John Kramer (Tobin Bell) is dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. Jigsaw’s plans, however, are still inexplicably lurching forward. In Saw IV, the continuing storylines become more complex. Non-linear storytelling becomes the norm, with events weaving through elements of past films like a complex set of city streets. Characters that only played minor roles at the beginning of the franchise become major players. There’s a wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey element to Saw IV as plotlines converge and diverge.
But make no mistake: John Kramer is dead. Saw IV begins with long, loving shots of John Kramer’s autopsy. Hey, you wanna see Jigsaw’s penis? Here’s your chance! Inside Kramer’s stomach, the medical examiner discovers a micro-cassette, protected from acids by a thick coating of candle wax. Detective Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor), who appeared in Saw II for a good 20 seconds, is called in. The tape is from Kramer to Hoffman, letting him know that the games are still continuing.
Enter the FBI in the form of Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) and Agent Perez (Athena Karkanis). They’ve arrived to investigate the murder of Detective Kerry (Dina Meyer, who was killed in an unwinnable trap in Saw III). Kerry was the liaison between the cops and the feds.
Also reappearing is Lieutenant Rigg (Lyriq Bent), who appeared in Saw II and Saw III. A workaholic obsessed with the Jigsaw cases, Rigg becomes the latest test subject. We learn through Jigsaw’s game-establishing video that Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg), who was placed into the old scummy Saw bathroom at the end of the second film, is still alive. Rigg needs to save both Matthews and the also-kidnapped Hoffman within 90 minutes. In Rigg’s way are his tests, people stuck in a variety of traps, uneasy combinations of Takeshi’s Castle and The People’s Court.
Jill Tuck (Betsy Russell), John Kramer’s ex-wife who was introduced in Saw III, is also in the mix. What does she know about Jigsaw? Does she know who is carrying out Jigsaw’s instructions from beyond the veil? Is she somehow responsible for all the flashbacks John Kramer appears in during the film?
Saw IV is complex, and that’s an understatement.
With Saw IV, the franchise begins to change. This is the first Saw film written without the participation of series originators James Wan and Leigh Whannell. With writers Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton in creative control, the multiple storylines of Saw IV become almost overwhelming, but in that good Saw way. Stay loose and go with the flow because the ending will tie up all the loose ends.
Mostly.
As Detective Hoffman, Mandylor is properly stuffy. Mandylor’s performance suffers from being tied to a chair for a majority of the film as part of Jigsaw’s game. There are seeds there for a larger role, a burning sense of determination.
It is Scott Patterson as the dogged, raging Agent Strahm that propels Saw IV. There’s no other word for it: Patterson is great. Cocksure about all the wrong things, Strahm chases down leads like a human bloodhound. Patterson exudes misplaced confidence and an explosive nature, giving Saw IV the sophisticated jolt of humanity it needs.
Humanity, by the way, is the overriding theme of Saw IV. Lieutenant Rigg has lost his through the course of his work. After six months in captivity, Detective Matthews has become desperate and feral. Strahm, like most of us, simply wants to know what the hell is going on. If Saw IV is any indication, humanity is in a grim state indeed.
After the death of Jigsaw, the franchise had to take some sharp turns in order to continue. By its very nature, Saw IV is a transitional film, 95 minutes of world expansion, exposition, and a small bit of closure. Saw IV ensures that story tendrils, even ones that seemed small and insignificant, from the first three films continue. This is a Venn diagram of a film, circles overlapping, one on top of the other, resulting in a frenetic, bloody story.
Focusing on new characters while sticking with the traps and what Adam Duritz called “the crumbling distance between wrong and right” makes Saw IV the twisted key to the second era of the franchise. Even if the structure of the film’s events feels a tad stale, there are enough surprises to keep the ongoing story fresh. It’s not necessarily a fun watch, but it’s an interesting one.
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