Despite Jigsaw's death, and in order to save the lives of two of his colleagues, Lieutenant Rigg is forced to take part in a new game, which promises to test him to the limit.
Like the movie's mysterious Jigsaw doppelganger, Saw IV is itself a poor substitute for the original (or even the first two sequels).
– Scott Foundas,
L.A. Weekly,
1 Nov 2007
rotten:
The reports of torture porn's demise may have been greatly exaggerated, but this fourth entry in the mutilate-yourself-or-die series joins what may be the worst genre of the decade: the lamely ''sympathetic'' serial-killer backstory.
– Owen Gleiberman,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct 2007
rotten:
This death trap may be rusty, but as long as it keeps generating fresh blood, it's unlikely to slam shut anytime soon.
– Elizabeth Weitzman,
New York Daily News,
29 Oct 2007
rotten:
Just as Jigsaw tests his victims, the franchise's own test will be whether such suspension can be maintained, or if matters lapse into a torture chamber of self-parody.
– Robert Koehler,
Variety,
29 Oct 2007
rotten:
An incomprehensible cacophony of screams, shock cuts, dour pseudo-philosophizing, heavy metal mutilation and low-rent TV-standard performances.