Saw IV

“Can’t you see
This is a land of confusion.” - Genesis (1986)

“Saw IV” is the third sequel to the cringe-inducing saga of Jigsaw, but definitely not the most logical or inventive. With each film, this once edgy horror series is becoming progressively more muddled and mechanical as the writers try to serve up one sadistic concoction after another to satisfy their hunger for pain and stomach-churning mayhem. No matter what they put on screen, audiences come out in droves to celebrate Halloween and show their support for this twisted cinematic mentality.

As a fan of the first two installments, I often look forward to seeing how far the creators are willing to go in their merciless pursuit of torture, but have learned not to expect too much from a series whose entire allure is all of a sudden based on the obvious rather than the unexpected.

What I liked so much about the original was the element of surprise that hovered over every scene and refused to let the viewer draw any definite conclusions. After a terrible third offering in 2006, I was hoping that some of the earlier mystery would resurface and provide a palatable ninety minutes of entertainment. Unfortunately, this one was over before it started.

Like always, John Kramer (Tobin Bell) is up to his old tricks again as he posthumously orchestrates another Rube Goldberg-inspired fun house in which an obsessive police officer (Lyriq Bent) must choose whether or not to save the not-so-innocent victims who have been captured. His wife has left him and he spends his days wallowing in a sea of depression over the deaths of his previous partners, so naturally he has nothing better to do than seek out lunatic serial killers. Eyes are gouged, hair is yanked, and skulls are mashed, but unless you’re already a fan, I can’t really see you getting too excited about the confusion that eventually consumes the entire picture.

Even with some convincing flashbacks, I couldn’t help but feel completely turned off by the ugly, grizzled style in which this film was shot. Some scenes were so dim and cluttered that it almost felt like I was watching a scrambled pay-per-view channel. For all the buildup that circles around this series, the creators continue to move backward when it comes to justifying its tedious continuation. If they want to slog though parts V and VI in the future, they’ll have to carry on without my a piece of my wallet in return. Now if it were in 3-D…

- * ½ out of 4