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Movies / On DVD / Saw V
Saw V

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Saw V (2008)

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Reviews Counted: 61

Fresh: 9

Rotten:52

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.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, language and brief nudity.

Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:Oct 24, 2008 Wide

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

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Release:

Jan 20, 2009

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Reviews for Saw V

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Tom Meek
Boston Phoenix

An insult to fourth-rate ripoffs of Se7en, and even that may not be harsh enough.

Full Review Source: Projection Booth | comment Comment
01/20/09
Rob Humanick
Projection Booth

Being the fifth annual go-round for this durable splatter franchise, this film has really no power to change any minds.

Full Review Source: Mr. Brown's Movies | comment Comment
12/30/08
Michael Dequina
Mr. Brown's Movies

...hardcore fans of Jigsaw's exploits will probably find something here worth embracing.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment 2 Comments
12/15/08
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

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.

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment 2 Comments
11/21/08
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

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

Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | comment Comment
10/31/08
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy

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?

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
10/31/08
Kevin Williamson
Jam! Movies

Saw V may still have the power to make audiences squirm, but only for the most obvious reasons.

Full Review Source: Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) | comment Comment
10/31/08
John Wirt
Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)

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?

Full Review Source: MovieJuice! | comment Comment
10/31/08
Mark Ramsey
MovieJuice!

The blade is oh so dull on this Saw.

Full Review Source: Gazette (MD) | comment Comment
10/30/08
Jeffrey Lyles
Gazette (MD)

Saw V is a terrible combination: grisly and tedious. Let's just call it bloody dull.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment 1 Comment
10/30/08
Claudia Puig
USA Today
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment 2 Comments
10/30/08
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

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?'

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
10/29/08
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

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?

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
10/29/08
Alex Markerson
E! Online

The law of diminishing returns is in full effect here.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/29/08
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

The Saw movies have a convoluted storyline for the same reason Playboy has articles. It gives the consumer an easy excuse.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment 7 Comments
10/28/08
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

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?

Full Review Source: Richmond.com | comment 1 Comment
10/28/08
Mike Ward
Richmond.com

Beyond entertaining fans with variations on the life-or-death challenges that seemed so startlingly fresh a mere four years ago, Saw V's primary purpose seems to be setting up a new series of films featuring Hoffman as the evil puppet-master. Wheth

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
10/27/08
Maitland McDonagh
Film Journal International

Even the most die-hard of Saw fans won’t credit how tedious, lame and pointless this fourth sequel manages to be.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment 1 Comment
10/27/08
Nigel Floyd
Time Out

The Saw series isn't nearly as interesting without Jigsaw, but it's getting harder and harder to find ways to include him in increasingly-desperate sequels.

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment 1 Comment
10/27/08
Tim Grierson
Screen International
 
 
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Latest News for Saw V

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 Opens in new window
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...

October 22, 2008: Total Recall: Killer Body Counts
In honor of the imminent Saw V, your pals at RT decided it would be fun to compile a list of some of the most iconic serial killers in horror film history. You'll find Freddy... More...

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