Ok, I’ll be honest, this one definitely lost me on the plot but I thought the gore was still fantastic (I’m guessing it goes down from here).

Saw 4 follows on (or so we think) from Saw 3 where John Kramer has just had his throat slit. Hoffman, a detective, goes to see John’s body after they find a cassette tape covered in wax in his stomach. John basically says on the tape that even though he is dead the games have only just begun.

Cut to one of Jigsaw’s traps where Lieutenant Daniel Rigg goes in all guns blazing not worried about his safety or others. Hoffman tells him he has to be more careful but obviously he doesn’t listen. This cements his place in becoming Jigsaw’s next project. Daniel Rigg must pass through a bunch of tasks which are meant to make him question how he helps people. In the end two of his workmates, one being Hoffman himself, are in a room where one is hanging from a noose on top of a melting block of ice and Hoffman is sat in a seat next to him. If the man drops from the noose Hoffman’s seat will be lopsided and the water from the ice cube will flow down to below his feet and he will be electrocuted. Lovely right?

Well all they have to do to stay alive is outlive the timer. But Daniel Rigg is so used to barging in doors he doesn’t realise this and really learns nothing from the tasks he is given. He goes into the room 1 second (because of course it is) before the timer reaches zero and the hanging man dies (no not from hanging you may be surprised to hear!) but, twist, it turns out Hoffman was part of this whole thing, dun dun dun, and is Jigsaw’s newest apprentice after Amanda’s demise (do you think they get paid an apprentice wage too?)

But wait, there’s more! It turns out this movie and the last are happening simultaneously and even more than that, in the same building. This is where it lost me. For one, how big is this place? How did they not hear ultimately three people wandering about as well as all the surgical stuff that was happening to John? And two,

what?

The beginning of the movie made it seem like Hoffman getting that recording from John began the whole movie yet that is not what has happened at all. How did John know Hoffman would survive the task at hand? I mean maybe he was never in danger to start with but wouldn’t the guy who was supposed to be the captor check? He was checking the hanging guy lots, especially when he tried to kill himself, yet Hoffman was left to just chill in his chair. It lost me.

This movie was good but I feel this is the turning point for the franchise. It tried too much and the gore was meh and the twist just didn’t make as much sense as the other twists that have come before it. Hoffman also is a great character and good actor but I miss John. He was twisted and evil and so frustrating to watch I can’t imagine going on without him being there.

Give this movie a watch, especially around Halloween with friends, but I will definitely say there are better Saw movies out there. The ending of the second one ruined me so I’d start there (or with the first obviously) if you really want to watch something new.

What do you think of Saw 4?

Until next time.

Published by shonaharding

Media graduate with a passion for reviewing film and TV. View all posts by shonaharding