Film Reviews

Saw V

• Rating:
• Director: David Hackl.
• Starring: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Meagan Good.
• Details: US / 85mins (16).

Say what you want about torture porn fans, they're a loyal bunch who will sit through any old thing no matter how shit it is. And that's what Saw V is - shit, and shit of the lowest order. As a general rule, the fifth movie in any franchise stinks and this one is no different. The opening credits tell us that this is 'A film by David Hackl' which doesn't signal a knowing, tongue-in-cheek comedy-horror - much to my disappointment, but not to those who half-filled the theatre at the 11.20am screening on the first day of its release. With killer Jigsaw (Bell, a decent actor who deserves better roles than this) dead two movies ago, it's left to accomplice Hoffman (Mandylor) to contrive torture devices that will put 5 unsuspecting victims through hell, while Agent Strahm (Patterson) works overtime to catch the killer. With appalling plotting, awful acting, shoddy lines delivered by badly-drawn characters and inferior direction, Saw V is an abysmal excuse for a movie - even for a torture porn movie. For fans of the series, the good news is that Saw VI is due in cinemas next year.

Review by Gavin Burke