The "Saw" movie series is an acquired taste, even within the horror genre. Despite the recent lack of interest in copycat films, the original series that sparked the "torture porn" invasion has not lost much box office momentum. The big question with this fifth film - as hyped by the marketing tagline "You won't believe how it ends" – is whether this will be the last of the "Saw" series. "Saw V" seems to bring the original story to a conclusion while introducing viewers to a new group of morally questionable dregs and a new puppet master.
The overarching story of Jigsaw's plans appears to be completely revealed in "Saw V." The audience learned in "Saw IV" that Jigsaw had a second apprentice besides Amanda. This new entity continues his master's work by testing a group of new people seeking to escape a dangerously-rigged warehouse. Meanwhile, Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) and Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) are the remaining survivors from the police force's investigation of the Jigsaw cases. Strahm refuses to allow the case to drop, despite Jigsaw's death, knowing there is more to the conspiracy. This puts Strahm back in harm's way, as the new maniac is ready to take up the legacy of his demented teacher.
The film is well-balanced between Agent Strahm's investigation (revealed through flashbacks), which ties up the overarching plot, and the new characters who seek to escape a multitude of twisted traps. "Saw V" continues the established pattern from the third film, pulling the curtain back and revealing how everything came to pass in the earlier movies.
"Saw V" is not the weakest in the series but it can't bring back the innovation and novelty of the first two. I doubt this will be the last "Saw," but rather than revisiting the same story again from another angle, I hope a new direction can be established. Rated R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, language and brief nudity.
