Review: "Saw IV" Redeems "Saw 3"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 133 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Saw IV (2007)
Running time: 95 min (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture throughout and for language
DIRECTOR: Darren Lynn Bousman
WRITERS: Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan; from the story by Thomas H. Fenton and Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan
PRODUCERS: Mark Burg and Oren Koules
CINEMATOGRAPHER: David A. Armstrong
EDITOR: Kevin Greutert

HORROR/CRIME/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Betsey Russell, Lyriq Bent, Athena Karkanis, Justin Louis, Simon Reynolds, Donnie Wahlberg, Angus Macfadyen, Shawnee Smith, and Billy Otis

As Saw IV opens, Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) and his apprentice Amanda (Shawnee Smith) are dead, and the police discover Detective Kerry’s (Dina Meyer) body. Two seasoned FBI profilers, Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) and Agent Perez (Athena Karkanis), arrive in this community that Jigsaw has terrorized to assist veteran Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) in sifting through Jigsaw's latest grizzly remains and piecing together the puzzle.

Meanwhile, SWAT Commander Rigg (Lyriq Bent), the last officer untouched by Jigsaw, is abducted and thrust into Jigsaw’s bloody game of bizarre death contraptions. Rigg has only ninety minutes to overcome a series of demented traps and his own obsessions to save his old friend Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg), who is revealed to still be alive, or face the deadly consequences.

Saw IV has a huge twist that is somehow connected to Saw III, and it will only serve to enrich this fantastic horror/crime film series that borders on torture porn. In fact, IV is an upgrade on III. For one, whereas III seemed to be mostly about violence, gore, and sadism, IV is a suspenseful mystery/thriller that keeps the viewer on the edge of his seat in terror and keeps up the urgency to unravel the mystery. Secondly, IV finally offers the origin story of Jigsaw, and it’s a tightly written story within a story that is as poignant and tragic as many film dramas and as shocking as the best horror flicks. Thirdly, the ensemble cast is good, in particularly Lyriq Bent in his performance as the determined Rigg.

Saw IV is just as big as a gross out flick as Saw III, but this time we get an edgy thriller, a riveting mystery, and good filmmaking to go with the gleefully gory stuff.

7 of 10
B+

Sunday, October 28, 2007

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Review: "Saw III" Gory and Boring... Which is Actually Kinda Impressive

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 223 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Saw III (2006)
Running time: 107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong grisly violence and gore, sequences of terror and torture, nudity, and language
DIRECTOR: Darren Lynn Bousman
WRITERS: Leigh Whannell; from a story by James Wan and Leigh Whannell
PRODUCERS: Gregg Hoffman, Oren Koules, and Mark Burg
CINEMATOGRAPHER: David A. Armstrong (director of photography)
EDITOR: Kevin Greutert

HORROR with elements of drama

Starring: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Angus Macfadyen, Bahar Soomekh, Dina Meyer, Mpho Koaho, Barry Flatman, Lyriq Bent, and J LaRose

The Jigsaw killer (Tobin Bell) and his apprentice, Amanda (Shawnee Smith), are still subjecting hapless victims to their cruel, sadistic, and intricate games of death. While city detectives frantically hunt for them, they’ve chosen two new pawns, the detached and clinical Dr. Lynn Denlon (Bahar Soomekh), and Jeff (Angus Macfadyen), a grieving father obsessed with getting revenge for the death of his young son.

Saw III, of all the Saw films, may delve most deeply into the psychology of both the game masters and their “players.” However, for all its attempts at discovering the reasons and rationales for the characters’ actions, Saw III is listless, although it is as gory and gross as the previous movies. Watching the characters desperately fight to escape the mega sadistic contraptions Jigsaw and Amanda have prepared for them (there’s a twist here) is painful – ready-made to cause viewer squirming and flinching. But the whole gruesome exercise seems as dull and as unappealing as harvesting belly button lint.

Most of Saw II’s crew has returned for Saw III, including director Darren Lynn Bousman and screenwriter Leigh Whannell (who based Saw III’s script on an idea by original Saw director James Wan), but they couldn’t rebuild the fire they started for Saw II. The production values are also of lesser quality. The set looks like a rundown mechanic’s garage, and the cinematography is dull and poorly lit even for a horror flick. The acting amounts to sneers, hard stares, hollering, and over-emoting. Hardcore gore attics (and Saw fanatics) may very well find much in this flick to love, but if it weren’t for the scene with the puréed putrid pigs, Saw III wouldn’t have a single memorable moment.

4 of 10
C

Saturday, October 28, 2006

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Review: "Saw II" is an Excellent Follow-up to Original Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 164 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Saw II (2005)
Running time: 93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)
MPAA – R for grisly violence and gore, terror, language, and drug content
DIRECTOR: Darren Lynn Bousman
WRITERS: Leigh Whannell and Darren Lynn Bousman
PRODUCERS: Mark Burg, Gregg Hoffman, and Oren Koules
CINEMATOGRAPHER: David A. Armstrong
EDITOR: Kevin Greutert

HORROR/THRILLER with elements of fantasy

Starring: Donnie Wahlberg, Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Lyriq Bent, Tim Burd, Franky G, Noam Jenkins, Erik Knudsen, Dina Meyer, Beverley Mitchell, Tony Nappo, Glenn Plummer, and Emmanuelle Vaugier

Called to a crime scene, Detective Eric Mason (Donnie Wahlberg) isn’t really interested in the grisly murder before him. The crime scene has all the markings of Jigsaw, the notorious killer (from Saw) who disappeared leaving a trail of bodies behind him. Jigsaw leaves a message taunting Detective Mason, but Mason’s mind is on his troubled, estranged son. Still, the police get a break and discover Jigsaw’s hideout. There, they find Jigsaw, revealed to be John (Tobin Bell), an older, wheelchair-bound man who claims that he’s dying of cancer. And he has one more game to play. Mason and the S.W.A.T. team find a multi-monitor setup playing Jigsaw’s latest game.

Each screen captures a scene from a charnel house. Eight strangers, including Mason’s son, Daniel (Erik Knudsen), are trapped in the dilapidated house, forced to play Jigsaw’s twisted game. In various locations in the house, Jigsaw has hidden antidotes to a nerve gas that is steadily pumped into the house from some unknown location. The eight player/captives have less than two hours to solve the riddles and games that test their wits and put their lives in jeopardy. They also have a mysterious connection. Meanwhile, Mason and Amanda (Shawnee Smith), another detective familiar with Jigsaw, try to find the location of the death house.

Saw II is mean, nasty, gory, shocking, and occasionally repulsive, but it’s just about everything a good horror movie should be. Yeah, there are a few slips ups. Putting Jigsaw/John front and center turns the movie into a kind of a police thriller. How a fatally ill man can set up all those contraptions of death (doing it with very little help) stretches the willing suspension of disbelief into the realm of supernatural.

The acting is quiet good; in fact, Donnie Wahlberg could give his brother Mark a run for his money. It’s fun to see the police run around confused and confounded. The eight player-captives are a nice lot of miscreants, and the script characterizes them just right for this concept. We understand just enough about them to understand why they’re in this predicament Jigsaw created specifically for them. Also, this scary movie has some scenes (the well of needles) that’ll make you want to scoot down really deep into your seat, skin crawling and hairs on end. Saw II is all bloody hell and bloody fun. There are head wounds, drug needles, sharp objects, blood splatters, and mortal combat nicely spaced by a twisted script. What more do you want from a scary movie?

7 of 10
B+

Saturday, October 29, 2005

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