It's questionable who suffers more in this torture porn sequel - the victims or the audience. But glib lines aside, there is no point in continuing the franchise unless the filmmakers can up the ante in the gruesome/anguish/torture stakes
Saw V (2008)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:62
Fresh:9
Rotten:53
Average Rating:3/10
Consensus: If its plot were as interesting as its torture devices, or its violence less painful than its performances, perhaps Saw V might not feel like it was running on fumes.
Australian Rating: MA15+ [See Full Rating] Strong violence; blood and gore
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Australian Theatrical Release:
Oct 23, 2008 Wide
US Box Office: $56,729,973
Synopsis: Continuing on with its story despite the death of namesake killer Jigsaw in the third installment, SAW V concerns itself with detailing who will carry on with his bloody work. Director David Hackl,... Continuing on with its story despite the death of namesake killer Jigsaw in the third installment, SAW V concerns itself with detailing who will carry on with his bloody work. Director David Hackl, the production designer on the previous three films, retains their familiar charnel house look. Though there are fewer grisly death sequences, faithful viewers will enjoy the creative plot twists. The film opens with a man strapped to a table above a pendulum. As the sharp blade begins swinging over his stomach, he has only a minute to stop it by inserting his hands into a device that will crush them. When the machine malfunctions, it's clear that it wasn't the work of the meticulous Jigsaw. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) continues the investigation he began in the previous film, only to wake up to find himself wearing a glass helmet filled with water. With a minimum of self-mutilation, he escapes and continues his investigation with the hunch that Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) is somehow involved in the new rash of killings. Before long, a new group of strangers wakes up in Jigsaw's lair to face a series of brutal tests, and Jigsaw's ex-wife, Jill, is given a mysterious box at the execution of his will. An enormously popular and critic-proof series, SAW gives its fans what they want--creatively executed blood and guts. The fifth installment in as many years, SAW V is more subdued in that department, but the sequences it does contain deliver the goods. Several lengthy flashbacks also allow Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) to make a few appearances. While SAW V isn't the place for beginners to start, those who have stuck with the story this far will find it a fitting entry, happy that SAW VI is just around the bend. [More]
Starring: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Betsy Russell
Starring: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Carlo Rota, Julie Benz, Greg Bryk, Laura Gordon, Meagan Good
Director: David Hackl
Director: David Hackl
Screenwriter: Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan
Producer: Mark Berg, Oren Koules
Composer: Charlie Clouser
Studio: Lions Gate Films
Reviews for Saw V
An insult to fourth-rate ripoffs of Se7en, and even that may not be harsh enough.
Being the fifth annual go-round for this durable splatter franchise, this film has really no power to change any minds.
...hardcore fans of Jigsaw's exploits will probably find something here worth embracing.
A cut above its pretentious predecessors; the graphic set-pieces -- including an opening inspired by Poe's 'The Pit and the Pendulum' -- deliver the gory goods.
Square in the middle of the series, quality-wise: though the new film has some unabashedly dumb moments, its plot lacks the pathetic contortions that we saw in Saw IV
Saw V or High School Musical 3? Make your choice. All of a sudden, picking between self-mutilation and disembowelment doesn't sound so frightening, does it?
Saw V may still have the power to make audiences squirm, but only for the most obvious reasons.
Nails? Where else but in a Saw movie can a puzzle-minded sadist cobble together elaborate torture contraptions from the same Home Depot that provides his replacement windows and his garage storage solution?
Saw V is a terrible combination: grisly and tedious. Let's just call it bloody dull.
The ad campaign for Saw V assures the viewer, 'You won't believe how it ends.' This is true, because you won't believe it could possibly be this lame.
Yes, it's more of the same. But if you've been 'Saw'-ing away for the last four years, why not take in 'Saw V?'
The death of nearly every character in the franchise isn't enough to prevent the makers from grinding out another edition of Saw. Could they just finish the job?
The Saw movies have a convoluted storyline for the same reason Playboy has articles. It gives the consumer an easy excuse.
The Saw franchise cut its teeth with macabre MacGyver gimmicks and buckets of bloodshed. Acting was never a consideration. And when you're racking in millions upon millions with next to no budget, why start vying for Oscars now?
Latest News for Saw V
October 21, 2009:
See Saw with Alex, Day 5: Saw V
There was no sense of accomplishment after watching Saw V, that little satisfaction of having finished a movie that follows you for the rest of the day. Right now, it just feels... More...
January 19, 2009:
RT on DVD: Max Payne, Saw V, King Kong on Blu-ray
Mark Wahlberg brings maximum pain to DVD this week in the critically-punished Max Payne, although new horror titles Saw V and Repo! The Genetic Opera didn't fare much better on... More...
October 27, 2008:
Saw Becomes Most Lucrative Horror Franchise ![]()
Thanks to its $30 million weekend gross, "Saw V" has officially made "Saw" the most lucrative horror franchise in movie history. More...
October 23, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Kids to Flood Multiplexes for Senior Year
Rarely does Hollywood release two films on the same day that are as opposite in every way as this Friday's pair of new openers. Disney promotes a hit TV franchise to the big... More...
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