Rated R for sequences of grisly, bloody violence and torture, language and brief nudity.
Directed by David Gordon Green (his first film)
Starring Tobin Bell, Julie Benz, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Mark Rolston, and Carlo Rota
Honestly, at this point, does anyone care about reviews for the Saw films?
Since the death of Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), FBI agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) has been trying to track down his “other” accomplice. With assistant Amanda (Shawnee Smith) also dead, all leads point to Det. Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor). New agency head Dan Erickson (Mark Rolston) isn't so sure, however, and becomes suspicious of Strahm. In the meantime, a new “game” has commenced. Five people—a fire inspector, a building permit bureaucrat, a trust fund baby/drug addict, an investigative journalist, and a property developer—find themselves locked in a life or death struggle to see who can survive, and who will be sacrificed.
If you were hoping Saw V would have any sort of character development, directorial talent, or storyline…let me spare you the time – there is none of the above. Instead, there is 92 minutes of violent deaths and stomach wrenching torture scenes. Saw V is simply put: trash.
The first film was scary, unique and intense. Four films later, it’s stale, overplayed and just plain dumb. I wish I had some good news, but guess what Saw VI is coming to a theater near you…UGH!!
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
I’m going to put in as much effort into answering that question as the filmmakers put into Saw V…No.
Side Note:
As said above, we don’t recommend your kids see this film. But on the occasion that they actually have already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
