[Saw 4]
Plot:Jigsaw and his apprentice Amanda are dead. Now, upon the news of Detective Kerry's murder, two seasoned FBI profilers, Agent Strahm and Agent Perez, arrive in the terrified community to assist the veteran Detective Hoffman in sifting through Jigsaw's latest grizzly remains and piecing together the puzzle. However, when SWAT Commander Rigg is abducted and thrust into a game, the last officer untouched by Jigsaw has but ninety minutes to overcome a series of demented traps and save an old friend or face the deadly consequences.

Cast: Tobin Bell, Scott Patterson, Justin Louis, Lyriq Bent, Sarain Boylan, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Athena Karkanis, Simon Reynolds, Mike Realba, Marty Adams, Donnie Wahlberg.

My Thoughts:Running out of Jigsaw's

Review::"Saw 4" is the fourth installment of the popular "Saw" series which began all the way back in 2003, and up to now has been extremely successful and profitable due to it's new and unique ideas to mutilate morally corrupt people and out-think it's audience. So does "Saw 4" measure up to it's three predecessors? Or is it the beginning of the serieses demise? Some felt the series was on life support with part three, which some folks said wasn't as good as 1 and 2. Others felt three brought the hardcore violence and all, but the ideas weren't as sharp. Well in my opinion, "Saw 4" opens up a whole new plethora of possibilities for the series, but at the same time a shortage of villains is beginning to plague the series just a bit.

This film follows the series tradition of picking up right after what came before it. In "Saw 4", Jigsaw is indeed dead, and things open up with his autopsy. Another gruesome scene which far trumps the cranial surgery scene in part three. But that Jigsaw, he's a clever one. Like it said in the trailer, "the games have indeed just begun"...and when the autopsy reveals a tape hidden in Jigsaw's stomach, Detective Hoffman is immediately called in and thus a new series of games begin. This film focuses on Detective Rigg (Lyriq Bent), basically for two reasons. One being that Rigg has remained mostly untouched up to this point, and basically because other than Hoffman, he's the only officer left alive at this point.

Rigg hasn't done anything wrong, and one would wonder why Jigsaw would be out to teach him a lesson. However, unlike the other unsavory characters Jigsaw trapped and screwed with in the previous films, Jigsaw this time is giving Rigg a lesson from the other side of the spectrum, one could say due to Rigg trying to do "too much" good as a cop, he's brought this on himself. The film like all "Saw" films, also juggles 4 to 5 other side plots while Rigg is put through gruesome test after gruesome test, although like I said...on the other side of the spectrum. These tests don't fit Jigsaw's usual M.O...and while they do kind of fall in line with the tests Jeff in part three had to pass, Jeff and Rigg are two different characters which this film makes sure to make evident to the viewer.

Er go, Rigg's tests are more of a mental thing, while others are made to suffer in the physical realm. Meanwhile in the midst of all of this, all sorts of characters connected to Jigsaw's past, present, and some new ones who just want to stop his reign of terror which has seemingly stretched from the grave...are tossed into the mix. We also learn some key new info about Jigsaw which makes his motives alot clearer but at the same time raises new questions. "Saw 4" is certainly on par with the first three, it's fun, intriguing, and you await every new twist and turn with baited breath. There's truly a surprise around every corner here, and most "Saw" fans shouldn't be disappointed. The traps this time around are still very gruesome, very new, and very deadly.

If there's one thing this film did not lapse in, it's creating new traps that the audience will enjoy watching those strapped in them try to escape. "Saw 4" in some ways is alot easier to follow than part three, and the film really works on many dfiferent levels, while going from past to present and from present to past whenever it pretty much chooses to. All of this time displacement and switching in the end culminates into one really huge twist which I'm sure many people will probably see coming while many other people probably wouldn't have expected it. While some won't appreciate the twist, will find it stupid, tedious, or impossible...others will appreciate some new energy being injected into the series and will also appreciate the typical "Saw" "all is not what it seems" note that the film ends on.

If there's one weakness the movie has, it's that the end reveal will probably disappoint some, as it did me. Not because it wasn't smart or clever, just that in a moral way, it's sort of demeaning and disappointing. All in all, this film should make "Saw" fans happy as the usual demented traps, the loads of blood and gore, and the insane twists are all still present. But the mainstream moviegoer who hasn't seen 1-3 will probably leave scratching their heads about everything.

Positives:Good performances, interesting twists, tons of blood and gore, nice demented traps, and some very intense sequences.

Negatives:As I said the end reveal was disappointing in a moral sort of way.

Overall:This series doesn't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down.





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