THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
In the 2000s, the Saw franchise was like the MCU whereas you're either catching up with the story, or you'll behind if you don't. It didn't end with the fifth film, but it definitely kept things interested.
PLOT
Saw V takes place immediately after the end of the fourth film. Detective Mark Hoffman, the secret Jigsaw accomplice, leaves Special Agent Peter Strahm for dead by locking him inside Gideon Meatpacking Plant, along with entrapping his head in a sealed box filled with water. Strahm thinks fast by performing a tracheotomy with his pen, surviving the trap. This surprises Hoffman when the medics retrieve him just as he comes out delivering Corbett, the abducted daughter of the Denlons, because he was supposed to be the hero of the story. The public remains unaware of what he did after being promoted as Detective Lieutenant. After a press conference, he is found a note in his office saying "I Know Who You Are". He then decides to take Strahm's phone from the evidence room. When Strahm finds out about the alleged death of his partner Perez, he remembers that her last words were 'Detective Hoffman'. He wants to continue investigating the Jigsaw case, but his superior Special Agent Dan Erickson (Mark Rolston) informs him that he is off the case. With John Kramer deceased, his ex wife Jill Tuck (Betsy Russell) is given a black box left for her in the case of his death. At night, Hoffman goes to an underground facility and starts a new game with five new victims: Ashley (Laura Gordon), Brit (Julie Benz), Charles (Carlo Rota), Luba (Meagan Good) and Mallick (Greg Byrk). They all wake up with collars on their necks, connected to a cable that is mounted on the wall. A Jigsaw video plays, revealing that they have only one minute to reach to their keys contained in separate glass boxes. All but Ashley reach for their keys in time. When she fails, her head gets decapitated as the collars retract back to the wall. Upon entering the second room, they see explosives with a timer. They must get matching keys to matching locks of bomb shelters within the walls, before the bomb goes off. Charles attacks Mallick when trying to get one first, but Luba attacks him from behind, giving Mallick a chance to get a key. Charles dies in the explosion as the others hide safely. In the third room, they admit their connection to each other. Mallick recalls responsible for the death of eight people, for which he did not mean to happen. Luba admits to taking bribes during her work for the Department of City Planning, in exchange for granting building permissions. Brit reveals that she is a VP of a real estate company that tears down old buildings to make new ones, causing people to lose their living spaces. Their next level involves them connecting five metal cords to a bathtub full of water. If they can close the circuits before the timer goes off, they can move on. Believing someone has to die, Luba gets killed by Brit and her body is used to close the circuits. In the final room, there is a machine with five holes, each with a circular saw blade. They need to donate ten pints of blood to open the door that'll free them within 15 minutes. Before going on, Brit and Mallick realize that the others were supposed to live. They also figure out the rest of their reasoning being tested: Ashley was a fire inspector that falsified an accident report to cover up an arson. Mallick burned down the building that killed eight people, in exchange for heroin. Brit bribed Luba for the building permit and Charles was investigating journalist that held back on reporting the truth of the fire. No choice at this point, Brit and Mallick give up five pints each, which sacrifices an arm each. As the game was happening, Strahm goes rogue by moving forward with his own investigation. He goes to Hoffman's office and looks at his files to find clues, a connection to prove his involvement with Kramer. He does find one involving Seth Baxter (Joris Jarsky), his sister's murderer who died from a Jigsaw trip some time before the game with the Denlons occurred. When seeing the original crime scene, he realizes that the trap was designed unfairly, not giving a chance of survival. This answers his question that Hoffman is the killer. We see a flashback when Hoffman first met Kramer. Originally, he was upset at how he didn't follow his methods. He does blackmail him with the truth of Seth's death. In exchange, Hoffman helped him created traps for other victims, including the primary game of the second film. As Strahm figures out the whole truth, Hoffman throws suspicion on him. He sends Jill to tell Erickson that she fears of being followed by him. He also calls his superior with Strahm's stolen phone, only to hang up and turn it off immediately. When the phone gets traced, it is located at the hideout where Hoffman planted it. Strahm did follow Hoffman to the place which happens to be the same nerve gas house from the second film. Erickson does arrive afterwards and he finds Brit & Mallick still breathing after the blood they lost. After finding Strahm's phone, along with files of the victims and himself, he puts an APB on him. When Strahm finds a tunnel, he reaches a room with a glass coffin. Hoffman does confront him but the protagonist defends himself, being able to put his foe in the coffin. Only that was the point for the antagonist because as the coffin is lowered into the hollow space of the floor, the walls close in and the film ends with Strahm being crushed to his death, unable to escape.
