Saw V

Rating

Director

David Hackl

Screenplay

Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan

Length

92 min.

Starring

Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Betsy Russell, Julie Benz, Meagan Good, Mark Rolston, Carlo Rota, Greg Bryk, Laura Gordon, Joris Jarsky, Mike Butters

MPAA Rating

R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, language and brief nudity

Review

A gruesome horror franchise built on a framework of extreme redemptive torture loses much of its teeth when the very characters in need of redemption are in charge of meting out the “justice”.

Saw V is a direct continuation of the events in Saw IV following Agent Peter Strahm (Scott Patterson) as he manages to survive a trap presumably put in place by Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), the late serial killer whose antics have propped up the legendary horror series. And his survival sets in motion many of the events of the film, which revolves around Detective Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) and his role in the events of the previous film.

The plotting continues to get more convoluted as the series presses on. Were it not for one of the centerpiece series of traps in this film, it would be an entire waste. The series in question is an entirely secondary set of events surrounding five individuals with some event linking them together and relying on their teamwork to resolve. These traps, which include keys, self-preservation and plenty of bloodshed, are more inventive than anything we’ve seen from the series since the second incarnation. Still, the reason behind the sequence is never fully explained, so it feels completely pointless when paired with the events around it, except that it is supposedly designed to implicate someone else in the crimes.

A third sub-story, this one perhaps leading to things to be explored in part six, revolves around John Kramer’s (Jigsaw) widow Jill as she receives her inheritance a strange box containing information that tells her who is responsible for carrying out his current plans. This is rationalized with Hoffman’s flashbacks to helping Kramer set up the death traps of episode two (the film before which Kramer would have had to have put the bequeathed box together). However, it’s a tough pill to swallow and comes off more as an afterthought and an attempt by screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, the Feast scribes behind the fourth installment.

Not only have Melton and Dunstan begun taking the series in questionable directions, the top level staff behind the film is getting shaken up more quickly than fans would probably like. This film is directed by David Hackl, this being his debut as a director, his resume consisting entirely of production design credits, including the second through fourth films and little else of recognizable importance. His talent behind the camera is far less impressive than the previous directors and makes you wonder if even the previous participants have grown weary of the series.

Where the series goes from here is far less interesting than it might have been back during the days of Saw II or Saw III. We’ve already seen where the series is heading and only the most diehard fan of the show, forgiving its utter lack of respect for the audience and its own history , can really appreciate and enjoy what the series will have to offer. Maybe we’ll see something fresher in future installments, but I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one.

Review Written

September 24, 2009