Saw V (2008) ,Review
October 26, 2008 by Anand Pandey
Filed under Review
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Story
Having inherited the mantle of the serial killer known as Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), Detective Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) tries to cover his tracks while executing yet another elaborate torture scheme and staying one step ahead of FBI agent Peter Strahm (Scott Patterson), who survived his previous encounter with Jigsaw but may not be so lucky this time around. Like so many horror franchises of recent (and not-so-recent) vintage — Halloween, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street — the latest Saw doesn’t deviate from the formula. Endlessly repeating the same rudimentary elements may spell big bucks at the box-office, forked over by the Saw faithful, but even die-hard fans will be hard-pressed to find something even remotely new or inventive here. In what must be an effort to mix things up, screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan revise (i.e. screw around with) some of the earlier film’s plot twists with “new” flashbacks that offer different perspectives than was first depicted. If this is intended to provide surprise to the well-worn storyline, it isn’t successful. It only makes a murky story even murkier.
Tobin Bell stars as Jigsaw in Lions Gate Entertainment
Acting
Jigsaw may have met his end at the conclusion of Saw IV, but Tobin Bell is all over the place this time around, seen either in flashback or on television screens. With his menacing, whispery delivery, Bell can hardly be accused of sleepwalking through his role, but one suspects that the basic enticements for him here were top billing — and the paycheck that goes along with it. The beefy Mandylor skulks his way through the one-dimensional role of Hoffman, while Patterson brings a bit of intensity to his role as the dogged Strahm. Betsy Russell, fondly remembered as a teen B-movie queen of the 1980s (Private School, Avenging Angel) plays Jigsaw’s ex-wife, while Meagan Good and Julie Benz (in an ill-fitting black wig) portray two of the latest “players” in the latest Jigsaw puzzle. Shawnee Smith, Angus MacFadyen and Danny Glover, who all met their onscreen ends in previous installments, make token flashback appearances here — to no discernible effect.
Meagan Good stars in Lions Gate Entertainment
Direction
Mark Hackl, the production designer of Saw II – IV, who was originally tapped to direct the fourth installment, now makes his directorial debut. As one might expect, he retains the decayed urban design of the previous films (which he, of course, designed), and there are the requisite gallons of gore and guts for those who enjoy that sort of thing. What would the Saw films be without such visceral pleasantries? But, for all the technical ingenuity of some of the lethal booby traps, there’s a distinct dullness to the proceedings. Saw V is appropriately gruesome, but it’s not particularly exciting or suspenseful. As a Halloween scare-fest, it’s all trick and no treat … and, yes, the door is left wide open for another installment. Enough’s enough, already.
Saw V (2008),Hollywood video
October 17, 2008 by Anand Pandey
Filed under Hollywood Movies, Horror
Saw V (2008),
Synopsis:
Hoffman is seemingly the last person alive to carry on the Jigsaw legacy. But when his secret is threatened, Hoffman must go on the hunt to eliminate all loose ends.
Full Cast & Crew
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Theatrical Release
10/24/2008
Studio Credit
Lionsgate Studio
Director Credit
David Hackl Director
Cast Credit
Tobin Bell Jigsaw/John Kramer
Scott Patterson Agent Straum
Costas Mandylor Hoffman
Julie Benz Brit
Betsy Russell Jill
Mark Rolston Erickson
Carlo Rota Charles
Greg Bryk Mallick
Laura Gordon Ashley
Meagan Good Luba
Production Credits Credit
Jason Constantine Executive Producer
Mark Burg Producer
Daniel J Heffner Executive Producer
Oren Koules Producer
James Wan Executive Producer
Leigh Whannell Executive Producer
Stacey Testro Executive Producer
Production Companies Credit
Twisted Pictures Production Company
Distribution Companies Credit
Eastern European Acquisition Pool (EEAP) Foreign Distribution Rights
Lionsgate Domestic Theatrical Distributor
Writer Credit
Patrick Melton Screenplay
Marcus Dunstan Screenplay
Art Department Credit
Anthony A Ianni Production Designer
Liesl DesLauriers Set Decorator
Casting Credit
Stephanie Gorin Casting
Film Camera Credit
David A Armstrong Director of Photography
Physical Effects Credit
Blair Johannes Stunt Double
Production Management Credit
Cristin Cornett Production Coordinator
Matt Cahill Post-Production Supervisor
Steve Webb Assistant Director
Elizabeth Tremblay Script Supervisor
Sound Credit
John D Smith Sound Editor
Visual Effects Credit
Beau Parsons Visual Effects – visual effects coordinator: Switch VFX
Jeff Skochko Special Effects Supervisor
Jon Campfens Visual Effects Supervisor
Wardrobe Hair Makeup Credit
Alex Kavanagh Costume Designer
Colin Penman Makeup Artist – makeup department head