THOUGHTS
I really want to enjoy this film in a similar form as I have with the first three. But sadly, I gotta admit that this one is just as okay as the one before it. I can admit that there are stuff that do work, but some things don't pay off as well. The 10 Pints scene was indeed brutal, but that was honestly the only one that hits that level, while the ones before aren't as violent as they hype up to be. Considering that this franchise created torture porn, it feels weird that this outing held back. Rather than sticking with the main theme to appreciate life, it changes up to showing us that Evil is not always in singular action, because more than one hand can be involved. As the group here were somehow responsible with the fire, the ones remaining realize that they deserve the punishment that came their way. Seeing how they accept their fate, we're being shown that while people can be forgiven for crimes, that doesn't mean they can't be punished. I'm still invested at this point because of how the main characters are able to carry this sequel. I dug Scott Patterson much more this time around compared to his first outing. Here, Strahm's recent experiences, he is able to express empathy while becoming more eager to make things right. Considering that he did go great lengths to do so, it is a shame that he couldn't get the upper hand. That is because he got outsmarted by his adversary. Costas Mandylor provides his best take on Hoffman. It is here where he understand how his loss made him vengeful, but his time under Kramer's wing made him more remorseless and psychotic compared to Amanda. I'll never get over his scene with Tobin Bell as it comes to show how different they are: Hoffman does it out of rage while his predecessor wants to find reinvention in everyone. Despite appearing as undeserving of a protege, that doesn't mean he wasn't smart. The way he played Strahm at the end was the most clever twist I've ever seen since the first film and I wish the franchise got more creative after this. I repeat myself by saying that this film is only okay because there were a lot of stuff that cause a decline in quality. First off, how did the authorities not pull up at his lawyer's office immediately, like before Jill did? He's Jigsaw, so they should've been involved with his final wishes just incase she'd walk into a trap. Hell, they would've confiscated the black box and Jill wouldn't do what she does in the sixth film. I can never why Strahm's phone got confiscated in the first place. It does benefit Hoffman for setting up the suspicion, but he should've gotten it back when he checked out of the hospital. He also could've found it in the office if Hoffman hadn't taken it. He wasn't a suspect, so it doesn't make sense to take it other than dusting it for prints. It's even weirder that we find out Perez died because blood was on the sheets in the hospital room Strahm visits. Why did we need that visual confirmation? That doesn't make sense because if a patient left blood and got moved whether or not they died, that would've gotten cleaned up immediately. You want to talk about dialogue? Think about Luba asking Ashley 'What did you do to me?' I cringe on seeing someone question another who is in the same predicament. I know it's a theme in this series for a victim to be dumb, but they shouldn't be this dumb. I mean Charles didn't even try to jump into the bomb shelter and it made me care less of him before the reveal of him later on. And why is the barbed wire trap still intact? That should've been destroyed when authorities first discovered it. The point is that one scene was the most forced nostalgic moment to ever beheld. I want to respect their attempt of continuity by showing off Lawrence Gordon's pen, but they still don't explain how Kramer got it anyway. If he snatched it in the hospital, we should've been told that in the first film. And lastly, I know Erickson has doubts that Strahm might be the new Jigsaw, but it is not smart of him to go alone. If you're going after Jigsaw, you should be bringing back up like Eric Matthews did. However, there is a slight possibility that you'll still find satisfaction of this film if you ignore my said flaws. In short, Director David Hackl provided a sequel that is in the middle where it has a lot of bad, but a fair amount of good to remain invested throughout. So if you're still in with Saw at this point, good luck with this one.
ความคิดเห็น