SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

jtindahouse 'Saw 4' to me was the last great entry into the original 'Saw' series. While some cracks had begun to appear (it is certainly not as good as the first 3 were and we'll get to why later) it is still a thoroughly enjoyable film that is both smart and brutal all at once. The twist ending is again brilliant and highly memorable and all the other traits we have become accustomed to in 'Saw' films are present.Any negatives mentioned here are being very nitpicky, however they are necessary to show why the film wasn't quite as good as the first three. The first thing is that this film doesn't have a unique identity like each of those films did. Each one of them was set up in a very simple, yet memorable way which stuck with you long after seeing it. 'Saw 4' is a little bit all over the place and hence doesn't have this quality. Being intricately complicated, in an incredibly simple set-up, was what made the first three so brilliant.The second thing is that a lot of traps weren't quite as creative as we had come to expect. Again, simplicity in the trap is the biggest strength. On this occasion it sometimes felt like too much thinking was required on the part of the audience and consequently we couldn't just sit back and enjoy them. There were some like that (like the kitchen knives one) however on those occasions I didn't feel like they were quite brutal enough to be memorable either.All nitpicking aside though this is still an exquisite horror film. The series gets a little shaky from here on out, so to have this as one final great entry was a pleasant surprise.

destinylives52 "Saw IV" concentrates on two story lines: what truly motivated Jigsaw (played by Tobin Bell) into putting people into traps; and a cop (played by Lyriq Bent) being tested by Bell to see how far Bent's obsession will go regarding Bent's need to save everyone. While the former is interesting and well played, the latter was forced, with Bent doing many things that were out of character despite the screenwriters trying to justify it with Bent's emotional problems.More bloody, heinous traps; more gruesome deaths of victims; more plot twists; more revelations; more mini cassettes with Bell's altered voice; more frenetic editing and transitions that move the story along rapidly…all leading to more reasons for fans of this series to squirm and laugh and gasp and enjoy the morbid nature of these stories.My most memorable, movie moment of "Saw IV" is the very detailed, disgusting, and fascinating autopsy scene. Unless you have a very strong stomach, this is not the time to be eating your hot dogs or chips and salsa.Four movies in, and the "Saw" movies still have lots of steam. How far can it go before going stale? I shall find out soon because I'll be checking out part V.Mannysmemorablemoviemoments

bh_tafe3 This is going to be the shortest review I've written for a Saw film, as this is the one with the least merit on every level...until 3-D. Not only does this fail utterly as a stand alone movie, but it also fails to advance the Saw series as a whole. The only meaningful thing to happen in this movie, apart from some Jigsaw flashbacks and the introduction of his ex-wife Jill (Betsy Russell) that could frankly have been used in any of the next three films, is that we learn Detective Mark Hoffman was in cahoots with Jigsaw and is actually going to take over his work as the Jigsaw killer and, as we're told at the end of the film by a tape retrieved from Jigsaw's stomach "his test will come.". We also see Jeff from the previous film get shot. Matthews finally dies (one of the best deaths of the series) and Jeff's daughter is saved by Hoffman. What to say about this film? It happens simultaneously with the third film, a cop out in and of itself as one of the main reasons I saw this movie was to find out what direction they would take the series in after Jigsaw's death. There's a new character, Rigg, who is being tested to be put in situations and not intervene. The film kind of hints that Jigsaw is trying to convert Rigg to his cause, leaving messages like "See what I see" and "Hear what I hear. Either that or simply make it look like Rigg is in cahoots with Jigsaw. There's an FBI Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson), who was the late detective Kerry's contact, who buys into the possibility that Rigg is either being tested or in on it. He's accompanied by Agent Perez (Athena Karkanis), who would go on to become important in later films in the series. And did I mention Rigg has been obsessed with saving people since Matthews disappeared, kind of like Kerry suffering from depression in part III? So basically, the Rigg story would have worked better if they hadn't killed off Kerry in Part 3 and just put her in the role in this film. A character we had seen in multiple movies in the series and was just thrown away in the opening 20 minutes of Part 3 with no build-up. This certainly would have made the film more satisfying, but I'm not convinced it would have saved it. More successful are the flashbacks of Jigsaw's origins, but like I said, these could have come in any of the films of the series, and this will be a continuing problem as the series progresses. Trying to add interest by introducing new background information on Jigsaw. Ultimately, the characters we're seeing caught in his traps and acting out the story in front of us is where the interest should come from, not in adding increasingly convoluted information to the backstory of characters whose story has already been told.Saw 4 is a lazy retread of a bunch of stuff we've already seen in the series, It puts off the inevitable problem of explaining what happens after jigsaw dies by happening while he's still alive. Worst of all, it fails to be a satisfying experience in its own right. The worst in the series so far, but it wouldn't take long for company to arrive.

Python Hyena Saw 4 (2007): Dir: Darren Lynn Bousman / Cast: Tobin Bell, Scott Paterson, Lyrig Bent, Betsy Russell, Costas Mandylor: More bodies being mutilated in all sorts of methods. Jigsaw is dead but a tape is found in his body and played thus leading to a series of events to find two missing detectives. Detective Rigg follows the clues that lead to traps set to punish those whom have committed criminal acts against innocent people. Structure is detailed but violence is graphic. Director Darren Lynn Bousman is skillful but he needs to grow beyond the Saw franchise, which he has been part of since the first two sequels. Tobin Bell is seen in flashbacks as the cancer ridden Jigsaw. As the film opens, he is dead but we are given his relationship with the Betsy Russell character. Scott Patterson plays a detective who targets Russell for questions before learning where the traps are rigged. Lyrig Bent plays another detective who is the latest victim tested with gruesome traps that will advance himself and give explicit justice to criminals who have gotten away until now. Betsy Russell plays the stunning vixen who is revealed to be a target. She tells of her miscarriage and destroyed marriage before her relationship to Jigsaw. Costas Mandylor plays the detective listening to a tape and being tested. The ending rots like its victims in its disgusting display that opens for another sequel. Score: 5 / 10