Tonight you will see the difference between killing and rehabilitation.
The Saw series of films represent something of a conundrum for cinephiles. On one
hand,
there is no denying that the films are, superficially, just the latest seemingly never-ending Horror
franchise; a new entry shows up every Halloween just like clockwork. The films also follow
the
Horror franchise formula precisely -- the first film is easily the best in
the
series. It's an original, fascinating, and entertaining journey into true terror, structured
around
a well-constructed plot and good characterization, supported by fine acting from several notables.
As the series moved along, through severalmoreentries, it grew less and less
novel and more and more gory, sacrificing originality and tension for style and blood. On the
other hand, the films
deserve an enormous amount of credit for at least trying to construct a true franchise that builds
layer upon layer, film after film, all the entries tying in together and telling one cohesive (though
not always completely coherent) story. Appreciating the latter films in the series requires at least
passing knowledge of the previous entries, with an in-depth understanding of the plots and
characters the ideal. As alluded to heretofore, the formula hasn't worked quite as well as it may
have. The premises remain intriguing, but the underlying story of Jigsaw seems lost under the
elaborate traps and copious amounts of gore. Now, the fifth entry into the series is here. How
does it stack up with the previous quartet of grisly Saw flicks?
The latest from the world of fashion.
Finally, the Jigsaw murders seem to be solved. The perpetrator, Jigsaw (Tobin Bell, reprising his
role from the previous Saw films), is dead. Agent Peter Strahm (Scott Patterson, TV's
"Gilmore Girls") has survived the latest deadly trap, and is on the trail of newly-promoted
Lieutenant-Detective Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor), supposed hero of the Jigsaw case, a man
Strahm believes to be carrying on
the legacy of the infamous killer. Meanwhile, a group of five individuals awaken to find
themselves victims of the latest Jigsaw-style death trap. They seem to be unrelated, but as they
begin to discover the identities of their fellow victims, a common thread emerges. In true Jigsaw
fashion, their morality and core values are put on trial as they must eschew their belief systems
and basic instincts in order to survive.
Saw V is one of the better entries in the series, perhaps topping all of them save for the
first. That doesn't necessarily make it a good movie, just better in the context of the whole of
the
series. The film enjoys a creepy atmosphere, plenty of edge-of-your seat tension, and manages
to
tie up some loose ends from previous films. Saw V flashes back to events that
supposedly
took place even before the first film, and reveals some secret background information that ties
into
the earlier films by placing new faces behind-the-scenes of some of the traps.
At the same time, the flashback scenes allow for the context of this film to slowly come together
and lay the
groundwork for subsequent entries. Saw V is easily the most graphic of the quintet, and
probably one of the more graphic mainstream movies ever produced. It can be downright
disturbing at times, and may be hard to stomach for even hardcore fans of the genre. The film
spares no expense, showcasing each death scene in meticulous detail that borders on being too
much, and unlike some of the exploitative films of the 1970s and 1980s, for example, Saw
V revels in gore that looks excruciatingly real. Audiences need be forewarned going in that
they will see images that will stick with them long after the end of the film.
Lionsgate traps Saw V on Blu-ray with a 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer that recreates the
grizzly atmosphere of the film nicely. Like the other entries into the series, this film is consistently
grim but undeniably effective in its presentation. It offers dark and dank cinematography that the
Blu-ray replicates to strong effect. The movie also offers the occasional hint of color, coming by way
of vomit-toned greens and yellows, and of course, plenty of red to accentuate the blood. Several
scenes of immense gore, including bloody innards and body parts torn asunder, several times cover
the screen in red, playing in sharp contrast to the dark, grimy interiors of the film. Detail is
appreciably high; gore fans will cherish every minute of the film, and the transfer does the quality of
the prosthetics justice. Blacks are decent, leaning towards a moderately dark shade of gray in some
scenes but coming off as rock-solid in others. Flesh tones are natural in appearance, and film grain
is present over the entirety of the transfer. The image doesn't always maintain a consistent level of
sharpness, though. For the most part, Saw V is another strong transfer from Lionsgate.
As usual, Lionsgate delivers a full-fledged DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless soundtrack, this one making
every speaker count. This audio presentation is strong and immersive in most every scene. Bass
rumbles with an impressive level of vigor and authority several times in support of a raucous, loud,
and industrial-sounding track that compliments the dark, unforgiving look of the film nicely. The
disc features plenty of rear channel activity, whether background ambience in a busy hospital
corridor in one shot or the film's hard score flowing out of the back four channels. The various
screams, clanking of metal, and other assorted sounds of terror rip through each speaker with
chilling detail. Dialogue reproduction is also uniformly excellent. This Blu-ray edition of Saw
V delivers a soundtrack that matches the intensity of the movie nicely.
Saw V on Blu-ray cuts into the mystique of the film and the franchise with plenty of
bonus materials. First up are two
commentary
tracks, the first featuring Director David Hackl and First Assistant Director Steve Webb. The duo
discuss the intricacies of the traps, the shooting of the death scenes, the work of the special
effects and prosthetics department, shooting and editing the picture, and the work of
cast
and crew; all of the expected angles are included. The track is standard stuff, delivering as
expected
but certainly not a memorable experience or a must-listen commentary. The second
commentary track
features Producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules and Executive Producers Peter Block and Jason
Constantine. This track is about on the same level as the Director's track; it's a bit lighter but
equally informative, discussing again the traps, the five victims, the
interconnectivity of the series (and the commentary tracks), and more.
Next up are a series of featurettes examining the traps seen throughout the film, featuring an
in-depth look at the design and how they work, the safety measures put in place to protect the
actors, as well as the prosthetics used to create the grisly after-effects. Included is The
Pendulum Trap (480p, 5:48), The Cube Trap (480p, 5:13), The Coffin Trap
(480p, 5:44), and The Fatal Five (480p, 11:55), the latter an all-inclusive piece that
looks at all of
the traps that these unfortunate souls face in the film. Slicing the Cube: Editing the Cube
Trap (480p, 5:03) takes a closer look at the evolution and assemblage of this crucial
sequence. Concluding the supplements on the disc is MOLOG interactivity and 1080p trailers for
Saw V, My Bloody Valentine 3-D, The Spirit, The Midnight Meat
Train, Bangkok
Dangerous, Saw III and Saw IV. Finally, disc two of this set contains a
digital copy of the film. Played back on a second generation iPod Touch, the image is average for
digital copy, providing nice colors, decent amount of detail, and noticeable, but not overly
distracting, blocking problems. On the other hand, the audio is far more robust than the average
digital copy, with a nice sense of space and atmosphere across the two channels, not to mention
strong dialogue reproduction.
Saw V is easily the most graphic of them all, but it also maintains a decent story and
palpable tension throughout. The film meshes grisly violence with good characterization and
storytelling that will please the series' dedicated audience but will be lost on newcomers, save for
those only interested in the gore, who will see the story line as nothing but a hindrance between
death scenes. Lionsgate has found a nice niche with the Saw films, combining a level of
violence that borders on necessitating an NC-17 rating with a noble attempt to maintain a
continuous arc throughout all the films. These films continue to make plenty of cash, and until the
revenue stream dies down and Saw apathy sets in, there is no reason to stop making the
films and placating the fans. Lionsgate has done it again, releasing a Blu-ray disc that gives fans
everything they want, and more. The disc sports a quality visual presentation, a fantastic
soundtrack, and a solid supplemental section. Fans of the series will find no reason not to make this
disc a permanent member of their Blu-ray collections.
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