Category Archives: Films in the Saw series
SAW:A Look Back:Part 7
SAW VII-United States-2010
Directed by Kevin Greutert
Written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan
Starring
Tobin Bell as John Kramer/Jigsaw
Costas Mandylor as Detective Mark Hoffman
Betsy Russell as Jill Tuck
Cary Elwes as Dr. Lawrence Gordon
Sean Patrick Flannery as Bobby Dagen
“And now, the end is near/ I stand and face the final curtain…the record shows/I took the blow/and did it my way.”
Okay, so Frank Sinatra is rolling over in his grave right about now. No disrespect intended to the Chairman of the Board, but this is my way of saying that this is Jigsaw’s world and we just survive in it. Saw VII is in the can and we may now all worship at the feet of one of cinema’s greatest horror villains. Throughout seven films Jigsaw never changed. His mission never wavered. But the most important thing is that his victims, whether they lived or died, always knew where they stood with him. I’m not talking about Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor), no. His days were numbered the minute he laid hands on the one thing that John Kramer loved more than life itself and that was his widow, Jill Tuck. That’s the premise of one half of the storyline composing Saw VII.
The other is that of a man who claims to be a survivor of the Jigsaw traps. After one minute of listening to this windbag one would have to be mentally challenged not to realize he’s full of natural fertilizer. So now this idiot (played quite convincingly by Sean Patrick Flannery) must actually survive a Jigsaw trap in order to save his wife and friends. At this point it would good idea to mention to any moms out there that Saw VII is a good film to show your kids to warn them of the dangers of lying. Once they see one woman get four spikes through her neck, another get her mouth and eyes impaled, a man become well hung and the last woman become the toast of the evening they will never tell a lie as long as they live.
Okay, I was kidding about showing your kids all that gruesome stuff. That was my way of letting you know that they really have cranked up the volume on the intensity of the traps. It’s not as gruesome as some of the other films, it’s just more in your face.
I truly hope that this is not the last we see of Tobin Bell. I have been so impressed by his acting in this series that I feel that it would be a crime for him to fade into oblivion. I said once before that he was the glue that held this series together. I meant it then and I mean it now.
This is supposed to be the final film in the series and if it is then it’s going out with a bang. There are surprises and unlike the last two films in the series I’m not going to spoil it for everyone else. All I can say is that the legacy of one John Kramer is fiendishly intact.
SAW:A Look Back:Part 6
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SAW VI-United States-2009
Directed by Kevin Greutert
Written by Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton
Starring
Tobin Bell as John Kramer/Jigsaw
Costas Mandylor as Mark Hoffman
Mark Rolston as Dan Erickson
Shawnee Smith as Amanda Young
The end is near. The legacy of John Kramer aka Jigsaw is coming to a close. There was blood, as he promised. His work continued after his demise, again another promise. We are closer to learning the identities of all the players in the game. Saw VI is the penultimate chapter in the series.
The main thing that I can say about the film is that it is a large improvement over the fiasco that was Saw V. I felt like all that film did was tread water and bore the living hell out of me. Saw VI is a different film altogether. It not only works as a stand alone film, but also as a moving forward point in this horror soap opera. The story is a coherent one that reveals to us that Jill Tuck aka Mrs. John Kramer is not as innocent as we first believed. Turns out she knows how to play the game, too.
Of course there is also the matter of the poor soul who must make the choice of whether some other poor soul lives or dies or vice versa. This time it’s the people who were involved in Kramer’s insurance policy being canceled. I don’t know about you, but I can imagine that some insurance agents can be as slimy as a snail crawling through KY jelly. So I can also imagine that a lot of people might have been cheering for the Jigsaw killer a bit more than they should have in this one.
The acting is even better in this one. Tobin “Call me the flashback king” Bell still gives the best performance. But this time out good old Costas “I have one facial expression and that’s all you get” Mandylor actually manages to turn in a good performance as well. Betsy Russell is also good in the role of Jill Tuck. She has made a believable transition from innocent bystander to that of a woman scorned. I am definitely interested in seeing what role she plays in the final film. Judging from the end of VI it looks like she was ready to take up the Jigsaw identity.
Again, as I have said before, this is not a perfect horror film. It takes a few baby steps in the logic department. But for the most part this film is one of the best in the series.
SAW:A Look Back:Part 5
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SAW V-United States-2008
Directed by David Hackl
Written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan
Starring
Tobin Bell as Jigsaw/John Kramer
Costas Mandylor as Mark Hoffman
Scott Patterson as Agent Strahm
Betsy Russell as Jill
Julie Benz as Brit
Okay, so this is supposed to be the Saw where we find out a little bit more than the last Saw about what makes the dear departed Jigsaw tick. We know that Detective Hoffman is an accomplice and in this film we find out it’s because some scumbag named Seth killed her in a domestic dispute. Before I go any further let me just say one thing: There may or may not be spoilers in this review. The film was released in 2008 so I think everybody has had ample time to see it.
