Poor Jigsaw. The architect of the most deadly traps ever committed to celluloid has endured inoperable cancer, a debilitating car crash and even the premature death of his son, but nothing as painful or degrading as 'Saw IV.'

... any serious consideration of the killer's fascination with violence is superseded by the director's (and the returning viewers') own sadistic pleasures.

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Outro típico exemplar da série: o final, como de hábito, é até engenhoso, mas a fórmula cada vez mais desgastada exige paciência até que cheguemos a ele.

Whereas the first Saw and the third met the right balance, the second film and now the fourth push things a little too far and end up being less effective as a result.

Were it not for the saving grace of Tobin Bell's mere presence, there's little doubt that Saw IV would come off about as well as a typical straight-to-video horror sequel.

Torture, you may recall, used to be an unparsable, unpardonable sin. Now it's porn.

Like many villains before him, John turns out to have been wronged rather randomly, an act of terrible violence that he absorbs into his worldview.

Opens with the clinically graphic dissection of the deceased Jigsaw, who finally lives up to (dies down to?) his name by being separated into pieces...

Might be the best since the first, but still a task to watch. A painful, meaningless task.