Directed by: David Hackl  Starring: Costas Pandylor,Scott Patterson,Tobin Bell,Meagan Good,Laura Gordon,Betty Russell

Rating: 6 Out Of 10

Happy Halloween to all, let’s begin the review of “SAW V”. It’s that time of the year and every Horror fan is ready to enjoy their Saw film. There really isn’t that much i can say about the film without giving away “SPOILERS” so i’ll do my best. This continuation of “SAW IV” tells or fills in the gaps spanning the whole Saw series, we learn why Jigsaw picked Detective Hoffman, and the reason Hoffman decided to help Jigsaw. Along with a few surprizes. Detective Strahm is introduced as a survivor to a trap set by Hoffman, once Hoffman realizes his plan didn’t work to be the hero Detective who saved the daughter In Saw 3. So he sets a trap without anyone knowing it, while the set-up is being played out by Strahm figureing out that Hoffman is an acomplish to Jigsaw’s line of work. The main trap where lives are at danger in this game of death is about 5 people who all are interwined somehow, they don’t know each other but soon secerts begin to be exposed. The people are all stupid except the journalist, but once you introduce a smart guy into a group of idiots, guess what happens?

This game they are in takes place 4 rooms, where in each room they enter 1 is killed leading to a common knowledge ending.  But the reason for the trap is rather pointless, because nothing is explained to the point of caring. The only thing that isn’t answered in the movie is a box given to Jigsaw’s wife, which was handed to her when ‘John’s’ Attorney call’s her in to watch a tape made by him. Soon the rest of the film is a race between Strahm and Hoffman, Strahm wants to tell his fellow officers what Hoffman is up to, while not being recieved very well as he looks at old Jigsaw documents. As Hoffman doesn’t want his cover to be blown while dragging a few more people into a possible new game to be played. Now as a Saw fan i must say i wasn’t very impressed with “Saw V” it’s on the same par as “Saw IV”. There was nothing i was excited about while watching the film, it was dragged out into a Crime-Thriller than what the previous films had to offer. Plus Jigsaw only was shown in flashbacks, only to develop Hoffman’s story as the new ring-leader. The Gore was good, quite good to be exact. The deaths came rather quick and didn’t leave much to be considered shocking, except the pendulum scene at the begining of the film. It was nice to see some new ways of tortureing victims, wheather it be nail bombs, or putting your hand in a saw blade filling a cup with 10 pints of blood to open a door. Also there really wasn’t that much of an ending with the story, it wasn’t shocking nor did it leave you wondering what happened. It’s just a case of listening to the tape play out before you want revenge. With a new Director (David Hackl) i considered he may have wanted to take away the gruesomness of the Saw films and make them more likable, getting a wider audience. There really isn’t a reason to see this unless your an avid “Saw” fan. Fans will enjoy it due to the fact, ‘we wanted answers to questions set in it’s universe,’ although many are still up in the air “Saw V” manages to nonetheless continue this great story. Some will be angry, while others might be intrigued by what this new direction has to offer in future films. Either way i’m stuck in the middle because it didn’t feel like a SAW film.