SAW V (2008)
Director: David Hackl
If there is one constant
in the horror genre, it's that you can't keep a good villain down. Whether it be
the classic creatures like Dracula and Frankenstein, or modern monsters like
Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger, any horror villain worth his salt will be
able to find his way back through as many sequels and remakes as Hollywood sees
fit. Perhaps the most recent example of this has been Jigsaw, the primary
antagonist of the Saw franchise. Despite the first movie originally being
intended for a direct-to-video release, its theatrical release was so successful
that Lions Gate Films and Twisted Pictures started churning out sequels on an
annual basis. And even after Jigsaw's apparent demise in the climax of Saw
III, the continuing popularity of the franchise shows that not even death
can stop a truly committed horror villain. This is what leads us to Saw V.
The continuing saga of Jigsaw's bloody quest to challenge people and make them
appreciate life's blessings, Saw V ultimately gives us more of what you'd
expect out of the franchise. But whether or not that's a good thing is what
we're here to discuss.
Detective
Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) believed that he was the last man standing after
the events of Saw IV, free to continue the series of deadly games started
by the now deceased Jigsaw (Tobin Bell). But he soon learns that Peter Strahm
(Scott Patterson), the FBI agent most dedicated to catching Jigsaw, survived the
trap that Hoffman had set for him. With Agent Strahm growing more suspicious of
Hoffman's activities and becoming obsessed with stopping Jigsaw's legacy after
the death of his partner, Hoffman must cover his tracks and tie up all the
necessary loose ends to make sure nobody discovers that he is the successor to
the Jigsaw mantle.
And while he tries
evading Agent Strahm, Hoffman must still go about business as usual. A group of
five people — spoiled rich kid Mallick (Greg Bryk), newspaper reporter Charles
(Carlo Rota), fire marshal Ashley (Laura Gordon), city planner Luba (Meagan
Good), and real estate agent Brit (Julie Benz) — awaken to find that they've
been chosen to participate in Hoffman's first game as the new Jigsaw. All of
them connected in some way to a fatal house fire, the five have been put in this
situation to force them to go against their own self-serving nature and work
together if they hope to survive the grueling series of tests they'll have to
endure.
Over the years, the
Saw franchise has become less about telling coherent, flowing narratives,
and more about having a twist ending, using flashbacks to build upon the
previous movies, and emphasizing the bigger, bolder, bloodier deathtraps.
And there is some evidence of that in this, the fifth entry into the saga. The movie feels
cramped, adding little details here and there to build upon the franchise's past
while still attempting to move forward with its own stories. And it feels
weaker, too. There's not enough actual story here to really sustain a full
movie, so by the end, everything is stretched out to the point that it concludes
with a whimper instead of a bang. Saw V seems to exist only to bridge the
gap between the previous movies and Saw VI. I respect it for trying to
fill in plot holes, answer old questions while setting up new ones for the
future, and actually trying to tell a focused story along the way. But it ultimately gives the impression of being an explanation for the
past instead of a full-fledged movie in its own right.
At the helm is David
Hackl, taking over the reigns from Darren Lynn Bousman. Hackl worked as the
production designer on the second, third, and fourth Saw movies, and
served as second unit director for Saw III and Saw IV. So Hackl is
no stranger to the world of Jigsaw. This is first actual time working as the
primary director of a movie, and I thought he did a solid job. While Hackl does
little to distinguish himself from previous Saw directors Bousman and
James Wan, he at least manages to do an adequate job of things. He keeps things
rolling at a brisk pace, and tries his best to make sure the audience is never
bored.
Up next is the
screenplay, written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. Having previously
written Saw IV, this gives them the chance to follow up on some dangling plot
threads while creating some new ones for future sequels. They also manage to
once again balance three storylines: the cat-and-mouse game between Detective
Hoffman and Agent Strahm, the five victims in need of an exit, and a series of
flashbacks that show Jigsaw training Hoffman to be his successor. Melton and
Dunstan have definitely stepped up their game here, as they seem to have
improved upon the mistakes they made during Saw IV's writing process. The
two primary stories are much more linear, making the movie easier to follow.
It's kinda hard to get into a movie if you have a hard time keeping track of
what's happening, so this helped a lot. And in regards to the flashbacks, taking
these looks back really feels like it's building upon what the previous movies
have all established. It might feel like it's pulling a retcon in some
instances, but it never feels cheap.
But in spite of those
positives, Melton and Dunstan haven't really written the most memorable movie
they could have. There's not much that stands out beyond the traps. The
storyline with the five victims running the gauntlet of traps is almost a repeat
of Saw II, and ultimately ends up feels like it's just filling in the
gaps in the running time that the other storylines couldn't take care of. The
movie seems to put more emphasis on Agent Strahm's investigation, which itself
seems seems contrived at times (though it does get progressively better). The
worst part, though, is the ending. Look at the poster at the top of this review,
and you'll see that it carries the tagline, "You won't believe how it ends." And
the tagline is right. I couldn't believe how it ended. As I said earlier in the
review, Saw V concludes
not with a bang, but with a whimper. It reaches the climax and just limps along
to the credits. The Saw movies usually conclude with some kind of twist,
but the ending of Saw V isn't that much of a twist. That is, if you can
even call it one. I don't want to spoil it, but the ending is kind of a
disappointment.
Last on my list is the
acting, which is give or take. Jigsaw is the backbone of the franchise, and
Tobin Bell once again puts forth a top-notch performance. He's consistently
contributed some of the best acting in the Saw franchise, and this entry
is no exception. Unfortunately, due to plot-related circumstances, the cast has
to be led by Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson. Mandylor is very good as a
character that had spent the better part of the franchise being a shady part of
the background. He may be unfairly compared to Bell or Shawnee Smith by some
fans of the series, but Mandylor does a really good job, and I can't complain.
Patterson, though, seems like he's forcing it. He doesn't stray into "over the
top" territory, but it feels as if he's trying too hard. That's kind of a shame,
too. It doesn't help anything that he has to speak in a raspy voice due to his
character suffering a throat injury early in the movie, and Patterson's use of
the voice is inconsistent. It fades in and out, and it hurts his performance.
And of the five victims stuck in Jigsaw's series of traps, only two of them
stand out. One of them is Julie Benz. She's good in pretty much everything she's
in, and Saw V is no exception. The other is Carlo Rota, who I thought was
fun in a sardonic kind of way. The other three are utterly forgettable, though,
which is kinda sad, really.
The thing about Saw V
is that it runs out of steam after a while. It's a solid enough movie, but by
the end, it's nearly worn itself out. It quite frankly doesn't make the same
kind of impression as the others did. While it does have some cool traps and
builds towards Saw VI, it is an ultimately mediocre movie that is only
slightly above average at its best. And although I said the same thing about the
previous movie, Saw V is the weakest entry in the series. It's still
worth a watch if you go in with lowered expectations, but it's just... adequate,
I guess is the word I'm looking for. Yeah, "adequate" works. So I'll give Saw
V a "thumbs in the middle" with three stars, since it's a decent
enough movie to earn that. And in the movie's defense, it did leave me anxious
to see how Saw VI will follow up on it. That's a plus, right?
Final
Rating: ***