October 26, 2007 Saw IV Rating: R for sequences of grisly, bloody violence and torture throughout and for language.
The makers of "Saw IV" didn't let a little thing like the death of their main villain even slow them down. Although Tobin Bell's Jigsaw met his maker at the end of "Saw III," he still shows up in this latest chapter. As a matter of fact he's in the beginning of the film and appears throughout the story. But he's not always in the best of health. In fact even we get to watch his autopsy.
Many other familiar faces from the first three films are also present in "Saw IV," as are more of Jigsaw's infamous traps.
This time around we learn much more about Jigsaw and why he became such an evil killer. The police investigate his past by questioning his wife, played by former scream queen Betsy Russell.
In this story, chaos and confusion rule the day with scenes from earlier days of Jigsaw's life seamlessly blended with action from the present.
If you enjoyed the first three "Saw" movies chances are you'll like this one. The film weaves a number of plotlines in a non-linear manner. At different moments you're watching something that happened during the timeline of one of the previous films. Donnie Wahlberg returns as one of the detectives on the case. Unfortunately he gets stuck in a game of death. While his partner rushes to save him we switch back and forth between adventures in time.
The writers try use the script as a vehicle to explain previous events but things end up being a little confusing. There are some clever trap scenes but nothing we haven't seen before. Maybe it's time for Jigsaw to not only die but retire from the movies as well. While "Saw IV" delivers a few thrills and chills there isn't enough original material to keep me interested.
On my rating scale, "Saw IV" earns a Single.
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When Max (guest star Ryan O'Neal) goes on trial for the murder of FBI Deputy Director Robert Kirby, all the team members but Brennan are called as expert witnesses for the prosecution
