Saw IV -- 2007 -- R

Wow. It is a rare sequel that can continue the quality of the prior installments, and yet Saw (after recovering from its medicore second installment) pulls off its fourth film with flying colors after a well made third film. Like the first and third movies, this one wisely focuses on a single character’s struggle throughout and we are left to wonder what he will come to and what trademark twist this game will have in the end. Saw adds to the rarity of a decent sequel by being a horror franchise, a genre known more for its bad sequels than any good ones. Until Saw, the mention of a sequel to a horror flick is usually met with groans, but with the prospect of Saw V and VI on the horizon, I find myself excited about what will happen next.

We follow the character of Agent Rigg, who was in the last two films to a lesser capacity, and our buddy Jigsaw (whoever he is this time) notes that Rigg has this bad habit of trying to save everyone, but this time, he is told that he will find several people in need of help during his journey to save a fellow officer, but he is to help none of them to try and break his "save everyone" habit. So Rigg follows the instructions he has been given and we encounter a number of Jigsaw’s trademark torture toys, but Rigg is told to allow the people to save themselves.

Add to this some more character information. What’s that? Character information? Yeah, we find out more about John (aka Jigsaw) and how he came to be who and how he is. We meet people who knew him and even witness his first trap along with a subsequent trap that we don’t see the results of. Characters from other films are reused and given more depth and life in this installment and I wouldn’t doubt that continuity is maintained throughout (I must re-watch the other three). To find this level of depth in a horror movie in unheard of, and it only serves to make a dark and gritty (and even painful to watch, on occasion) set of films a real pleasure to watch and experience.

Like the other movies, we’re given a slew of cannon fodder for Jigsaw’s toys, and if a weak point can be had, this would be it. The reason horror movies tend to have thin character development is because people must be killed off during the course of the movie. Saw gives us people that serve only to be killed, but using the trademark cassette recorder (of which Jigsaw must have purchased in huge quantities since he leaves them everywhere), we actually learn a little about these people that crop up. Unlike the third film, however, these people and tests do not relate to the character’s journey in any specific way except that they have their own problems and must save themselves (in Jigsaw’s unique way) instead of be saved.

It’s put together in such an ingenius way that, like the previous films, I did not anticipate the twist at all, and yet, it fit perfectly within the confines of the story. We also find our minds trying to wrap around the continuity and timeline of the series again. It is only a matter of time before someone constructs a "chronological Saw" that places all these events in the order they happened as opposed to the puzzle we’re given as these movies go on. The movies are also constructed in such a way that you can enjoy the current film, but will miss out if you haven’t seen the previous ones. There are elements near the end of this fourth movie that will be lost on the viewer if they haven’t seen Saw III.

In the end, I was pleased. I had that big goofy grin when the twist occurred, and can’t wait to watch the unrated version, and re-watch the first three. The series is shaping up very well, and I can’t wait for Saw V which will likely hit this Halloween, like the others before. It’s an incredible series as a whole, and Saw IV didn’t disappoint. Found another addition to my collection.