Film Review: Saw IV

Saw IV marks the first time that series creators Leigh Whannel and James Wan were not involved in the production of the screenplay. The sole connections to the original film come from the smart use of returning actors once again going from background to featured in the film. While the handing over of the series may seem problematic, new screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan make the story work.

The first thing to know is Jigsaw is dead. Before his death, he planned one final game to test police officer Rigg (series regular Lyriq Bent) and his determination to keep everyone alive at the cost of his own personal identity. Simultaneously, the police investigation angle makes a welcome return with returning officer Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) and FBI agents Strahm (Scott Patterson) and Perez (Athena Karkanis) trying to determine the identity of Jigsaw's other assistant. As revealed early in the film, there is no way that Jigsaw could have only operated with the assistance of Amanda because neither were strong enough to set up some of the traps. Through the interrogation of Jigsaw's ex-wife Jill (Betsy Russell in a very strong performance), the agents learn the origin of Jigsaw's games and potential assistants.

The plot line is very involved. Instead of dual plot lines like the previous entries, Saw IV actually uses three: Rigg's game, the police/FBI investigation, and Jigsaw's origin. The most compelling of these stories, like the third Saw film, is the one surrounding Jigsaw. Fortunately for the quality of the film, equal attention was spent on all three stories in production, so the quality is consistent.