Hackin' and a Hewin'

The Sawga continues...
by Morgan P Salvo


Ok first off, I really liked Saw 1, 2 and 3. I think it’s because, as with any good series, say the Sopranos or Deadwood, they are all connected. This is not your run of the mill sequel, wherein the franchise makes the same movie over again with different directors and loses every nuance of the first one to get a cheap re-make out. Instead, these are intertwined and all pretty much written, produced and directed by the same people, so they do balance quite nicely. I’ve heard that episodes 5-7 are already finished. This means that if you haven’t seen 1-3 then it probably won’t do you any good to see Saw 4 until you do.
That said, this is the weakest link so far. There was a little too much plot getting in the way of the brutal slaughter and ritualistic mechanical devices. It starts out extra gory, has all the twists and turns and does the usual you-won’t-know-what-happens-until-the-end stuff. Plus it’s all about the torture, the contraptions… their functions and intricacies being described by the evil tape recorded voice of Jigsaw (who’s name has the duality of meaning either an implement that can tear ya to shreds or simply “puzzle master”; of course he’s both.) Now that I think of it, all good series tend to have a lull or a “not as good as” episode in the interim, but you can always expect the ending to go out with a bang, or in this case a BUZZ, so maybe this installment will be worth it in the long run.
Its kinda hard reviewing the plot of Saw IV without giving anything away, but I’ll give it a shot. There is a very distinct and inevitable “origin of Jigsaw” thread, filling in some gaps, lending credence to the story and giving actor Tobin Bell more work. We learn about Jigsaw’s life, his real name, his ex-wife, what made him mad, how he can control diabolical games of killing from seemingly beyond the grave, and most importantly, who will be his predecessor, nicely setting up Saw 5. The FBI finally gets involved, we learn where the “talking saw” doll came from and there is also a mini-origin of the “pig-mask” which I found fairly hilarious. One cool aspect was that the protagonist was free to move from place to place, not trapped in some building as in the prior movies.
Saw has always been a step above the usual torture-porn. Sure it’s about the gore, guttings, decapitations, dismembering, viscera, contraptions, blood-spilling, screaming and sadism, but it’s really about the game, especially the clues, and trying to piece them together before it’s over. There are so many dang clues, stemming from the blood red writing on the walls, to the strategically placed keys and notes, and the video images popping up on computers and TV sets. Everything is masterminded and someone’s always watching (besides you) and that makes the audience a participant rather than just a by-stander. The trick is to figure out which character is your voyeuristic side-kick. Its all calculated to fool you .Consider the twisted take on morality- ”you can’t help others unless they help themselves-“ Words to live by-in this case ,to die by.
My biggest “fear” watching this movie was not caused by the severe onscreen agony, but that the plot was succumbing to stereotypical horror movie conventions instead of sticking to its own formula. Every single Saw is a race against time, this one perilously fell into its own trappings of becoming a little too predictable. Sadly, the dialogue of Saw IV is pretty lame, though the underlying score effectively keeps you nervous. However, the music during the ending credits by X-Japan was unbearable. I also have a problem with the “re-modeling the apartment” scenes. Why don’t they just flash a sign when you see hanging plastic in between rooms that says someone is gonna jump through and eventually encase a victim in it?
The credits reveal some new writers so maybe I can blame them. Weaker this time, but as good ol’ horror movie edge-of-your-seat fun you can’t beat Saw IV. The Jig isn’t up yet.

SAW IV
Starring Tobin Bell,Costas Mandylor,Donnie Wahlberg,Lyriq Bent,Shawnee Smith,
Scott Patterson
Director:Darren Lynn Bousman

 2 1/2 stars