FAQ

Just before John Kramer/Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) died, he devised the plans for his next game and charged Detective Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) with carrying it out. The game involves five people - Ashley (Laura Gordon), Luba (Meagan Good), Brit (Julie Benz), Charles (Carlo Rota), and Mallick (Greg Bryk) - all of whom had a hand in a fire that caused the death of eight people when a supposedly-abandoned building was burned down. The five must make it through four rooms, the point being that the five people, all selfish opportunists, must learn to work together. In the first test, they are placed in a trap with collars locked around their necks. The collars are connected to razor sharp blades that will decapitate them if they don't retrieve within one minute the keys to their collars, which are stored in glass boxes across the room. The problem is that all five collars are connected, and there is only enough length for one person at a time to retrieve a key. In the second room, keys stored in overhead jars must be found in time to unlock three chambers that will protect them from bombs set to go off in one minute. In the third room, five cables must be connected to a bathtub full of water in order to unlock the door. The problem is that none of the cables is long enough to reach the tub. In the fourth and final room, they must fill a beaker with ten pints of their blood in order to unlock the door and end the game.

Saw V is the fifth film in the Saw series, all of which stem from a screenplay by Australian screenwriters Leigh Whannell and James Wan. Saw V was co-written by screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. Prior to Saw V is Saw (2004), Saw II (2005), Saw III (2006), and Saw IV (2007). The sequels to Saw V are Saw VI (2009), Saw 3D (2010), and Jigsaw (2017).

FBI Agent Peter Strahm (Scott Patterson) chased Jeff Denlon (Angus Macfadyen) into the operating room (also shown at the end of Saw III (2006)). Strahm shot Denlon, who attacked him while screaming, "Where is my daughter?" (referring to Corbett Denlon, kidnapped by Jigsaw in Saw III). Jigsaw was seen lying on the operating table with his throat cut. Lynn Denlon's (Bahar Soomekh) headless body and Amanda Young's (Shawnee Smith) bloody remains were seen lying on the floor. Officer Daniel Rigg (Lyriq Bent) found a tape that detailed the rules of the game and how he violated them. It told him that, if he had not broken the rules, Detectives Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) and Mark Hoffman would have lived. As Rigg tried to crawl to his feet, Hoffman rose from a chair and said, "Game over", revealing he is the second accomplice the FBI had theorized about. Hoffman then went to the operating room and locked the door, leaving Strahm inside with the bodies of Jigsaw, Lynn, Amanda, and Jeff. In the final scene, Jigsaw's voice on the tape recovered from his stomach was heard, warning that the games are not over just because he is dead, and that "you will not walk away untested."

Saw V picks up immediately after the ending of Saw IV, showing how Strahm gets out of the operating room and how Hoffman goes on to rescue Corbett Denlon (Niamh Wilson), those three being the only ones to survive the events in Saw IV and get out of the meatpacking plant alive. The story then continues with Strahm learning that Hoffman has been Jigsaw's second accomplice all along. There are flashbacks to Hoffman's involvement in the murder of Seth Baxter (Joris Jarsky) and how Jigsaw got Hoffman to help him with his games, as well as some of the games on which Jigsaw and Hoffman worked together prior to Jigsaw's death.

No. Hoffman, Strahm, and Corbett were the only three shown to get out of the warehouse alive. Rigg's picture is also shown at the press conference as one of the five officers that died in the pursuit of Jigsaw, the others being Steven Sing, David Tapp, Allison Kerry, and Eric Matthews. FBI Agent Lindsey Perez is also presumed dead (after sustaining shrapnel injuries at a crime scene), but this isn't confirmed or denied until Saw VI (2009).

Detective Tapp (Danny Glover) was last seen in Saw (2004), where he was shot in the chest during a struggle with Zep (Michael Emerson). His absence from the other movies, as well as his picture appearing during the memorial service, is seen by most fans as an indication that he succumbed to his wounds. How his body was recovered in the series remains unanswered, since the original bathroom set from the first movie, where his body supposedly remains, has never been found nor dismantled by the police. A possibility is that Jigsaw and his helpers later dumped the body on another location, where it could be recovered by the police. An alternate scenario was presented in the videogame Saw (2009) and its sequel Saw II: Flesh & Blood (2010). However, no references from these games are found within the movies, so these events are not officially recognized as canon.

