MOVIE REVIEW: Saw IV

Months of reading, studying and killing my brain has all come to an end. I finally know the ending to “Saw IV,” and after two viewings, I actually understand it. Sort of.

We open with the autopsy scene. We find Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) ripped open from head to toe, upon which a tape is discovered inside his stomach. Forensic Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) is called to the scene. Upon playing the tape, we find that Jigsaw is challenging Hoffman “to succeed where others have failed.” We’re also told that even though he is dead, Jigsaw’s games will continue. We then are dropped into the first trap, which at first has little to do with anything, or so it seems. At this point Hoffman and Rigg (Lyriq Bent), the only two untouched officers of these films, find Kerry’s rotting body. It is here that they are met by two FBI Agents, Strahm (Scott Patterson) and Perez (Athena Karkanis), who were in direct contact with Kerry until her disappearance. Strahm advises Hoffman that they are here to aid in the investigation, but not to find Jigsaw or Amanda Young, but to find the accomplice that has been helping them. So now we split off and a few different stories are being told all at once. We have Strahm and Perez interrogating Jill Tuck (Betsy Russell), Jigsaw’s ex wife. During this part of the movie, we see several flashbacks in which John, amongst other characters, are still alive. Then we cut to the main portion of the movie in which Rigg is involved in the latest game, which as long as he follows the rules, will see the release of both Hoffman and Eric Matthews (a returning Donnie Wahlberg).

There are a few strong performances in this entry. Lyriq Bent and Costas Mandylor are given the most screen time that they have had thus far in the franchise and they both make good use of it. B-movie Queen Betsy Russell also does quite well here as the victim, but you also can see a few things in her performance that always make you wonder if she is, or isn’t, in on the game. Tobin Bell turns in his best performance as Jigsaw yet. We mainly see him in flashbacks, and due to the circumstances he is involved in, we actually feel sympathy for him during a few spots. My favorite performance this time around is from newcomer Scott Patterson, who gay people might remember from his stint on “The Gilmore Girls.” Sure he plays the clichéd asshole FBI Agent, but he does it so well with so much energy and emotion that I hope to see him in “Saw V.”

The traps were my favorite in the series thus far. Due to Rigg’s obsession with saving everyone, he is placed into a situation where he must attempt to save people who do not deserve the lives they were given. Brenda, who sells young girls into prostitution, a husband who beats his wife and a wife who lets it happen and a man who rapes and abuses women. All of these people are given the same chance at life, but Rigg is almost being recruited by Jigsaw as he is forced to “feel what he feels,” or to “save as he saves.”

The twist ending was built up in my mind to be the best in the series thus far when in fact; nothing will ever top the first film. With each sequel, the creativity and suspense is still there, but they will never recreate the magnitude of the ending in the very first film. The ending to “Saw IV” does come as a shock, albeit a confusing one. I would hardly call it a twist as, just like the first entry, this film gives you every clue along the way to figure it out on your own. The only downside to the ending is that the motivations behind it probably won’t even be explained until “Saw V,” which due to the screenwriters strike in Hollywood may not even be seen until 2009.

There were also a few questions that were never answered, even when they were promised by the filmmakers. What was said in the letter to Amanda at the end of “Saw III?” We find out who gave it to her, but never what it said. A trap involving a glass box is seen in the film, and there are pictures online of a man trapped inside, but we never find out what it is for. The Buddha dolls that surround Jigsaw in “Saw III” were never brought up, nor was the subject of reincarnation. Finally, in a recent interview with one of the producers, it was stated that when Amanda cut the key from the man’s stomach in the first film, there was a relationship between the two that we were never aware of. All of these questions, albeit small ones, were never answered when they were advertised by the filmmakers.

The “Saw” franchise is still going strong, which is a tremendous accomplishment when you actually sit down and think about most sequels in a horror franchise. With each “Saw” film we are given an expansion of the story, more details on certain characters and a twist that fits within the rules the filmmakers have already established. If the filmmakers can keep it up, “Saw” may be the only horror franchise worth paying attention to year after year.

