I just watched SAW V and I decided to write a review for it.
*Please note: This has some spoilers. If you have not seen SAW V, don't read this*

The most recent film in the Horror film franchise, SAW V begins right where SAW IV (2007) ends, which is also the end of SAW III (2006). Keep in mind that with the opening, the big SAW IV twist was that it ran on a parallel timeline to the previous film. SAW V is directed by David Hackl, who was the production designer for SAW II (2005), SAW III (2006), and SAW IV (2007). This was David’s first film he directed and, in my point of view, he did an excellent job.

In SAW V, there are two plots; the first plot is of Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) going on the hunt to eliminate all loose ends after the secret (which was revealed in SAW IV) of him being the successor of John Kramer aka Jigsaw (Tobin Bell)is threatened by Special Agent Peter Strahm (Gilmore Girls star Scott Patterson). The second plot was with five random strangers (anybody who has seen SAW II will see some similarities): Ashley (Laura Gordon), Charles (Carlo Rota), Brit (Julie Benz), Mallick (Greg Bryk), and Luba (Meagan Good); who have to go through three to four traps (created by Hoffman) in order to survive.

The tagline of SAW V is “You won’t believe how it ends.” They weren’t kidding. The ending of SAW V is a shocker; Hoffman escapes in a glass coffin while Strahm gets crushed in the crushing-walls trap. SAW V is probably the first time in film history that depicts a crushing-walls trap actually killing somebody (this trap was also in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope but the characters in this are not crushed). The crushing walls trap was also part of a story board for the first SAW film (2004), but was never used in the film.

The SAW franchise is known for a lot of blood and gore. The first SAW film (2004) was so gory that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) originally given an NC-17 Rating (meaning no one under the age 17 can see the film) and had to cut down to get an R-rating. For SAW V, the MPAA gave an R-rating for “sequences of grisly, bloody violence and torture, language, and brief nudity” (which, to be 100% honest, there really wasn’t any). However, there isn’t a whole lot of gore in SAW V. Out of all of the SAW films in the franchise, SAW V is probably the least bloody and gory. But what it lacks in blood and gore, it makes up in its plot. To be honest, the only real gory scene is the trap in the opening sequence: The pendulum trap.

In this trap, Seth Baxter (Joris Jarsky), who murdered his ex-girlfriend (who happens to be Hoffman’s sister), is chained on a table underneath a pendulum blade. A videotaped message of Billy, Jigsaw’s puppet (and SAW’s unofficial mascot) informs him that in order to survive, he must crush his hands by putting them into two presses and pushing the buttons inside. Even though he does so, the pendulum swings down and slices him in half. The fact that the trap was inescapable marks it as a creation of someone other than the Jigsaw killer, who died in SAW III (anyone who has seen SAW III will find this scenario familiar (the Amanda Young traps (i.e. the Classroom Trap and the Angel Trap) were also inescapable)). It’s discovered later in the film by Agent Strahm that Detective Hoffman is actually behind the trap and made it look like it was Jigsaw who set it up. This realization is a turning point in the film.

Overall, SAW V is an excellent movie. Although it will probably make you cringe, this is a movie that SAW fans should see. How SAW VI (due to be released on October 23rd, 2009) will finish off this story (although I'm doubtful that this will be the last) is anyone's guess. But one thing is certain, the games aren’t over yet. And I’m glad.

SAW V also stars Betsy Russell as Jill Tuck, Jigsaw's Ex-Wife; Mark Rolston as Dan Erickson, Strahm's boss and in charge of the Jigsaw operation at the FBI Level: Julie Benz, known for her role as Rita Bennett on "Dexter", as Brit;Meagan Good, who appeared in "The Love Guru" with Mike Myers, as Luba; Shawnee Smith, now famous for the SAW films, appearing in a flashback as Amanda Young; and Bahar Soomekh as Dr. Lynn Denlon (from SAW III) also appearing in a flashback.

WARNING: This is not a film franchise for the fait hearted. There is also a ton of language in this film (they drop the f-bomb right off the bat). Don’t say I didn’t warn you.