Hoffman's sister Angelina was killed during a domestic dispute by her boyfriend, Seth Baxter. After being released from jail after serving the minimum sentence, Hoffman finds and kidnaps Seth, taking advantage of the recent murders to make it look like Jigsaw trap. However, unlike the other Jigsaw traps, Hoffman doesn't give Seth a way out of the pendulum trap, and Seth is killed. Jigsaw is furious about being given credit for something he didn't do, especially since Hoffman's trap was inferior to his. Jigsaw kidnaps Hoffman and condemns him for not offering Seth the chance to change, as his philosophy is that everyone deserves a second chance. Jigsaw offers to show him how to truly help somebody, hoping it will help him become a better person. However, if Hoffman continues to pursue him, Jigsaw threatens to let everybody know what Hoffman did, as he has the evidence necessary to prove the pendulum trap wasn't done by him, but by Hoffman.

Whether or not Amanda knew that Hoffman was assisting Jigsaw is not addressed in Saw V.

Mallick was a rich boy, a drug user, and a bit of a pyromaniac who was paid to set a building on fire (although it is revealed he didn't know people were still living there). Brit was the real estate developer who paid Mallick to burn down the building, even though she knew there were still eight people living inside. Luba was the city planner who pushed through the permit. Ashley was the fire inspector who wrote a fake accident report. Charles was an investigative journalist who buried the story.

In the decapitation trap, all of their collars had the same lock, meaning one key would have opened all locks. It may have been possible for one person to go forth and retrieve all five keys to help the others. In the jar room, there was enough room for two people in each of the tunnels. For the electric bathtub test, each person was supposed to use one of the cables to complete the connection to the bathtub. If one person took all of the electricity it would kill them, but five people would just receive a bit of a shock and be fine. In the last room, they are supposed to fill the jar with 10 pints of blood. The average person has 10 to 12 pints of blood in their body. If all five had survived, two pints of blood from all five players would have easily made 10 pints and they all would have survived. Since only Mallick and Brit made it to the last room, they each have to give five pints. In the end, "five will become one" meant that they were supposed to become a team, not that only one could survive.

John is referring to a scene in Saw IV (2007) in which his pregnant wife Jill (Betsy Russell), who works at the Homeward Clinic, had a door slammed into her abdomen during a robbery by a drug addict, resulting in a miscarriage. He states that he sensed danger and should have acted sooner.

The final game takes place in the basement of the house from Saw II (2005). The house has been fixed up and redone. When Strahm enters the basement a blood trail is visible leading up to the door where the bathroom from the original Saw (2004) is located.

John described the contents of the box as a "grave matter" and Jill looked serious when she looked inside. What's inside the box is revealed in Saw VI (2009), but for those who have not yet seen the entire Saw series and wish to speculate first, here are some possibilities. One thing that could possibly be in the box is the evidence that proves Hoffman is the real accomplice. In the scene where Hoffman first meets Jigsaw, Jigsaw tells him that he has all the information that proves Hoffman was involved with the "Pendulum trap" and he will have it released following Jigsaw's disappearance. This could mean that he left all of this information to Jill. As he says, "I trust you will know what to do with it." Another thing that could be in the box is the test for Hoffman. At the end of Saw IV (2007), Hoffman finds the tape in John's stomach which promises that Hoffman will not go untested and that Jigsaw's work will continue. There is behind-the-scenes footage of Jill standing in a hallway next to the box. All around Jill are photos of different people. Even though we still do not know (at this point) the contents of this box, it is possible that the photos came from the box and that Jill hung them up.

No. Many people have thought there were two tape players, one in the glass coffin that told Strahm to get in the box and the other "hidden" under the box, which stated that he should have gotten in the box. This isn't the case. The entire message was on one tape.

The pen was left in his pocket on purpose as the means of surviving the game. This is evidenced by the view of everything else of Strahm's belongings left on the barrel. Jigsaw was adamant in Saw III (2006) and in this film that he despises murderers and that all victims should always be able to survive their respective tests. It has also been confirmed by the cast at Sawmania that the pen was left in Strahm's pocket on purpose. It was said to be the same pen that Jigsaw has in his possession in Saw IV (2007). However, Strahm does state that the trap was constructed for his execution and that everyone was supposed to die, leaving Hoffman the "last man standing." This hints at the idea that the pen was left in his pocket by accident, but this is merely Strahm speculating on the situation. He has no way of actually knowing.

