Saw IV

Saw IV marks the first installment within the ongoing series that’s almost devoid of similarities to the stellar original, as the movie generally places the emphasis on entirely uninteresting characters and surprisingly tedious sequences of gore. Were it not for the saving grace of Tobin Bell’s mere presence, there’s little doubt that Saw IV would come off about as well as a typical straight-to-video horror sequel. The movie opens with John Kramer’s (Tobin Bell) autopsy, where – not surprisingly – it’s revealed that Jigsaw’s games are going to continue in spite of his creator’s death. After a tape is pulled out of Kramer’s stomach, the story primarily follows two FBI agents (Scott Patterson’s Strahm and Athena Karkanis’ Perez) as they attempt to track down (and stop) the increasingly elusive Jigsaw. There’s also a fairly dull subplot revolving around a SWAT commander (Lyriq Bent’s Rigg) who is forced to play Jigsaw’s game, and – as expected – virtually all of the film’s characters wind up colliding in the twist-laden finale. It’s clear almost immediately that Saw IV‘s biggest faux pas lies in its emphasis on characters that are simply not interesting, with the bulk of the film’s overlong running time focused on the aforementioned (and underdeveloped) FBI agents. That the pair are essentially portrayed as walking cop clichés certainly doesn’t help matters, nor does the almost uniform inclusion of underwhelming supporting performances. Even Jigsaw’s expectedly elaborate traps manage to disappoint this time around, as it proves impossible to look past the overwhelming air of familiarity that’s been hard-wired into the majority of such sequences (call it the been-there-done-that factor). That being said, there’s simply no denying the effectiveness of Bell’s few scenes – some of which offer up a fascinating look into Kramer’s background (where we learn, among other things, the identity of Jigsaw’s first victim). Bell’s sinister yet thoroughly compelling performance proves to be the one bright spot within Saw IV, and it seems unlikely that the series will be able to survive his absence in future installments. And while detractors of these movies will undoubtedly find little here to embrace, the film – though saddled with a seriously rushed vibe – should sustain the interest of the series’ hard-core devotees.

**1/2 out of ****