Picking up from where Saw IV"" left off, ""Saw V"" continues the exploration of serial killer Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) and his recently revealed sidekick Detective Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) while adding the new chaos of two separate plotlines to the mix. Special Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson, ""Gilmore Girls"") discovers that Hoffman was an accomplice in a great deal of the Jigsaw murders and unintentionally involves himself in a ""game"" of his own. Meanwhile, Jigsaw and Hoffman subject five people, led by Brit (Julie Benz, ""Dexter""), to a series of terrible tests.
""Saw V"" takes on a new direction under David Hackl (previously the production designer for ""Saw II"" through ""Saw IV""), unlike the past three installments directed by Darren Lynn Bousman.
Knowledge of the film's predecessors is essential for ""Saw V."" There are no clear-cut explanations of new connections. Instead, the film relies on constant flashbacks to previous installments to make these connections clearer. Although this is a more refreshing approach than the annoyingly obvious dialogue usually found in horror movies, the constant leaps between plotlines can potentially be quite confusing for newcomers to the ""Saw"" franchise.
New development to characters who have been present in multiple films, including Jigsaw's ex-wife Jill (Betsy Russell) provide intrigue, but not enough to draw audiences to any particular character. It is not especially disappointing - or surprising, for that matter - when any given character faces their death.
There has been a definite lack of character development throughout the past few ""Saw"" installments. Although the films are generally well developed, they are just too blasé to root for.
Seekers of gore and violence will most certainly not be disappointed. Nearly every scene is laden with the possibility of excessive carnage. One trap forces the victim to choose between having the bones in his hands crushed to a fine powder and having a bladed pendulum slice him in half, while another trap tries to entice its victim to get into a case filled with shards of glass. Even the most avid horror-film watcher may want to turn their heads as the sound effects accentuate the breaking of bones and oozing of blood.
Some viewers may be misled by the tagline, ""You won't believe how it ends."" This might lead one to believe that this will be the last film in the ""Saw"" franchise and that all loose ends from previous installments will be resolved, but this is not the case. Although some interesting developments open new doors from past films and provide a few predictable twists, the majority of the plot contains more questions than answers. Even after his death, Jigsaw merely adds more pieces to the twisted puzzle.