The stomach can contain about 1.5 liters of fluid, about a quart and a half. (Source.) There were two 5-gallon bottles dumped into that box. It would be impossible for Strahm to drink enough to get his nose above the water. Also, he would have had no way of knowing whether the water was actually drinkable, or that it would be just water and not something else.

It might have been absent on the first discovery of Mark's scene. Hoffman would have had to plant it later, most likely in a spot that could have easily been missed.

These are the first six victims listed on the victim list: (1) Cecil Adams [Knife Chair], (2) Mark Wilson [Candle/Safe], (3) Seth Baxter [Pendulum], (4) Paul Leary [Razor Wire], (5) Amanda Young [Reverse Bear Trap], and (6) Donnie Greco [Question Mark Man in Reverse Bear Trap game]. One theory is that they could have found Cecil's body with the puzzle piece taken out, labeled the killer as the "Jigsaw Killer" and declared Cecil as the first victim. Amanda could have been tested before Mark and Paul but, since she didn't die, there was no puzzle piece cut from her. When she originally came forward about what happened to her, they couldn't have officially labeled her a Jigsaw victim, only assumed. Then they find Mark's body with the puzzle piece cutout. He is declared the second Jigsaw victim. But, the penlight couldn't have been there on this first discovery. They find Seth with the puzzle piece cutout and the same type of tape, with the puppet "Billy" explaining the rules that Amanda would have described to them and would have found at her scene. He is falsely declared the third Jigsaw victim. Paul is declared the fourth Jigsaw victim. Whether before or after discovering Paul's scene makes no difference; Hoffman might have gone back to Mark's scene and planted the penlight. With further investigation, because of the connection between the puzzle piece and the tape in Seth's trap, Amanda and Donnie are finally labeled the fifth and sixth Jigsaw victims.

The timeline would actually be like so: (1) Cecil is tested, dies, is discovered, and is declared the first Jigsaw victim; (2) Amanda is tested, survives, and goes to the police, but the perpetrator is unclear; (3) Mark is tested, dies, is discovered and declared the second Jigsaw victim; (4) Seth is tested, dies, is discovered, and is falsely declared the third Jigsaw victim; (5) Hoffman is captured by the real Jigsaw and is turned into an apprentice; (6) Paul is tested and dies; (7) Hoffman plants the penlight at Mark's scene; and (8) Paul's body is discovered, and he is declared the fourth Jigsaw victim. Through further investigation, links are found between Amanda's case and other Jigsaw victims. She and Donnie are finally declared the fifth and sixth Jigsaw victims.

United States (released on January 20th, 2009): 1. Standard DVD with no bonus features. 2. Unrated Edition DVD with added footage, five featurettes, two commentaries, and trailer. 3. Unrated Collector's Edition DVD has the same bonus features as the Unrated Director's Cut but has special packaging featuring a button on the front that spins a saw when pushed. 4. Unrated 2-Disc BD set with digital copy. United Kingdom (released on March 9th, 2009): 1. Extreme Edition DVD with added footage, five featurettes, two commentaries. 2. Extreme Edition BD with added footage, five featurettes, two commentaries. Australian (released on March 11th, 2009): 1. Uncut DVD with added footage, five featurettes, two commentaries. 2. Uncut BD with added footage, five featurettes, two commentaries.

The Saw V standard edition (rated R) is the exact same Saw V as seen in theaters. The Saw V Director's Cut edition has some scenes added and some taken out. Also, the Unrated Director's Cut has some scenes moved around. The two things that were removed was Pamela Jenkin's line, "Why isn't this a joint press conference with the FBI?" and the scene where Jill receives the box is slightly edited; the line where he asks her what is in the box is removed. The things that were added are an extended and gorier version of the Pendulum trap, including a line by Seth Baxter, "I did what I was supposed to"; an extended water box trap; an extended bath tub scene; an extended, gorier final trap of the Fatal Five; more conversation between Mallick and Brit, including lines that confirm Mallick's arm was burned, not full of needle marks, as some previously assumed; and an extended and gorier ending where Strahm is crushed.