What Do The Critics Say?

" 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? This is a fan movie. And that audience can expect another one at this same time next year." Linda Cook QUAD CITY TIMES "The first three Saws were at least plausible within the grotesque terms of the premise. The fourth was ridiculous and this, the fifth, is laughable." Victor Olliver TELEXTEXT "The creatives behind the franchise clearly have taken pride in their stylistic consistency throughout the series, but here they even fail to deliver enough of the cleverly gruesome Rube Goldberg torture devices that are its raison d’etre." Frank Scheck HOLLYWOOD REPORTER " It doesn't just insult your intelligence; It assumes you have none." Matt Paris METROMIX "If you liked the previous four movies, there's little reason why you won't find at least a few things to enjoy in this one, but it's definitely getting to the point where it's dubious whether they can keep it going much longer." Edward Douglas COMINGSOON.NET "The film's go-nowhere plot, hackneyed visuals and crude performances are bottom-of-the-barrel, exhibiting all the intelligence and craftsmanship of a direct-to-video throwaway. Lionsgate may still be turning a profit on each successive episode of this clownish saga, but as with so many other lucrative horror franchises, Saw's sequelitis is a creatively fatal condition." Nick Schager SLANT MAGAZINE

"Deadly traps may remain the bread and butter of the Saw series, but the real trick has become keeping these fetid sequels moderately fresh. here's absolutely no juice left to the sight of ensnared deviants struggling with the choice of mutilation or death, nor to Hackl's standard-issue rotting color palette and frenzied editing." Nick Schager SLANT MAGAZINE "Thank goodness Lionsgate made another Saw film! Otherwise, how would we as a country get to feel good about ourselves while watching humans suffer through prolonged torture, degradation and death?" Rafer Guzman NEWDAY "The blade is oh so dull on this Saw." Jeffrey Lyles GAZETTE "There's really nothing new here, and what's old is not good." Frank Swietek ONE GUY'S OPINION "Like "High School Musical 3", which is opening against this film, "Saw V" is made for the fans." Kevin Carr 7M PICTURES "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?" Kevin Williamson JAM! MOVIES "It's questionable who suffers more in this torture porn sequel - the victims or the audience." Andrew L Urban URBAN CINEFILE "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?" Mike Ward RICHMOND.COM

