Saw V (2008)

 

Saw V picks up right around where Saw IV ends.  We follow Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) as he finds a micro-cassette player where Jigsaw gives him an offer to play a game.  But he says "F*ck you!', and continues on.  He is attacked by someone in the pig mask and put into a trap anyway.  Outside, Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) brings Jeff's daughter (from the third film) to safety and says they are the only survivors.  But hold on, what's this, to Hoffman's surprise there is one more survivor.  Strahm is alive as well.  Afterwards Hoffman is promoted and declared a hero taking credit for solving the Jigsaw murders.  Still in the hospital recovering, Strahm is told he is off the case.  Hoffman receives a note that reads "I know who you are".  Strahm suspects something is off with Hoffman and rightfully so as Hoffman has taken over the traps and the games of Jigsaw.  Besides Mandylor and Patterson, Tobin Bell is back as John Kramer as well as Betsy Russell as Jill Tuck, John's ex-wife.  The new "game" that has been set up features five people who must work together to survive and escape.

 

 

Among the five people are Julie Benz (Dexter and Jawbreaker) as Brit, Meagan Good (Shazam and D.E.B.S.) as Luba, Carlo Rota (Me Time and Brick Mansions) as Charles, and Greg Bryk (Ad Astra and My Spy) as Mallick.  The five are warned that the way out of the traps is to do the opposite of what their instincts tell them to do.  Meanwhile as Strahm is figuring out that Hoffman is a second Jigsaw apprentice we see a flashback to when Kramer held Hoffman captive and began to groom him.  Hoffman is also shown to be the person behind the first trap (which featured a man strapped to a table with a pendulum swinging above him) seen at the very beginning of the film.  Hoffman made the trap look like a Jigsaw trap to cover up his trail but once again the trap was made with no chance of escape and Kramer finds that distasteful.  Kramer builds a legacy that he then shows Hoffman how to carry it forward long after John's death.

 

 

 

 

 Saw V was directed by David Hackl (Into the Grizzly Maze and Dangerous) making his directorial debut.  Taking care of the writing duties this time is the same pair as Saw IV; Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan.  Once again the series takes a step back.  I previously said Saw IV was the lowest graded Saw film when I graded that as two and a half, well not any more.  This one definitely misses the mark.  The story is not bad it's just there is so much of it and we loose the parts that make a Saw film great.  The traps and the games.  We see many of the traps from the previous films being set up in order to show us that Hoffman has been involved and working with Jigsaw even before the first film.  Man, this is disappointing as we see the series continue when it should have been left alone.  Especially is this is the best you can do as it deserves better than this.  Also, if you haven't seen any of the previous films there is certainly no jumping on here and you will definitely be lost.  You need some Saw knowledge to even attempt to watch this one.  Very disappointing and I can only give Saw V two tracheotomies out of five.  Will I move on to part six?  If I'm planning on seeing Saw X I guess I should.  See what I put myself through?