Saw V 

In this latest chapter of the Saw series we discover the way The Saw Games are set up, who the players are, the history and backgrounds of The Players, and reasoning and justifications why they are carried out.  Though Jigsaw died in Saw III, his legacy and physical manipulations of people’s souls continue through flashbacks and a new and unlikely protégé.  Will five new linked people be able to survive or will they crack under the pressure?  

This recent peak into the twisted life of horrors is primarily for fans of the Saw series and delivers exactly what you pay to see; a man slowly chopped in half by a swinging pendulum while chained to a table as the opening scene.  Rest assured, you will not necessarily need to have seen Saw IV of this series to follow the storyline and it backtracks to the end of Saw III where Jigsaw had died.  However, you will see things that, at the time, you did not know were going on offscreen and wraps up story lines from previous movies.  It is amazing to see all of this and will make you excited to wonder what other side stories were going on in this installment that could be explained later.  You would think that the series would have been over, but Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) has plans, Games, and an itinerary of things left to do.   

One of the least likely people to become a protégé for Jigsaw would be a forensics expert Mark Hoffman (Costas Manylor).  Assigned to the Jigsaw Murders he has intricate knowledge, power, and an intimacy with this mastermind.  Through Jigsaw Mark is “saved” or “reborn” after trying to drink himself to death following the senseless murder of his sister by her own boyfriend (Seth played by Joris Jarsky).  As you watch this movie you will see the intricate and almost insane methodology used by these two to create the scenarios and the reasoning behind them and their victims.  From primo vantage points at their Games you will be able to relive previous scenes over again with a whole new appreciation.  One thing Jigsaw instills into Mark (that was lost on Amanda (Shawnee Smith) is that he’s not there to kill anyone, but if you follow The Rules and listen to what is said, you will be able to escape and be rehabilitated.   

In this installment you find five unlikely linked people trapped and participating in a Game that will test their endurance both mentally and physically.  What links them and what are the keys to their success?  Obviously, the thing that makes this movie is the gruesome and gasp-worthy challenges.  Whether it is the five Players or Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) all do not know how to listen to The Rules and eventually pay consequences.  The two things that left a bad taste in my mouth was the fact that it wasn’t exactly clear how all five Players were connected and what exactly was left to Jigsaw’s widow.  In an amazingly dramatic scene, Jill Kramer (Betsy Russell) received a sealed chest (to which she had the key on a necklace) only to peak inside, close it, and walk away.  She only turns up at the end to say that  Agent Strahm was stalking her but that’s where it all ends.  There is a gaping hole left with her character and hopefully it will be explained in the next movie.   

For all the grizzly tasks and mental tests endured by The Players, Saw V is amazing.  Previous storylines and loose ends are tied up nice and neatly and tracks are covered by the new Game Master Mark Hoffman leading up for a new story line and direction.  Hopefully, the series will continue and we will all be there with clenched limbs and racing hearts screaming for The Players to actually win.  Let the games begin!