The Inside Story "What the fuck is going on? Where am I?" Those words, uttered two minutes into 2004’s "SAW", express the primal emotions: the hopeless confusion, the awful sense of powerlessness and sheer, panic-stricken terror, that lie at the heart of Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures "SAW" franchise; emotions that are a key to its phenomenal success. The SAW films follow the machinations of Jigsaw, a terminally ill cancer patient with an exacting moral agenda and a genius for gruesome games of survival, 'played' with those he believes have ceased to value and appreciate the gift of life. Ratcheting up tension and invention with each successive film, the "SAW" franchise has touched a chord while jangling millions of nerves worldwide, picking up the baton from classic horror series like "Halloween" (1978) and "Nightmare On Elm Street" (1984) to become a cultural touchstone, as well as the most profitable horror franchise, both theatrically and on DVD, in movie history. To date, the four "SAW" titles have taken in over $US550 million in worldwide theatrical box office and their combined net DVD sales exceed twenty four million units. The franchise has helped make Lionsgate the leading studio for horror today, with #1 rankings in box office and DVD consumer spending. "SAW" made its world premiere at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival as part of the Festival’s popular 'Park City at Midnight' program. Festival Director Geoffrey Gilmore, who programs the annual event, recalls that he was impressed by the first-time filmmakers’ command of both form and theme. "SAW grabbed the viewer from the first frame; it was bold, cleverly constructed and flat-out terrifying," he says. "But what really set "SAW" apart was its moral seriousness. This movie didn’t just want to scare you, it wanted to make you think about what you would do to stay alive. In today’s world, that is not a trivial thing to contemplate: either as an individual or as a member of society." As the "SAW" series has continued, the films have tunneled further into Jigsaw’s beliefs and worldview. Leigh Whannell, who created the original story with director James Wan and wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for "SAW", "SAW II" and "SAW III", says, "Jigsaw’s cancer has led him to think very hard about what it means to be alive and how close we are to death at any given time. The concept of life’s value becomes a springboard to look at other personal moral choices, like forgiveness versus retribution. Jigsaw keeps digging into these issues, which become grist for his games. And as twisted as the games are, his intention is to help people." The "SAW" franchise was featured in a Summer 2007 series at New York’s Museum of the Moving Image, entitled "It’s Only a Movie: Horror Films from the 1970s and Today. The Museum’s Chief Curator, David Schwartz said, "Of course we are aware that these films contain disturbing, often shocking images, but they are powerful precisely because they tap into our deepest anxieties." Assistant Curator Livia Bloom notes that in "SAW"’s startling scenes of torture, she found "reflections of a life during a time of war and turmoil." The thematic and stylistic consistency of the "SAW" series owes much to the stewardship and participation of a core team, including SAW originators James Wan and Leigh Whannell; writer/director Darren Lynn Bousman, who joined the team with SAW II; producers Oren Koules, Mark Burg and the late Gregg Hoffman; and executive producers Stacey Testro, Peter Block and Jason Constantine. The key creative team has been with the series from the start, and includes director of photography David A. Armstrong; production designer, and current director David Hackl; editor Kevin Greutert; and composer Charlie Clouser, a onetime member of the band "Nine Inch Nails". Another critical member of the "SAW" team is 2006 Fangoria Chainsaw Award winning actor Tobin Bell ("SAW II"), who has portrayed Jigsaw throughout the franchise. In his September 7th 2007 essay on contemporary horror movies in the L.A. Weekly, critic Luke Thomson wrote: "Tobin Bell’s performance as Jigsaw is a wonder; he’s the best ‘real-world’ horror antihero since Anthony Hopkins first played Hannibal Lecter." As intricate as one of Jigsaw’s games, the "SAW" films reveal their twisting plots gradually. The series itself resembles an even larger jigsaw puzzle, with each new film linking up in some way with its predecessor. For those who missed the previous four in the franchise, here's an overview. The opening scene in "SAW" immediately plunges the audience into the unknown, along with the two unfortunate men, Adam (Leigh Whannell) and Dr Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes), who wake to find themselves chained up in a fetid subterranean bathroom. The captives are the most recent targets of a psychopathic genius known as Jigsaw, who constructs elaborate games that force his victims to make impossible choices between life and death. Made for just $1.2 million, SAW went on to worldwide box office earnings of $US103,096,345. The DVD sold 2.8 million units in its first week of release. "SAW II" finds Jigsaw playing two games simultaneously: one involving eight victims who wake