Saw IV
You thought it was over...but the games have just begun.
Saw IV (2007)
Production
Budget
$10 000 000
Revenue
$139 352 633
Director
Scenario
Patrick Melton
Author
Composer
Producer
Actors
Tobin Bell
Jigsaw / John
Costas Mandylor
Hoffman
Scott Patterson
Agent Strahm
Betsy Russell
Jill
Lyriq Bent
Rigg
Athena Karkanis
Agent Perez
Simon Reynolds
Lamanna
Short description
Saw IV continues the series after the death of John Kramer, the killer known as Jigsaw. A tape found during his autopsy sets a new game in motion, and the investigation draws in Detective Hoffman, FBI agents Strahm and Perez, and Kramer's ex-wife Jill. Meanwhile, SWAT commander Rigg is pulled into the killer's trap and given a limited time to act, while those searching for him uncover clues about Jigsaw's past and the plans he left behind.
Darren Lynn Bousman directed the film, his third entry in the series following Saw II in 2005 and Saw III in 2006. Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan wrote the screenplay, and the cast includes Tobin Bell as John Kramer, Costas Mandylor as Hoffman, Scott Patterson as Agent Strahm, Betsy Russell as Jill, Lyriq Bent as Rigg and Athena Karkanis as Agent Perez. The production, backed by Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures, had a budget of 10 million dollars and took 139 million dollars worldwide, a return consistent with the franchise's pattern of modest costs and large grosses.
Reception was mixed. On IMDb the rating stands at 5.9 from 176,000 votes, and on TMDB it is 6.2 from 4,232 votes, while the critics' rating is 3.9 from 84 reviews, placing professional response well below audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The fourth installment was given the green light even before work began on the third.
- At the 2-minute mark of the film, the pathologist puts on a mask with the clear shield facing down. However, in the next shot, the mask is already on correctly – with the clear part facing up.
- Flashbacks show John kidnapping Cecil at a Chinese street festival celebrating the Year of the Pig. The last two Years of the Pig were 1995-1996 and 2007-2008. This does not align with Jill’s statement that the events occurred shortly after John’s diagnosis in 2004.
- At the beginning of the film, during John's skull autopsy, it is visible that a small rectangular piece has been removed and reinserted. However, this is not possible, as Lynn removed this piece completely during the operation in 'Saw III'.
- Director Darren Lynn Bousman initially did not want to shoot the fourth film, but changed his mind after reading the script proposed by the producers.
- The women Ivon sexually assaulted, captured in photographs, are portrayed by Darren's friends, his assistant, and his lawyer.
- At the 80-minute mark of the film, two suspended ice blocks can be seen under the ceiling, however, at the 29-minute mark, when this trap was shown for the first time, the ice blocks under the ceiling were not visible.
- Initially, Donnie Wahlberg refused the role of Eric due to a busy schedule.
- At the 4-minute mark of the film, when the pathologists open John Kramer's chest cavity, it can be noticed that there is no large scar on the right side of his abdomen. This is an error, as the plot states that John was involved in a car accident during his lifetime and received a penetrating injury from a metal rod in the abdominal area.
- Allison Luther (the girl Riggs talks to at school) is the director's niece.
- At the 65-minute mark of the film, the timer on Art's table shows 19 minutes and 47 seconds. Hoffman calls him over to have Art check on Matthews. When he returns to his place a minute later, the timer shows that only 6 seconds have passed.
- In the room where it says “Feel what I feel,” Riggs finds the final puzzle clue in a desk drawer. The first shot shows only one sentence on a piece of paper: “Become the teacher and save a life.” A subsequent close-up reveals a second sentence: “Go back to where it all began.”
- At the 3-minute mark of the film, it can be noticed that John Kramer’s face is covered in several days’ worth of stubble. However, he was clean-shaven before his death in "Saw III". Hair stops growing after a person dies, but it is likely that the stubble became visible due to skin dehydration.
- At the 16-minute mark of the film, Lieutenant Riggs picks up a book dedicated to Jigsaw. The subtitle of the book is written with an error – Is he the murderer the police says he his.
- When Art Blank fights Detective Matthews, his cap alternately disappears and reappears.
- When Stram turns around to look at the person entering the interrogation room at the 51-minute mark, the reflection of the operator can be seen in the right side of the mirrored partition.
- When Agents Stram and Perez discover Detective Kerry's body, Stram proposes his theory of a third party assisting the Builder and Amanda Young. He could not have known about Amanda Young at this stage.
- During the autopsy, when the brain is removed from the skull, it is not attached to the brainstem or spinal cord. In reality, significant dissection would be required to remove it so freely.
- The dog that Ivon is playing with belongs to Darren Lynn Bousman.
- The director's cut is 4 minutes longer than the standard version.
- In the scene where Riggs enters the store, the clock shows 1:16, and immediately in the following shot it shows 3:46.
- The first installment of the series not to feature input from Lee Wannell and James Wan, the creators of the original film.
- When two FBI agents find a cassette and a puppet in the school building, the cassette can be seen playing even before Agent Perez presses the play button.
- At the 4-minute mark of the film, the pathologists open Kramer's skull and easily remove the brain, however, this requires first separating the brain from the cranial nerves and spinal cord. In the next shot, the brain is weighed, but the needle on the scale does not move.
- Art's second trap was called Spine Pincer, designed to sever the back of the neck if he failed the test. But when he removes his jacket, revealing the device, and tilts his head, it's clear he can position his body so that the device won't touch him when activated. Therefore, Art has no reason to torture Eric and Hoffmann.
- The film was shot in 32 days.
Similar movies
9/10
8.5/10
8.1/10
8/10
8/10
7.9/10
7.9/10
7.9/10
7.9/10
7.9/10
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
