saw V" pretty much picks up where the last entry ended, with FBI agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) in hot pursuit of Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) and his accomplice, who we all know is Detective Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor). After escaping certain death at the hands of Hoffman (great "holy hooey!" scene), Strahm starts to investigate Hoffman, attempting to piece together who Hoffman really is and how he pulled off being Jigsaw's real accomplice/apprentice without being caught. Meanwhile, five seemingly unrelated people are once again forced to endure serious potential personal pain, bloodletting, and disfiguring dismemberment. There's Brit (Julie Benz), Luba (Meagan Good), Charles (Carlo Rota), Mallick (Greg Bryk), and Ashley (Laura Gordon), five people Jigsaw (well, the creepy puppet doll) describes as incredibly selfish people who only look out for themselves, even if they destroy people along the way to getting what they want. He tells them that they must work together, work against their own nature, to succeed. So, the flick sort of becomes a race against time for both Agent Strahm and the five trapped people. Will Strahm find out everything he needs to find out about Hoffman? Will the five selfish people figure out how to survive to the end of the "game"?

Now, there's nothing essentially wrong with the story presented and concocted by listed screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. The flick focusses on who is left over after the previous story, and to a certain extent that's what you'd expect the movie to focus on. The movie is a showdown between the good guy (the cop in dogged pursuit of a vicious killer) and the bad guy (well, the killer). It's Agent Strahm against Detective Hoffman, who will win? The big problem, though, is Hackl's direction. It's solid, it gets the job done, but it isn't as visually interesting or as "big" as the helmer of the previous three sequels, Darren Lynn Bousman. Hackl's direction isn't filled with the kind of flourishes or wacky, confusing editing hooha that Bousman filled "Saw II-IV" with, and as a result the flick doesn't feel as big as it should. The music isn't as oppressive as it once was, either. We all know what the main "Saw" theme is, and we know what it's supposed to sound like when the movie comes to a close. The theme is supposed to both compliment the final scene and overwhelm the audience. That doesn't happen here. I'm also surprised by the "lack" of gore present here. That isn't to say the movie isn't gory or "gross" or somewhat disturbing, but, again, compared to the previous entries, the producers seem to have saved quite a bit on the fake blood bill.

Costas Mandylor, a fine actor in his own right (you should check out the sweet TV movie he made with Lauren Holly back in 2004, "Just Desserts"), isn't as interesting as Tobin Bell as the franchise's main villain, but he does what he can as Hoffman, a tough cop with a dark, disturbing secret (he's the "new" Jigsaw, essentially). Scott Patterson does a respectable job as Agent Strahm, Hoffman's direct pursuer. Patterson gets to participate in the flick's best scene, as his Strahm has to find a way out of a drowning device placed on his head (it's a scene that will forever live on in "Holy hooey!" movie scene history). It would have been nice if there was more direct confrontation between Hoffman and Strahm, but, with flashbacks explaining Hoffman's close relationship to Jigsaw and the five unlucky "game players," there's only so much the movie can do without being two hours (and I really don't want to see a two plus hour "Saw" movie). The "game players" are, more or less, okay. Carlo Rota's investigative reporter Charles is interesting as soon as he opens his mouth, and Greg Bryk's snivelling little druggie douchebag Mallick is just so annoying you can't wait to see something bad to happen to him (and he does get it good). Mark Rolston's Dan Erickson, Strahm's FBI suprerior, is such a dick, not because he gets in the way of Strahm's off-the-books investigation and is just generally a douchebag, but because he spends the entire movie with a hands free cell phone earpiece thing in his ear. That's just goddamn annoying.

And then there's Tobin Bell. He's still the lynchpin of the series, and, despite his Jigsaw/John Kramer character being dead, the movie still kind of hinges on whether or not you still like him and find him charismatic (is Bell still into this role, or is this now just a yearly paycheck kind of thing?). Eventhough he isn't in the movie as much as in previous entries, Jigsaw is still "running the show," and I'm happy to say that Bell still seems to be into his "I don't kill anyone. I give everyone a chance to appreciate life" criminal mastermind character. As long as Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures keep churning these babies out, I hope Bell keeps showing up in some form or another. It just wouldn't be a "Saw" movie without him.

