Saw IV (2007) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Hoffman is called "the last man standing" because Jigsaw's final tape reveals that Hoffman is his chosen successor to carry on the deadly games. Throughout the film, it's revealed that Hoffman has been secretly working alongside Jigsaw as his accomplice, helping set up traps and eliminating loose ends. The tape exposes that Hoffman has been part of Jigsaw's manipulation all along, making him the final piece in Jigsaw's twisted plan.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Hoffman receiving mysterious instructions and acting suspiciously around the investigation, hinting at his deeper involvement.

• hoffman
• last man standing
• jigsaw successor
• accomplice

Detective Eric Matthews, who disappeared six months before Saw IV, is revealed to still be alive but trapped in one of Jigsaw's games during the events of the film. Rigg receives a videotape showing Matthews chained in an industrial location with only 90 minutes to escape. Matthews had been captured and subjected to Jigsaw's deadly tests, with his survival being a central plot point that drives Rigg's desperate mission.

Foreshadowing: Hoffman mentions Matthews' disappearance early in the film, setting up the revelation of his fate.

• detective matthews
• eric matthews
• disappearance
• captured

Jigsaw targeted Rex because he was an abusive husband who brutally mistreated his wife Morgan and their daughter Jane. The trap at the school forces Morgan to choose between saving herself or staying with Rex, who is impaled alongside her. Jigsaw's philosophy was to test people who had wronged others, using his traps as twisted lessons about survival and morality. Rex's abuse made him a target in Jigsaw's eyes, while Morgan was tested to see if she had the strength to save herself.

Foreshadowing: Jigsaw's known victims throughout the series have typically been people who have harmed others or failed to appreciate their lives.

• rex
• morgan
• abusive husband
• school trap
• domestic abuse

Rigg failed his test because he couldn't resist playing the hero and trying to save everyone, which is exactly what Jigsaw predicted. Despite being told to "see what I see" and walk away from victims, Rigg kept intervening in the traps, inadvertently triggering deadly mechanisms like the one that peeled Brenda's scalp. His inability to let people face the consequences of their own choices led to multiple deaths and ultimately his own demise, proving Jigsaw's point that sometimes trying to save everyone results in saving no one.

Foreshadowing: Jigsaw's tape at the beginning explicitly tells Rigg that his need to control outcomes and save people will be his downfall.

• rigg
• failed test
• hero complex
• brenda
• scalp trap

Art survived the mausoleum trap by killing Trevor. When the winch pulled them together, Trevor, blinded and panicked, attacked Art. However, Art overpowered him and used a knife to kill Trevor, then took the key from Trevor's collar to unlock his chain. After Trevor's death, Art discovered the recorded message and instructions from Jigsaw that would guide the rest of his involvement in the game.

Foreshadowing: The mausoleum scene shows Art as more calculating and willing to do whatever it takes to survive, foreshadowing his later role as Jigsaw's enforcer.

• art
• trevor
• mausoleum
• killed
• key
• survival

The wax-coated microcassette found in Jigsaw's stomach during his autopsy contained a posthumous message revealing two key pieces of information. First, it identified Lieutenant Mark Hoffman as "the last man standing" and part of Jigsaw's final test. Second, it confirmed that Jigsaw's deadly games would continue even after his death through his chosen successors. This tape essentially kickstarts the entire plot of Saw IV by revealing the conspiracy at the heart of the film.

Foreshadowing: The discovery of the tape happens at the very beginning of the film, setting up the central mystery of who will continue Jigsaw's work.

• tape
• jigsaw stomach
• posthumous message
• death
• revelation

Morgan had to pull the rods impaling Rex because she, Rex, and their daughter Jane were all strapped to a mechanical device that would kill them all if no action was taken. The trap required Morgan to make a choice: pull the rods to free herself and kill Rex, or stay and die with him. Jigsaw's test was designed to see if Morgan had the strength to save herself and her daughter from an abusive situation. She ultimately chose to pull the rods, freeing herself and allowing her to alert emergency services.

Foreshadowing: Earlier flashbacks establish Morgan's difficult home life, showing she was already considering leaving Rex.

• morgan
• rex
• rods
• school
• choice
• abuse

Art is connected to Jill Tuck through a letter and protective role. The investigation reveals that Art had been defending victims connected to Jill Tuck, John Kramer's ex-wife. Additionally, Art possessed a letter from Jill that established their relationship. This connection ties back to Jigsaw's motivation: his wife Jill lost her baby Gideon, and Jigsaw created his deadly traps as revenge against those he held responsible. Art's involvement suggests he was either working with Jigsaw or was manipulated into protecting those connected to Jill.

Foreshadowing: The timeline reveals Art has been operating for some time, protecting people linked to the central tragedy of Jigsaw's life.

• art
• jill tuck
• connection
• letter
• protected

Jigsaw tested Rigg because Rigg was a SWAT commander with a hero complex who believed he could save everyone. Jigsaw's entire philosophy revolves around teaching people to appreciate their lives by forcing them into life-or-death situations. Rigg's test was designed to break his belief that he could save every victim, showing him that sometimes intervention causes more harm than good. Jigsaw wanted Rigg to understand that people must face their own consequences and make their own choices.

Foreshadowing: Rigg's character is established as someone whooverride protocol to save people, which Hoffman criticizes early in the film.

• rigg
• jigsaw test
• hero complex
• swat commander
• lesson

After Rigg saved Brenda by removing her pig mask, which triggered a trap that began peeling her scalp, she survived but was traumatized. When Rigg removed the mask, she believed he had come to arrest her and attacked him in a panic, not realizing he was trying to rescue her. This reaction reflects the psychological damage Jigsaw's games inflict on survivors, turning victims against those trying to help them.

Foreshadowing: The trap was designed so that helping would cause harm, demonstrating Jigsaw's cruel logic.

• brenda
• pig mask
• scalp trap
• survived
• psychological trauma

The traps in Saw IV were set up by Jigsaw's accomplices, primarily Amanda Young and Lieutenant Hoffman. Amanda had been Jigsaw's main assistant in previous films, and Hoffman was revealed to be his secret partner working from inside the police department. The film reveals that Jigsaw planned his death years in advance, instructing his accomplices on how to continue his work. This explains how new traps could be created and activated even after Jigsaw's physical death.

Foreshadowing: The investigation by Strahm and Perez deduces that Amanda couldn't have operated alone, indicating another collaborator.

• accomplices
• amanda
• hoffman
• traps continued
• after death

The final revelation about Hoffman is that he was Jigsaw's secret disciple and had been assisting him long before the events of Saw IV. The film reveals that Hoffman has been secretly setting up victims, eliminating witnesses, and continuing Jigsaw's work from within the police department. His ultimate fate or full role was left ambiguous at the film's end, but it became clear he was the "last man standing" referred to in Jigsaw's tape, a successor chosen to carry on the deadly games.

Foreshadowing: Throughout the film, Hoffman is shown receiving mysterious instructions and acting suspiciously around key evidence.

• hoffman revelation
• disciple
• secret role
• police corruption
• successor