Saw IV

Jigsaw is back (yes, he's dead, but he's still back). The fourth installment in this successful franchise—which turned “torture porn” into big business—opens with the master villain's autopsy, during which a taped message is discovered in the killer's stomach indicating that his “work” will go on. Viewers learn in a series of flashbacks how mild-mannered engineer John (Tobin Bell) turned into the vengeful moralist Jigsaw, following a tragic incident involving his pregnant wife (Betsy Russell) and a violent junkie. But the main plot revolves around the efforts of two FBI profilers (Scott Patterson, Athena Karkanis) and a police detective (Costas Mandylor) to prevent further Jigsaw-directed carnage. Needless to say, they fail miserably: the devilishly ingenious killer has found a way to reach new victims from beyond the grave. In Saw IV, the usually inventive torture sequences come across as perfunctory (with one notable exception), suggesting that the series' writers have finally run out of ideas. Director Darren Lynn Bousman, who also helmed the last two entries, sticks with the customary look—harsh lighting, bluish colors, sweeping camera moves—none of which conceals the fact that the formula is exhausted. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD extras include two audio commentaries (one with director Darren Lynn Bousman and costar Lyriq Bent; the other with producers Oren Koules and Mark Burg and executive producers Peter Block and Jason Constantine), “Darren's Video Diary” (33 min.), the production featurettes “The Traps” (17 min.) and “The Props” (9 min.), a brief deleted scene, the music video “I.V.” performed by X Japan, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a law-of-diminishing-returns fourth entry in the franchise.] (E. Hulse)