Saw IV (2007)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Darren Lynn Bousman

Writers:

Patrick Melton (screenplay) &
Marcus Dunstan (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 October 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

It's a Trap

Plot:

Jigsaw and his apprentice Amanda are dead. Now, upon the news of Detective Kerry's murder, two seasoned FBI profilers...

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Corpse | Autopsy | Trap | Stomach

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 12

8:00 PM

TMC

Cast

Tobin Bell	...	Jigsaw / John
Costas Mandylor	...	Hoffman
Scott Patterson	...	Agent Strahm
Betsy Russell	...	Jill
Lyriq Bent	...	Rigg
Athena Karkanis	...	Agent Perez
Justin Louis	...	Art
Simon Reynolds	...	Lamanna
Donnie Wahlberg	...	Eric Matthews
Angus Macfadyen	...	Jeff
Shawnee Smith	...	Amanda
Bahar Soomekh	...	Lynn
Dina Meyer	...	Kerry
Mike Realba	...	Fisk
Marty Adams	...	Ivan

MPAA:

Rated R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture throughout, and for language.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

USA:R | UK:18 | Ireland:18 | Hong Kong:III | Australia:MA (re-rating on appeal) | Australia:R (original rating) | Denmark:16 | Norway:18 | Singapore:R21 | Taiwan:R-18 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-18 (self applied) | Sweden:15 | Netherlands:16 | Austria:18 | Germany:18 (cut) | Italy:VM14 | Switzerland:18 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:18 (canton of Vaud) | France:-16 | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | New Zealand:R18 | Brazil:18 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Portugal:M/18 | Peru:18 | South Africa:16LV (DVD rating) | South Africa:18 (theatrical rating) | Japan:R-15

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Lionsgate

Trivia:

When the results from the fingerprint analysis from the bullet come in, two other names can be seen on the sheet that matches the fingerprint on the bullet to Officer Rigg: "Entry Employee: Scoffield, Sean" and "CSI Case App: Armstrong, David". Sean Scoffield is in charge of doing the graphics for Saw IV, and David A. Armstrong is the Director of Photography.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the beginning of the movie, during the autopsy, John's skull is seen having the minor rectangular piece removed. This, however, is not possible, as Lynn from Saw III removed the piece as part of his brain surgery.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Pathologist: Subject's name is John Kramer. 52 year old male; Caucasian. He's seen better days.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Seth Rogen/Spoon (#33.2)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

I.V.

The ultimate in modern horror...

It's a rare occurrence, but get ready to see this more then once. Saw 4 plays more like a detective story lifted from a page of a who-dun-it novel. This time, we delve deeper into John's past, his ex-wife, and the real secrets about what made him Jigsaw. During his autopsy, it's reveled his stomach contains an audio tape. The tape warns that his work will continue.

It seems that die-hard fans don't wish to know about what's in the story, since I had to re-edit my comment so that none of the story would be revealed (except that which you see in the ads anyway). In my previous comment, I said nothing about the ending, yet just giving away some of the plot is enough of a no-no. I don't blame them, since this 4th outing has too many elements that make it easier to predict what's going to happen. Regardless, you'd have to be some kind of rare genius to figure out what will happen in the end.

The series has flowed like a smooth, well-oiled Rube Goldberg machine. It's the most complex of the bunch, in some ways, outdoing the previous ones. I repeat: it begs to be watched again. Just when you thought that the previous Saw Traps had done everything they can to a human body, this one has some clever ones of it's own (not as gruesome as Saw 3, though). The autopsy scene is set to the extreme; the MPAA stating that most viewers have now gotten used to seeing programs like CSI and other medical procedures, so they let this slide easier.

Deceptive, dark, very edgy and well written, the Saw series can easily end here. It's almost necessary to have watched the previous Saws, but can stand on it's own as one of the best of the chapters. Of course, it leaves it open for yet another in the series, which will be in production soon. I don't know when I will tire of the series, but honestly, I can't wait to see what other delicious traps they cook up next.