Saw V (Exclusive Mini Review Series)

Saw V (Exclusive Series)

Initial release date: October 24, 2008

Tagline: You won’t believe how it ends.

Plot: As the apparently last disciple and heir apparent of Jigsaw, Hoffman goes on the hunt to protect his secret. Using a series of increasingly bizarre and grisly traps, Hoffman eliminates his enemies one by one to protect his Jigsaw legacy.

Cast

Tobin Bell - Jigsaw/John

Costas Mandylor - Mark Hoffman

Scott Patterson - Agent Strahm

Betsy Russell - Jill

Julie Benz - Brit

Meagan Good - Luba

Mark Rolston - Dan Erickson

Carlos Rota - Charles

Greg Bryk - Mallick

Laura Gordon - Ashley

Joris Jarsky - Seth

Mike Realba - Detective Fisk

Samantha Lemole - Pamela Jenkins

Writers: Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunston

Director: David Hackl

Rated R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, language and brief nudity (92 min)

Continuing on with re-watching the ‘Saw’ series, I just recently took another look at the fifth installment of the ever-growing horror franchise. And, the slight decline of the series begins with ‘Saw V.’

One of the interesting highlights of this sequel involves the lead agent (Strahm) who is trying to catch the latest accomplice in the act (the recently promoted Detective Hoffman). The fifth movie also shows how long Hoffman has been working with Jigsaw and how he became working with him.

There are quite a few moments during the movie that are really, really predictable. Usually when a horror franchise continues just as long as ‘Saw’ or any other horror series, it generally begins to lose some steam half-way through the series. A few things sort of don’t make a lot of sense and left a few things unanswered.

So, overall, ‘Saw V’ is an okay sequel. The “twist” at the end isn’t exactly a mind-blowing twist, but it sort of attempts to close the storyline between Hoffman and Strahm.

Here are some interesting tidbits about ‘Saw V’:

• Danny Glover was offered a chance to reprise his role in a flashback. He had to decline because of shooting conflicts with the 2008 movie ‘Blindness.’

• The trap at the beginning was inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe short story ‘The Pit and the Pendulum.’

• When director David Hackl screened the movie for composer Charlie Clouser, the musician had to turn his back to the footage of the final ordeal for the last two victims, as he couldn’t stomach what he was seeing.

• The footage of the actors caught in the latest series of traps were all shot in sequential order.

• The first sequel in the ‘Saw’ franchise did not open in first place on opening weekend at the box office.

• The first movie in the series where a character doesn’t say “game over” at the climax.

• The first trailer, depicting Agent Strahm’s box trap, was released at Comic Coon 2008 as a short clip and the trailer was also shown before ‘The X-Files: I Want To Believe.’

• In its opening weekend, ‘Saw V’ grossed $30,053,954 in 3,060 theaters in the US and Canada, ranking No. 2 at the box office, behind ‘High School Musical 3.’ This was the second movie in the series to not be No. 1 at the box office, the first was the first movie.