I guess you could say that this 1989 crime/mystery/thriller may have been okay when it was first released but having just watched it some 28 years later the film looks pretty tired and the story line is awful thin.
Middle aged and divorced Detective Sergeant Joe DaVonzo played by Chad Everett who is the former TV star of the seven (7) year running drama show "Medical Center" was not exactly as appealing as lets say Clint Eastwood's performance as Detective Harry Callahan and I guess that is why there was no sequel to The Jigsaw Murders.
We observe that the middle aged and divorced Detective Sergeant Joe DaVonzo has a drinking problem and he also is an estranged father to a 20 something rebellious daughter named Kathy DaVonzo played by the attractive Michelle Johnson who may just happen to be an intended next target of the serial killer Detective Sergeant Joe DaVonzo is searching for if she does not start listening to her "drunken daddy" as Kathy describes her detective daddy's social position.
Of course Detective Sergeant Joe DaVonzo has a reliable partner and a good friend named Detective Elliot Greenfield played by Michael Sabatino who I thought would have been entrusted with a bigger role in the film but I guess the film's producer and director preferred to frame their picture around their TV star Chad Everett, and not necessarily allow Michael Sabatino to play Robin to Chad Everett's (somewhat drunken) Batman-like character.
All in all this film was an okay time waster but do not expect any surprises throughout the film and especially I for one did not consider The Jigsaw Murders to be in the film genre of a thriller.
I give it a 6 out of 10 rating for at least giving the story line a best effort attempt, but the film quality was dated and the actors themselves including a few cameo appearances by Yaphet Kotto as the quirky coroner Doctor Fillmore could not raise the film's bar for me any higher than a 6 out of 10 rating.