The Final Days Before "Saw IV"

So we are literally five days away from, what has become the most anticipated movie in years. Yes, I loved “Rocky Balboa.” I love the anticipation leading up to that film, but Stallone doesn’t have shit on Jigsaw. Since July of this year I have been following the production of “Saw IV.” Once it wrapped and the marketing began, I was there. I have seen every photo, every interview and every clip released through the internet. What is the end result of all these man hours? Nothing. I am still no closer to the plot, or the twist, of this film. I know as much as all of you who have not read a damn thing. I have literally done at least two hours a day of research, at least five days a week for the past three months. This is the genius that is “Saw IV.” So in my final attempt at what I know, here is the last article prior to the review of “Saw IV.”
We know that Jigsaw and Amanda are dead. We know for certain that they won’t return as ghosts, or return from the dead. So far as I can tell, Jigsaw appears mainly in flashbacks and on audio. Amanda may be shown in flashbacks, but it was reported from the set that Shawnee Smith never filmed any new footage for the character. So then where do we begin? In the clip entitled “Autopsy,” we see that Jigsaw’s body has been found and recovered by the authorities (perhaps also answering the question of what happened to Jeff and his daughter?). During a routine autopsy, a tape covered in wax (that answers why Jigsaw pours wax on a tape at the end of “Saw III) is found in Jigsaw’s stomach. Agent Hoffman (from the opening of “Saw III”) is called to the scene to listen to the tape. At this point Jigsaw tells Hoffman that even though he is dead, his work will continue. So now we get the resounding “What the fuck?” moment in which our tiny little brains cannot comprehend how this is possible. A new apprentice? A twin brother? Is this a prequel? Well, it is not a prequel or a sequel in the same way that “Saw II” and “Saw III” weren’t either. The film itself would be a sequel with many flashbacks incorporated.

The main focus of this film appears to be four different stories being told all at once. The first is the story of John and Jill when they were married. I expect this story to unfold and reveal more about why John decided to do what he does best. In the clip “Leaving the Clinic,” we see a pregnant Jill leaving a building. A knock on the outside door surprises her and a man by the name of Cecil (the same one who later appears in the knife trap) bursts in with a knife. He takes the keys from her and enters the building. She looks in his direction, trying to see what he is attempting to do when he bursts through the door yet again, only this time pinning her between the door and the wall, thus killing the baby. He escapes the building just as John shows up to get a real good look at him. The second story is Rigg, who is the S.W.A.T. Commander from the last two movies. He is placed into a series of tests in order to save an old friend, which I believe to be Detective Matthews, once again played by Donnie Wahlberg. Only with the game played by Rigg, it looks like he is to save numerous test subjects (who is putting them into these devices, mind you), who may or may not deserve to be saved. In a hidden clip on the official website, Rigg walks into a room where a woman is strapped into a chair, and her hair in bound to a series of gears which when turned will scalp her. As the trap begins, a tape of Jigsaw tells Rigg that as an officer of the law, his first instinct is to help this woman. But if Rigg knew what Jigsaw knows, he wouldn’t be so quick to save her. Jigsaw goes on to tell him that she is undeserving of the life she has. The double entendre “See what I see” is on the wall next to her in red, which is pictured below.
The next story is Hoffman and his discovery of what exactly is on the tape. He also seems to uncover the body of Kerry from “Saw III.” In fact, judging from the picture below, he is following the exact same path that Jeff did in the third film. The final story being told is of two FBI Profilers who find clues that lead back to Jigsaw’s now ex-wife, Jill. Somewhere in there, somehow, all of these stories fit together perfectly and delivers a nine minute twist that unfolds at the end of the film. Both the cast and crew have called it the biggest surprise in the franchise, and one that will allow the viewer to see the series in a whole new light, not to mention give a direction for both “Saw V” and “Saw VI.” Director Darren Lynn Bousman has already stated that nobody will guess this as it is the ultimate twist, and one that has gone unnoticed by the fans.

Now what about the traps this time around? Aside from the knife trap and the scalping trap, we have an entire host of others. From the trailer, we see a male and a female bound together. It appears as though steel rods are going through each of them. Unless I am way off, it looks like one must pull the rod through their own body to remove it from the other. The woman can also be heard hysterically crying and repeating the phrase “I’m sorry.” For what exactly? The pattern among the known victims so far sees that they are all guilty of something terrible. Cecil killed Jill’s baby and Scalp Lady looks to recruit young girls into a life of prostitution. So what do all the other victims have in common? Of course the now famous green room with what looks like Detective Matthews and another unnamed man. Matthews has a cast on his foot and a chain around his neck. The block of ice under him continues to melt, and if he isn't saved in time he will hang himself. Why is Matthews still alive? What is his purpose? Who is the other man in the chair next to him?
Rarely do you ever see a horror sequel that lives up to the franchise and fans expectations. “Saw” is a rare exception that shows that a film franchise can be made by people who care, and not just people who want to make a quick buck. If “Saw IV” turns out to do what they say, then we’ll all be picking our jaws up off the floor this coming Friday.