Review: Saw V

Saw V (2008)

Since I’m now into watching the later Saw films, I can tell how far the cast has changed. What was initially a cat and mouse chase between Tapp and John Kramer has transformed into a battle between Strahm and Hoffman. So does Saw V have the ingredients of a good Saw film? Or is it the point where Saw really starts to look weak? Well, I’m afraid it’s the latter. Saw V isn’t quite as bad as its two sequels but it’s a long shot from its four predecessors. So with David Hackl now head of the realm, just how far has Saw fallen?

Firstly, the story of Saw V is effectively a cat and mouse chase between Special Agent Strahm and Mark Hoffman. Hoffman has to prove his worth as the new Jigsaw and sets up his first game. The game known as “The Fatal Five”, sees five connected people go from room to room in order to survive. It takes the “versus” traps from Saw IV to another level, but there’s more to the game than there initially seems. Quite a lot of the story is told through flashbacks, so Saw V may strictly be a fans only affair.

The new characters to Saw V are once again rather average, with “The Fatal Five” being fronted by a woman called Brit, and a somewhat psychopathic journalist. These two are probably the most interesting from the relatively dull bunch that have all had an “advantage” from birth. Dan Erickson is the designated new detective for Saw V, but he’s a little older than those that have gone before him. At least this makes him stand out. It is a little irritating though how fast the police force changes in Saw, leaving you ultimately unattached from the protagonists. Detective Fisk makes an almost cameo like appearance, far less airtime than the man who has been on the case since day one should get.

The traps of Saw V are again utterly average. A trap that involves Strahm held in a cube that fills up with water is probably the most notable, but it isn’t great. An actual saw returns to the Saw franchise. A spinning saw that the tested must run their hand through. “The Fatal Five” makes up for most of the traps, but they aren’t very conventional. Losing in “The Fatal Five” is fatal, but winning doesn’t cost the tested anything, not even a scratch. So really, there aren’t many actual traps in Saw V. Even the opening trap isn’t an actual trap, Strahm’s cube trap isn’t a conventional trap. So Saw V certainly does things differently, and mostly in a bad way.

Most of the story takes place in Strahm’s mind. He’ll go from one place to another with a document of evidence and analyse it, recounting the possibilities in his head. Once in a while he might actually discover something that will enlighten the viewer, but most of the time he seems to aimlessly tread water.

The ending of Saw V is probably its strongest point, but that doesn’t take much. There’s no shocking revelation or even a surprise at the finish, but it is more of an action-orientated finish, and it speeds up the pace of a film that’s really slow for the Saw franchise. Overall, an enjoyable finish to watch at least.

Saw V is a testament to just how many movies a franchise can put out before it becomes stale. Hackl  tried to mix things up with the ultimate “versus” trap, but in the end it just meant that there wasn’t one conventional trap in the film. Just a lot of half-traps, that aren’t true to the roots of Saw. The twist that goes with “The Fatal Five” is decent (albeit obvious), and the ending is at least an action packed one that involves microcassettes. However, the rapidly changing cast, lack of any real traps, and the slow pace of the detective work in the film fail to impress

Score: 5.0

Recommendation: Rent if you’re still a Saw fan