Alright, now that’s off my chest I will now say this; Saw V is the worst film in the Saw series. It’s got all the stuff the other films in the series had. Wicked traps, people who are put into those traps because they didn’t cherish their lives, flashback, etc. What it doesn’t have is any excitement. I mean, when you sit and watch a film and you’re watching some guy on a table auditioning for the Jigsaw Playhouse production of the Pit and the Pendulum and you start putting words in the poor jerks mouth then you know that you are already freaking bored.
Also, again, where in the hell does Jigsaw or his little helper get these dumb asses that they put through this stuff. I knew throughout their ordeal that if they had all worked together that they had a chance of surviving with minimal injury. Did they think of that? Of course not.
As for the acting I will say it again and that is that Tobin Bell is still the go to guy for this series. I become more and more impressed by his acting each time he is on-screen. He is and will always be the glue that holds this series together. It sure isn’t Costas Mandylor. The guy has one facial expression for just about every scene. The only other person in the film who has any acting ability to brag about is Julie Benz. Her talent stems from the fact that she was a co-star on one of the best dramas on TV and that would of course be Dexter. You don’t co-star for four seasons on a show of that caliber and not learn something.
I went into this film with eyes wide open. I wanted so much to like it. I’m sorry, I can’t do it. Here’s hoping Saw VI is a far better effort.
SAW:A Look Back: Part 4
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SAW IV-United States-2007
Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman
Story by Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Thomas H. Fenton
Screenplay by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan
Starring
Tobin Bell as John Kramer/Jigsaw
Costas Mandylor as Lt. Mark Hoffman
Scott Patterson as Agent Peter Strahm
Betsy Russell as Jill Tuck
Lyriq Bent as Lt. Daniel Rigg
So, now we have Saw IV. Jigsaw is dead, his throat slashed open in the final moments of Saw III. Game over, right? Think again. This guy may be dead, but he wins the resiliency award of the decade. I have to say that Jigsaw is one of the few characters that I can think of offhand who dies in one film but can still get top billing for the films that follow it.
Anyways, I’m getting off the subject. Jigsaw is dead. Amanda Young is dead. Yet somehow, someway somebody is carrying on the legacy of building the sickest and most twisted playground equipment this side of a hostel in Bratislava.
The one cool thing that I liked about Saw IV was the way it gave us a little more insight into the mind of John Kramer aka He Who Would Become the Screwed Up Mess known as Jigsaw. The flashbacks clearly show that even though Mr. Kramer wasn’t the most handsome fella, he wasn’t off his rocker yet either. There are events in the mans life that led him to become the serial killer we all know and love. There’s stuff involving his wife, the clinic where she works as a doctor and the people who frequent the place. All of this plays into the evolution of Jigsaw.
Now for the bad news. Saw IV is not a perfect horror film. First of all, let’s go over the traps. In the previous films we find out that Jigsaw was an engineer before he became a wacko serial killer. He had the brains to know how to build the traps that he sprung on people. Shoot, after that most of the people in the films don’t have the brains not to go through an unsecured door much less design and build an elaborate torture device.
Now on to the acting. It’s not going to win any awards. I mean, Tobin Bell still gives the best performance and all his is done as a flashback. It’s pretty sad whenever the guy in the flashbacks gives a better performance than the ones that are supposed to be in the present time. Costas Mandylor hasn’t been in anything of significance since Picket Fences and that show ended in 1996. All the casting director had to do was call him and say “Hey, Cost, I got a part for you in the next Saw film. Now the other films have made a shit–hello? Hello? Costas?” Next thing they know there’s a knock at their door and it’s guess who? Yep. Good old Costas.
So, on the one hand we have a Saw that has great flashback sequences and a very good performance from Tobin Bell. On the other hand we have a Saw that expects us to suspend our disbelief that anybody could design those wonderful toys and some pretty bad performances from the rest of the cast. I guess it kinda evens out.
SAW:A Look Back:Part 3
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SAW III-United States-2006
Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman
Story by James Wan and Leigh Whannell
Screenplay by Leigh Whannell
Starring
Tobin Bell as John Kramer/Jigsaw
Shawnee Smith as Amanda
Angus McFadyen as Jeff
Bahar Soomekh as Lynn
Donnie Wahlberg as Eric Matthews
Dina Meyer as Kerry
So it is now 2006 and time yet again for another installment of the Saw franchise. Again the formula is followed. A person or persons is put through a grueling and painful test in order to survive or to allow someone else to survive. This time that test is for two people. One is a doctor, a surgeon. Her task is to keep John Kramer. aka Jigsaw, alive. If she fails then the collar around her neck will detonate, or more to the point, go off. Boom, no more doctor. Subtlety is definitely not one of Jigsaw’s stronger character traits.
The other is a man who has lived in anger for the past three years. He is angry at those he feels are responsible for the hit and run death of his eight year old son. He is given a choice as he encounters each of those whom he feels wronged him. He can forgive them and save them or else he can condemn them. The choice is his.
The first Saw is still the measuring stick by which all the other films in the series are graded. However, this installment comes the closest of any film in the series to the quality of the first film. That lies mainly on the fact that it not only answered a lot of questions about past events, but it also raised more questions about things that may or may not happen.
