Saw V: A Review

Saw V begins with yet another seemingly victim, Seth, in a trap which looks to be another one of Jigsaw’s tests. This test, however, unlike the others is not winnable. The movie continues where Saw IV left off, with Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) finding the lifeless bodies of Jonathan Kramer, a.k.a. “Jigsaw” (Tobin Bell), his recruit Amanda (Shawnee Smith), and other victims from Saw III. The door is then closed and locked, and has only one way out. His warning is not to continue, but curiosity leads him to be rendered unconscious by the infamous pig masked figure, and awaken with his head in a sealed box filling quickly with water. Running out of air, he gives himself a tracheotomy with a ballpoint pen tube found in his pocket. Agent Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) is portrayed to the world as a hero for “saving” a little girl, but is surprised to see Strahm found and alive on a gurney.

The story proceeds to Strahm left wondering why his partner who was just murdered, muttered in her last breaths Agent Hoffman’s name, and questioning why and how he was left alive. He stumbles upon an article about Hoffman’s sister being murdered by the first victim in the movie, Seth. So begins Strahm’s secret investigation to expose Hoffman’s connection to the Jigsaw murders, all the while 5 new faces are now thrown into the game. Somehow connected, they are told to work together to get out of the traps, but it’s not until the end that they realize how they’re connected and why they’re being tested.

Strahm continues searching for answers by going to the sites where the Jigsaw travesties occurred, and replays the scenarios until he links Hoffman as the other apprentice to Jigsaw. In tracking Hoffman down and attempting to reveal his twisted plans, all events are linked and Strahm is forced to make his last decision- does he want to live, or die?

Saw V simply put is a little less gore with a lot more answers. I would recommend this movie to anyone who has seen the first four and would like a little clarification.