up in a crumbling house and must solve their mastermind’s riddle before their insides are destroyed by poison; and the other with Detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg), whose rebellious son is among the eight captives. Also among the abducted is Amanda (Shawnee Smith), who was introduced in "SAW" as the only victim to have survived Jigsaw’s tests. Desperate to save his son, Detective Matthews resorts, not for the first time, to brutality and trickery. It’s a decision that leads him right into a trap designed by Jigsaw in collaboration with his new apprentice: Amanda. "SAW II" took $US147,739,965 worldwide. The DVD, released on Valentine’s Day, February 14th 2006, sold 3.5 million units in its first week. As "SAW III" begins, Jigsaw’s health is failing and he is preparing his adoring acolyte, Amanda, to carry on his work. Amanda has designed numerous games herself, building various horrendous contraptions to test the survival instincts of her victims. A very important game involves a brain surgeon, Lynn (Bahar Soomekh), who is forced to operate on the dying man. Meanwhile, in another section of Jigsaw’s lair, a grieving father, Jeff (Angus Macfadyen) is given the barbed opportunity to fulfill his dreams of revenge. Like so many before him, Jeff lives down to Jigsaw’s expectations, with dire consequences for the people he loves. "SAW III" took $US 164,874,275 world-wide. The DVD which was released on January 23rd 2007 sold 2.5 million units in its first week. "SAW III" opened at #1 in Great Britain, where it took in $US4.9 million in its first weekend. in the U.S A it opened at #1 taking $US33.6 million, the biggest opening in Lionsgate history. Given that Jigsaw dies at the end of SAW III, it’s a testament to the ingenuity of the franchise that Jigsaw remains a prominent character in "SAW IV". "Jigsaw’s death in "SAW III" left us with a major creative challenge, but also a very exciting one. We had to do something really smart and different with this movie, lest we fall prey to sequel-itis or self-parody. "SAW IV" became an opportunity to up the ante and go even deeper into Jigsaw’s story, his philosophies and obsessions. Given whom Jigsaw is and what he’s done, we think it makes for quite a horrifying journey," says director Darren Lynn Bousman. "SAW IV" opened nationwide in the U.S.A on October 26th 2007. It was the weekend’s #1 film with a box office tally of $US31.7 million. It has since earned total domestic theatrical box office receipts of $US63,300,095; the film’s international box office receipts totalled $US76,052,538. "SAW IV" was released on DVD/home video on January 22nd 2008, debuting at #2 on the charts and selling 2.6 million units in the U.S. and Canada. It is one of the top two best-selling horror DVDs of 2008. SAW IV was nominated for three Spike TV Scream Awards (Best Sequel, Best Villain, Most Memorable Mutilation), but failed to pick up a gong at the October 2008 ceremony, which was dominated by "The Dark Knight". In fact, the Best Villain award went to Heath Ledger as The Joker. In the fifth installment of the "SAW" franchise, Hoffman is seemingly the last person alive to carry on the Jigsaw legacy. But when his secret is threatened, Hoffman must go on the hunt to eliminate all loose ends. Director David Hackl, who served at production designer on the first four SAW film, takes the helm in what promises to be a revelatory new installment in the franchise. “SAW V is going to answer a lot of questions for fans," says the director. "It’s a story-driven "SAW" film, much like the first one, with some fine twists and turns. And the traps are more large scale because they involve more people. Fans can count on the same visceral, gut-wrenching, horrific traps that Jigsaw has always created, but taken to a whole new level." "SAW V" has taken $US52,262,696 in its first ten days in release. It opened in the USA with a take of $US30,053,954, being beaten soundly beaten for the #1 spot by the wider released "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" which took $US42,030,184. One of the major beefactors of the "SAW" ranchise has been the blood banks. The "SAW" franchise is not only about big-screen blood; it also about the blood that saves lives. With the release of the first SAW in 2004, Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures embarked on a cutting-edge promotion tailored specifically to the franchise’s profile: a nationwide SAW blood drive that exhorts fans to "Give Til It Hurts" to benefit the Red Cross. The "SAW" - "Give Til It Hurts" Blood Drive has become a key element of the "SAW" franchise, as much a part of its annual rituals as the Halloween premiere date. Each year brings a new ad campaign photographed by Tim Palen, Lionsgate Co-President of Theatrical Marketing and fine art photographer, and featuring the SAW nurses, seductive angels of questionable mercy and considerable visual impact. In the first four years of the blood drive, SAW filmgoers donated nearly 80,000 pints of blood to help save as many as 238,000 lives. In 2007, the "Give Til It Hurts" Blood Drive acquired two important new partners: the American Red Cross and Yahoo! Both the Red Cross and Yahoo! have re-teamed with Lionsgate for the 2008 blood drive effort. Synopsis