Now, what's most interesting about "Saw V" is that it has the potential to be one of those horror movies the horror movie nerd world eventually decides to appreciate more in the future based on what happens in future sequels. There's a huge, gaping plot hole involving John Kramer's wife Jill (the returning Betsy Russell) and a box Kramer's lawyer left with Jill as part of Kramer's will. Jill sees what's in the box, but we never get a look. So, it's easy to assume that the contents of that box will play a big part in the eventual "Saw VI." And, if what's in the box is a huge surprise and ties in directly with what happens at the end of "Saw V," well, then, "Saw V" could (could) end up as one of the finest horror sequels of all time. But, again, that all likely depends on what happens in the next one. I guess we'll all have to wait until next October to find out.

As it stands now, though, "Saw V" is an underwhelming but decent enough, solid entry in an ongoing horror franchise that shows no signs of slowing down. You still can't trust what you're seeing, and, with "Saw" movies, that's all you need to make it watchable. And "Saw V" is watchable.

See it.

So what do we have here? Gratuitous "Pit and the Pendulum" torture scene with a big ass swinging pendulum, hand crushing, gut ripping, gratuitous flashback to what happened in the previous "Saw" movie, no cell phone reception, gratuitous dead body of Jigsaw, gratuitous mini tape recorder, animal mask thug attack, a nasty glass box helmet, gratuitous impromptu tracheotomy with a pen, gratuitous Costas Mandylor, gratuitous Tobin Bell, gratuitous personal will of Jigsaw/John Kramer, a box, a promotion, gratuitous off-the-books investigation, gratuitous five unlucky game players forced to run a sick and disturbing gauntlet of torture and pain, gratuitous nail bombs, a decapitation machine, decapitation, gratuitous looking in file folders for evidence and leads, more flashbacks, a bunch of glass jars hanging from the ceiling, beating a guy with a big stick, a huge nail bomb explosion, a big ass dog named "Pee Wee," double barrel shotgun to the chin, gratuitous Jigsaw drinking tea from a cup with no handle, multiple needles to the neck, blackmail, barfing, a blown up dead body, fat guy drinking in car and trying to kill himself with a broken piece of glass, a barbed wire trap, gratuitous Danny Glover flashback, gratuitous flashback to "Saw II" and that "gun in the door" gag, gratuitous making a human electrical circuit, hook to the head, a revelation that comes way too late, nasty fucking hand cutting, a glass coffin filled with shards of glass, and a room that just gets smaller and smaller.

Best lines: "What the fuck?," "Fuck you," "Miss Tuck, if you don't mind, what's in the box?," "On a gurney with a fucking hole in my throat!," "It's not Jigsaw. He's dead. Haven't you watched TV lately?," "Someone has to die," "Nice try fucking Nancy Drew," "Unless you want to be shredded by those nail bombs, I suggest we move on," "Better luck next time, rich boy!," "Survival of the fittest my ass," "Don't provoke him," "I think we're both going to the same place," "You know why you're here, don't you?," "And by the way, the blade on your pendulum was inferior," "Killing is distasteful! To me!," "That guy was an asshole but we could have used him. He was smart," "Tonight you will see the difference between killing and rehabilitation," "You killed her! You fucking killed her!," "We were all supposed to die?," and "I got you motherfucker!"

The 411: "Saw V" is a pretty decent horror movie in its own right, but it's definitely the weakest of the series so far. It just doesn't have the same impact as the previous four movies. Director David Hackl turns in a solid effort behind the camera, but he's not as good as Darren Lynn Bousman, and the movie suffers for it. Even with its deficiencies, "Saw V" is a good time at the movies, and, like I seem to say every year when a new "Saw" comes out, I can't wait for the next one. Just where the heck is this thing going? Jigsaw is freaking dead for Drake's sake!

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]