Monday, November 5, 2007
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11:31 PM
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Even though they killed him off in Saw III, the latest installment in Lionsgate's hit horror franchise -- directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Patrick Melton & Marcus Dunstan -- offers fans the chance to see what turned engineer John Kramer (Tobin Bell) into the maniacal Jigsaw. While it's not a franchise reboot-origin story a la Casino Royale, Saw IV delves deeper into the character and motivations of its central protagonist far more than the previous entries did.
Besides Jigsaw, Saw IV focuses most on SWAT Commander Rigg (Lyriq Bent), who is haunted by the loss of his colleagues -- especially Detective Kerry (Dina Meyer) -- at the hands of Jigsaw. Rigg is abducted by Jigsaw's mysterious new helper and finds himself engaged in a game engineered by Jigsaw from beyond the grave. Since Rigg is obsessed with saving people, Jigsaw has set a series of interconnected traps that force Rigg to question his obsession and ask whether people must save themselves.
Rigg has 90 minutes (hey, that just so happens to be a good chunk of the film's running time!) to follow Jigsaw's clues and rescue his latest victims from their grisly traps. The catch is that these particular victims are unrepentant criminals. Can Rigg save them all in time? Should he even bother to? (There's another motivation for Rigg to complete his task before the 90 minutes expires but we're leaving that out for the sake of spoilers.)
While Rigg plays Jigsaw's game, FBI agents Strahm (Scott Patterson) and Perez (Athena Karkanis) help Rigg's boss Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) figure out what the puppet master's last game is about. Their investigation leads them to Jigsaw's ex-wife Jill (Betsy Russell), whom they suspect is involved in this new game. It's through Jill's retelling of her past that we come to learn what made John Kramer become Jigsaw.
It's amazing how the filmmakers are able to keep coming up with fresh ideas for new traps, but here the traps serve as metaphors for their victims rather than just being cool and scary to behold. However, it becomes clear that regardless of how one plays the game Jigsaw (or his helper) has rigged it in his favor. This cheapens whatever moral Jigsaw is trying to teach his pawns if the deck is stacked against them.
A colleague pointed out that so much of Saw IV relies on characters making completely arbitrary decisions. If someone opted to go left instead of right then Jigsaw's entire plan could have fallen apart. It's inconceivable to think that even a puppet master as ingenious as Jigsaw could have foreseen and prepared for every possible decision that his subjects would make. (Why Rigg never calls for back-up remains a mystery.) The film ventures into Shyamalan territory by the end, a climax that we can't say too much about for the sake of spoilers suffice to say that it highlights the arbitrary nature of the story's construction. It's an ending that will frustrate as many viewers as it impresses.
Despite these shortcomings, Saw IV is a gripping, breathlessly paced thriller that will keep you engaged throughout. You may leave the cinema arguing about what it all meant and how things played out, but you'll also leave with a better understanding of Jigsaw as a character. How often has a horror sequel actually bothered to explore what makes its iconic boogeyman tick? For that reason alone Saw IV is worth a look
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coolpix
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MOVIE REVIEWS
1 comments:
ohh I loved this movie... The history is brilliant and envolving.. Can't wait to Saw 5 and 6 to comes out...
Saw 4 is one of the most creepy movies I saw this year, but even the most horrible movies has some funny moments... I saw this movie where Scott Patterson and Tobin Bell talk about some funny moments they had while shooting horrific scenes.
http://www.weshow.com/uk/p/20766/saw_iv_actors_tension_and_laughs
Hilarious isn't it? LOL
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