Unbeknown to the authorities, five seemingly unconnected people, are, thanks to Jigsaw, about to learn a horrible lesson that teamwork is the only way one of them will survive the ultimate penalty for their crime: death. With Jigsaw's demise, Detective Mark Hoffman, the final apprentice to the demented serial killer continues his masters sick plan of extracting justice by the most grissly means. But Agent Strahm, who has miraculously escaped from a device that was designed to ensure his death, is slowly piecing together the jigsaw of clues. Strahm realizes that Hoffman has been helping Jigsaw. At the same time, he finally uncovers the truth behind the death of his sister and why Hoffman joined Jigsaw. Hoffman is no fool. Realizing time is running out, he puts in place a plan that will set up the FBI Agent as Jigsaw's insider. A well organized paper trail ensures Hoffman's superior do take the bait.

The Verdict "Having been a huge supporter of the first two installments in the "SAW" franchise, I, like many weary cinema goers have unfortunately grown tired of it. Like "Police Academy" (which ran for 7 editions), the "SAW" franchise has lost its appeal. I remember writing, "it's lost its teeth", and "the "SAW" has become blunt!". Last years effort, "SAW IV" was so bad, I didn't even bother to review it. While "SAW V" is decidedly better than "SAW IV", the news is not good. Critics all over the world, have in the main, panned it. Like me, they too are worn out by what has truly become, a franchise with a bitter and twisted heart, totally unredeamable and with no moral basis whatso-ever. It has gone from intriguing, fascinating, exciting and chilling, to sadistic, confronting, mind numbing, nonsense. It's a pity they (Lionsgate & Twisted Pictures) didn't know when to stop. They've run their race with this franchise. They've lost the support of the critics, sucked the cash out of fans pockets and kept the franchise going, not for the sake of good entertainment, but purely as an 'earner'. Let's hope that this is the last wee see of the "SAW" franchise. If you've managed to make your way through the last four installments, you might as well see "SAW V". 2 STARS." Crew Bytes "SAW V" was .......
directed by David Hackl ["Jerry and Tom" and "Outlander"]; costume design by Alex Kavanagh ["The Undertaker's Wedding", "The Wishing Tree" and "George A Romero's Land of the Dead"]; set decoration by Liesl Deslauriers ["Hedwig and the Angry Inch", "The Good Shepherd" and "How She Move"]; edited by Kevin Greutert ["Love for Love", "A.W.O.L. Kisses" and "Old Friends"]; cinematography by David A Armstrong ["P.S. Your Cat Is Dead!", "Fear of Feathers" and "The Gravedancers"]; original music by Two time BMI TV Music Award winner Charlie Clouser ["Deepwater", "Dead Silence" and "Death Sentence"]. Who's Who

Tobin Bell Costas Mandylor Scott Patterson Betsy Russell Julie Benz Meagan Good Mark Rolston Carlo Rota Greg Bryk Laura Gordon Joris Jarsky Mike Butters Al Sapienza Mike Realba Lyriq Bent Sheila Shah Samantha Lemole Jeff Pustil Athena Karkanis Justin Louis Donnie Wahlberg Danny Glover Dana Sorman Shawnee Smith Bahar Soomekh Niamh Wilson Angus Macfadyen Lisa Berry Bill Vibert Tony Nappo Brandon McGibbon Tim Burd Natalie Brown Sarah Power Cory Lee

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Jigsaw/John Mark Hoffman Agent Strahm Jill Brit Luba Dan Erickson Charles Mallick Ashley Seth Paul Chief of Police Detective Fisk Rigg Special Agent Cowan Pamela Jenkins Bernie Agent Perez Art Eric Mathews David Tapp Law Office Receptionist Amanda Lynn Corbett Jeff EMT Officer Gus Hank Obi Heather Miller Angelina Jasmine

Run Time 92 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2008 - Lionsgate Films/Twisted Pictures - All Rights Reserved ©2008 All Rights Reserved The Movie Pages - Protected by Australian, International, Copyright & Trademark Laws.