Starring:Tobin Bell, Lyriq Bent, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Betsy Russell, Athena Karkanis, Justin Loius, Donnie Wahlberg
Director:
Darren Lynn Bousman (Identity Lost, Saw II)
MPAA Rating:
R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture throughout, and for language.
Release Date:
October 2007
Synopsis:
Jigsaw and his apprentice Amanda are dead. Now, upon the news of Detective Kerry's murder, two seasoned FBI profilers arrive to assist the veteran Detective Hoffman in sifting through Jigsaw's latest remains and piecing together the puzzle. However, when SWAT Commander Rigg is abducted and thrust into a game, the last officer untouched by Jigsaw has but ninety minutes to overcome a series of demented traps and save an old friend or face the deadly consequences.
My Two Cents:
Another week, another Saw movie. It seems like it was yesterday that I saw the first one and we’re already at part four, with part five coming this October. They’re milking the hell out of this, but at least they’re still coming up with neat ideas and plot twists. On the down side, as interesting as those plot twists are, things can get a little crazy with so many characters. You might need a degree in sawology to decipher who’s who and why this or that makes any sense.
You cannot enjoy any Saw movie without watching them all. There’s no way to follow the story or the character’s motives. I’m assuming you’ve watched them all leading up to part four, but even then you might not know what the hell is going on. It’s tradition to screw you at the end with a mind-shattering plot twist, but it’s just getting out of hand now. If a character doesn’t get cut in half or decapitated on-screen he or she could and probably will come back for a sequel, so try your best to remember each character’s name and face. On top of that, Saw IV and Saw III happen simultaneously. While Saw III focused on Jeff Reinhart trying to save his daughter and wife, Jigsaw had already planned a very elaborate trap for Lieutenant Rigg and had already chosen a replacement for Amanda. Saw IV actually starts at the end, letting you know what will happen in the inevitable Saw V, but then walks you through the events leading up to the starting scene. What? I know.
Ignoring all that chronological madness, I’ll say I fully enjoyed Saw IV as much as any other. The traps are less shocking, but that could be because we’ve already seen so many good ones. It’s great that Jigsaw’s death did not stop him from tormenting his victims. Here we learn that being diagnosed with terminal cancer wasn’t the only reason that sent John Kramer on a killing spree, if you can call it that. More about his past is told through flashbacks, leading to his very first “murder”.
I will not spoil the fun of finding out who lives and who dies. Go watch Saw III again before watching part IV or you’ll be kind of lost. If you’ve stayed with the series so far there’s no reason to skip Saw IV, and then look forward to Saw V and beyond.
Score:
