Saw V (2008) review

Saw V is regarded as the worst of the entire franchise, but I disagree with this belief...whilst not perfect, I consider Saw V to be a very underrated entry in the series...let's explore why.....shall we??


First major strength is the performance by Scott Patterson, the development with him in the film is great stuff...we start with him escaping a execution trap and a pay off to a very small scene from Saw IV featuring him flicking a pen.

This was a cool direction to go in, having a character who isn't so easy to get rid off and will stop at nothing to catch the Jigsaw Killer.

The cinematography in the film is incredible, I love how to the Head Cube trap is introduced. It starts with a small light box in the centre of the screen, then it zooms in on Strahm's head trapped...then it slowly pans out again, this time lights flash on revealing the small scale of the trap. It's great stuff.

I'm sad to admit that parts of this movie are a bit underwhelming, I believe this movie was affected by the writers strike as Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan wrote it within only a few weeks...however compared to that abysmal "Hellraiser: Revelations" they at least made a very watchable story in the short time.

Also watching behind the scenes for the traps, they mention "oh we had this in the mind for Saw IV" a lot.

You see, everything with Strahm going off the books to catch Hoffman and find out his involvement is great stuff, but the side story with the 5 people going through various rooms is an interesting idea but it save for the final one (seriously, one of the most brutal practical effects of the entire series) none of the traps are that interesting or engaging....I did crack up laughing when one character's final words were simply "wait!"

The version of the theme song in the movie entitled "Zepp Five" made my heart race the first time I heard it, easily my favourite version of the theme very closely followed by Zepp Eight.

In conclusion,

Saw V isn't really a movie you need my word on to decide if you want to see it...if you're a fan of the series...you've probably all ready seen it...if you like horror films with lots of blood n gore...you will probably seek it out.

If you're neither....well this won't convince you, however I do not feel Saw V deserves the hate it gets...cause despite some shortcomings...this movie did a lot of really awesome stuff.

Southern Comfort (1981) review

Southern Comfort is a criminally underrated gem of a film, it's a movie I really wish people talked about more.

Southern Comfort follows a squad of National Guardsmen as they head into the Louisiana Swamps for a weekend exercise, however stuff goes wrong when one of the Guardsmen decides to play a prank on the locals living there and soon sparks a war between the two sides.

Southern Comfort takes place in 1973 and is often viewed as an allegory for the Vietnam War, however director Walter Hill denies this connection and told the cast and crew "I don't want to hear anymore about it"

I really liked the way the characters were written, there is a lot of depth to them and you will be questioning their every move and motive. Some of them are flawed but still seem like decent guys whist others are total psychopaths and soon they start fighting amongst themselves and it's all very intense to watch. Especially when one of the other guys nearly gets a bunch of them killed....then stops talking to anyone, leaving the squad confused on how to deal with him.

The movie is stunning to look at, I watched it on a budget DVD but I can imagine the movie looks gorgeous on a Blu-Ray. The film crew went through hell to film this thing and they did it all on location in Caddo Lake, Louisiana,

Ry Cooder's soundtrack is also gorgeous, it's one of those soundtracks that I will just listen to randomly whenever I'm doing a task to relax...it's great stuff.

I've heard about an ANTI-US Iran version in which it's said they guys in the movies have committed crimes in the Vietnam War so they've been sent into the swamps with only blank rounds to fight some angry hostiles but they don't know it. Also the ending was altered slightly.....weird

Southern Comfort is an outstanding film, it has a great cast, beautiful cinematography, a compelling story and an amazing soundtrack. Go see it