"If it's Halloween, it must be Saw." A simple enough ad campaign; and for the fourth year in a row the franchise has successfully made human mutilation a valuable lesson...sort of. If one were foolish, one would assume that with the death of Jigsaw in Saw III, the franchise would have to end. Obviously, this isn't the case.
Saw IV offers a much needed look into the back story of John, the man who would become Jigsaw (Tobin Bell). For a horror film, the flashbacks were actually very well done. The story masterfully intersperses the background of Jigsaw between the present day events. If a part of the present-day story hits a wrinkle they jump to Jigsaw's origin story - I like that a lot. It turns out that even with Jigsaw dead, Officer Rigg (Lyriq Bent) still finds himself tormented by the memories of all his partners who have fallen at the sadistic madman's hands. To make matters worse, Jigsaw reaches out from beyond the grave and gives Rigg one last chance to understand the serial killer's ways.
"See What I See" and "Feel What I Feel" become Jigsaw's teaching mantra's as Rigg races from one victim to the next trying to find clue's that will lead him to the location of Officer Agent Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) still missing from the events of Saw III. Hot on his trail are FBI Agents Perez (Athena Karkanis) and Strahm (Scott Patterson). Will Riggs learn his lesson? Or has Jigsaw found yet another victim postmortem?
The simple yet elegant plot for Saw IV ties up many of the loose ends of Saw III that frustrated the audience; and for good reason, as any Saw fan will quickly realize that a few of the events of Saw IV happen in tandem with the events of its predecessor. The writing features a lot of clichéd police talk; but given that Saw IV is, above all other things, a horror movie and that it delivers on everything it promises we can't really hold bad writing against it.
Donnie Wahlberg does a pretty good job - considering his role in this film it's very hard to criticize his performance one way or another. Scott Patterson, who spent his early days in Gilmore Girls (must be weird going from GG to the Saw franchise), plays the perfect over-analytical FBI Agent to a fault. As in every police centered plot, the FBI Agents need to seem cocky and brash and Patterson's Agent Strahm fits that perfectly.
Now, what is the real genius behind the Saw films? How creatively the writers can devise a character's death. While I place Saw IV as the second best of the series (preceded only in greatness by the original), the traps aren't the most unique of the series. While the opening sequence of two men tethered by chains to a contraption set the perfect feel for this installment, this episode of Saw felt uninspired as far as the torture was concerned. In fact, at least three of the traps in Saw IV all operated on the same principle: a chain pulls a part of your body until something pops. As well as reusing some of the torture concepts, I couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed that the movie's big twist was a recycled ploy from a previous Saw installment. A pity, but still well executed.
No, the traps didn't make this sequel the great horror film that it was. The factor that grants Saw IV its "Second Best" title within the horror series was the brilliant revelations into Jigsaw's past. The audience gets to see how John started out as a man with strong beliefs but stern sense of pride - but became morally disfigured upon the devastating loss suffered by him and his wife. The Jigsaw character development set this sequel apart from the other three. While some may feel having a somewhat rational explanation for John's psychosis kills some of the mystique, I think it adds to the character's depth. Before Jigsaw was just an uncompromising killer with a holier than thou complex; after Saw IV the concept of Jigsaw has meaning previously unknown.
Saw IV had an early fan in me when it showed a graphic autopsy of John - seriously, the detail shown in the process of that autopsy easily rivals any of the most intricate scenes in any episode of ER. That was truly an amazing sequence for which I might just buy this movie. It fascinates me how well they duplicated the tissue.
The Saw series has always given attention to detail and the fourth installment easily overshadows the two that came before it. The attention given to Jigsaw's past makes Saw IV a must see for any Saw fan. Plus, the inherent beauty in Jigsaw's lesson for Rigg makes the events of Saw IV a great tragedy.
"Saw IV" opens October 26, 2007 and is rated R. Horror. Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. Written by Thomas Fenton, Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan. Starring Costas Mandylor, Justin Louis, Lyriq Bent, Scott Patterson, Tobin Bell.
