Saw V is the latest chapter of its blood-soaked legacy, and, truth be told, I never thought the series would make it this far. As much as I admire the first film, I knew its bag of diabolical tricks would come up short with each successive sequel, a tradition this latest picture continues to uphold. Granted, Saw V makes a valiant attempt to stray from the convoluted timeline-fiddling its brothers engaged in, opting rather to go for straight-out shocks. But in the end, it emerges as merely a passable horror movie, freaky enough to get by but a far cry from the jaw-dropping start of the series.

Warning: this review goes into spoiler territory regarding Saw IV, so if you're not up to speed with the series, it's best to turn back now.

With devious mastermind Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) now pushing daisies, Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) has assumed his responsibilities, forcing others to fight for their lives in vicious endurance tests. After the events of Saw IV, it looks as though Hoffman can continue his operations in secret. That is, until FBI Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) works his way out of a trap meant to take his life rather than test it. Strahm immediately suspects a Jigsaw accomplice is on the loose, and it's not long after he begins investigating that the trail starts leading right to Hoffman. But as Hoffman scrambles to cover his tracks, he also must oversee a new deadly game in progress, one in which five seemingly random individuals have to work together to escape with their lives (and limbs) intact.

Those expecting Saw V to be as twist-heavy as the other movies will be both pleasantly surprised and mildly disappointed here. My biggest complaint with the last two Saw features involves their taking a little too much liberty in rewriting the turn of events, hoping to wring out a few cheap twists. Thankfully, instead of further complicating things, the makers of Saw V have gone with a more straightforward approach. The script even takes a pretty decent stab at character development instead of just serving up more grisly set pieces. Flashbacks show Hoffman's first encounter with Jigsaw and how he evolved from a cop out for revenge to the madman's latest apprentice. Saw V picks up the pieces more than it creates new ones, allowing first-time director David Hackl to give viewers what they want instead of the runaround. Still, gorehounds can rest assured the trademark booby traps are as devious and nasty as ever, especially the gauntlet Hoffman's five new victims must endure.

However, for a series as famous for its twist endings as M. Night Shyamalan, Saw V is a breeze to figure out, which makes it more than a little unsettling. Don't get me wrong, I'm relieved the story is relatively left alone, but I'm puzzled as to whether Hackl and company decided not to go with an 11th-hour shocker or simply couldn't find anything better than what they used. The few teases present to set up for Saw VI are a a bit cheaply handled. In any case, the ending isn't the only underwhelming thing about Saw V. The entire film seems like it's going through the motions, a sure-fire sign that a once vibrant franchise has lost a little of its luster. The acting appears mediocre, and the overall style hasn't changed a bit. Jigsaw once again rehashes his whole "How far would you go to live?" spiel. The story and traps are interesting enough to hold your attention, but the whole affair seems burdened by a sense of routine. 

I appreciate Saw for adding a sense of smarts to the horror genre, and I don't consider Saw V a bad film. But at this point, the filmmakers appear more interested in bringing home a paycheck than in trying to spice up the franchise. Unless some much-needed repairs are made, it looks like Jigsaw's blades have at last grown dull.

MY RATING: ** 1/2 (out of ****)

(Released by Lionsgate and rated "R" for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, language and brief nudity.)