This is Darren Lynn Bousmans second turn behind the camera for the series and he appears to have become comfortable and more sure of himself. In the second film his direction was a bit heavy-handed as if he were not quite sure of himself. I can assure you that is not the case here.
Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith reprise their roles of Jigsaw and Amanda. In Saw II, it was Bell who stole the show with his riveting performance. In Saw III it is Smith’s turn to shine. Her character is full of rage and hatred and Smith portrays that very well. Her performance isn’t perfect, but it is memorable.
By and large Saw III was still a step down from the original film. However, it is a definite step above Saw II. It’s not the best film in the series, but it’s certainly not the worst. The worst, as they say, is yet to come.
1/2
SAW:A Look Back:Part 2
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The second of a seven-part series focusing on the Saw films.
SAW II-United States-2005
Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman
Written by Leigh Whannell and Darren Lynn Bousman
Starring
Tobin Bell as Jigsaw/John Kramer’
Donnie Wahlberg as Eric Matthews
Erik Knudsen as Daniel Matthews
Beverly Mitchell as Laura Hunter
A man is trapped in a room. On his head is a device that is a cross between a Venus fly-trap and an iron maiden. He has sixty seconds to find the key and remove the device before it snaps shut, killing him. Time is running out, tick tock, tick tock.
So the players are in place and the stage is set once more. It is now 2005 and again we hear those ominous and now somewhat frightening words.
“I want to play a game.”
The original Saw involved two men trapped in a room together. In order to escape, they had to make a sacrifice. In Saw II, there are now eight people trapped in a house together. They are exposed to a deadly gas and are slowly dying. They have three hours before the front door of the house opens and they are free. There is a catch. They only have two hours to live before the gas breaks them down and they bleed “from every orifice”. They are given clues and even warnings, but there is still violent death. Death by gunshot. Death by fire. Death by another’s hand. To quote Jigsaw; “Oh yes, there will be blood.”
Jigsaw was a cruel God and his victims (test subjects) helpless sinners in the first Saw. In this installment, he is a cruel and calculating Shakespeare and his victims are his players. His audience is Detective Matthews, whom all he requires from is his time. All the people involved have something in common that will help them escape their fates. But time is running out.
Saw II picked up not where the original Saw left off, but later in the game. Victims from the first film are long dead. New characters are brought to the forefront, and the first of the Jigsaw ‘Acolytes’ is introduced. This is where Saw stopped being a film series and began being a franchise. Whether that is a good thing or not would have to be answered in the films that remained.
The film is not without its merits. Donnie Wahlberg does a good job in his role, even if he is playing your stereotypical disheveled and divorced cop. Shawnee Smith reprises her role as Amanda and is effective in her role. But it is Tobin Bell who is the scene stealer in this film. Even when he is sitting still his presence is a commanding one. When he speaks, we are compelled to listen, even if Detective Matthews is not. Without his excellent performance this film would have been nowhere near as successful.
Saw II is a good film. It’s not as good a film as the first, but it does show us that the creators still had a few tricks up their sleeves.
SAW: A Look Back: Part 1
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I bought the final Saw film on January 26, 2011. I was all prepared to watch it and review it for my blog. Instead, I decided to take a different approach and take a look back at the other six films in the series. So I will be posting what will amount to a seven part series on the films that, for better or for worse, have been a major part of the horror genre since 2004.
So, without further adieu we begin with the film that introduced a new horror icon to the public eye. He didn’t chop them up with a machete like Jason, or slash them with razor claws like Freddy. In fact, he never laid a hand on his victims. He let them do all the work. He is Jigsaw.
SAW-United States-2004
Directed by James Wan
Written by James Wan and Leigh Whannell
Starring
Leigh Whannell as Adam Faulkner-Stanheight
Cary Elwes as Dr. Lawrence Gordon
Danny Glover as Detective David Tapp
Shawnee Smith as Amanda
and Tobin Bell as John Kramer
What is your life worth to you? Do you cherish it or do you waste it? Do you live life unselfishly or are you an egotist? If your life were in danger and you were given the choice of kill or be killed, what would you do? Is your life more important than someone else’s life? These are the questions that shape the premise of Saw; a film that introduced a new and altogether different horror icon to the public.
Jigsaw is a different breed of horror villain. A villain who never lays a hand on his victims but instead gives them a task in the form of escaping elaborate and deadly traps. Escape and you live. If not, you die, and violently. A man is given 2 hours to crawl through a path of razor wire. Another man is covered with a flammable substance and given a candle in a dark room so that he may find the combination to a safe amongst the hundreds of numbers painted all over the walls. A woman must remove a key from her dead cellmates stomach in order to escape a trap that if sprung will rip her jaw apart. Two men are chained to pipes in a nasty abandoned restroom. Their task. One man must kill the other man to win his freedom and save his family. Jigsaw may never lay a hand on his victims, but his cruel intelligence and meticulous planning of each and every trap is far worse than anything Jason or Freddy could ever hope to achieve. Those two don’t give their victims a choice. They just kill, period. In making us choose our fates and the opportunity to change them Jigsaw is a sadistic God and his victims the helpless and hopeless sinners. Saw is a masterpiece of a horror film that stays with you long after you leave the theater or eject it from your DVD player.
