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Eric Matthews (Saw)
Encyclopedia
Eric Matthews is a fictional character from the Saw franchise, who first appeared in a fake documentary entitled, Full Disclosure Report: Piecing Together Jigsaw, featured on the Uncut Edition of the original film. He is the main protagonist of Saw II
and a supporting character in both Saw III
and Saw IV
. It was originally stated that Donnie Wahlberg
(who portrayed Eric Matthews) would not be reprising his role in Saw III due to creative differences, but this turned out to be a hoax
conceived by Lions Gate Entertainment
to throw off fans of the series trying to dig up details on the film.
as the father of Daniel Mathews, and as an ex-detective doing desk work. He was called to the scene of one of the Jigsaw Killer
's recently discovered "tests", where Eric was asked by his ex-partner, Detective Allison Kerry, to identify the victim, who turned out to be Michael, a police informant used by Eric. While leaving the scene, Kerry pointed out a message written on the ceiling, which stated, "LOOK CLOSER DETECTIVE MATHEWS." Annoyed with Kerry for bringing him to the scene to be goaded into the investigation by the message, Eric announced that he had enough work to do, while having to deal with his wife's divorce lawyers.
Later, while trying to sleep, Eric remembered the brand name of a padlock used on the device that killed Michael. With this information, he decided to tag along with Kerry and SWAT Commander Daniel Rigg to an old warehouse that they believed to be Jigsaw's latest lair. Finally coming face to face with Jigsaw inside, Eric was put into a test. Eric was told that he had a problem to deal with, and uncovered numerous computer monitors that displayed a camera feed that showed his son, along with seven others, being held captive in a house. Confronting Jigsaw, Eric was told that Daniel was in danger of the nerve gas that was being pumped into the house, but that if Eric were to sit and have a conversation with Jigsaw for long enough, he would get his son back. Eric, under advice from Kerry, reluctantly sat and began his test. During his conversations with Jigsaw, it was revealed that Eric had once been a ruthless and brutal police officer who used extreme measures to complete his assignments, going so far as to plant evidence on suspects and shoot down unarmed suspects. However, Jigsaw seemed to state that Eric at least felt alive during those times, but was now cowering behind a desk. Eric eventually left the conversation with Jigsaw to watch his son's progression through the house with the seven strangers, only being convinced by Kerry, who was revealed to at one point to have been Eric's mistress, to threaten Jigsaw's work as a way to find his son's location. When that did nothing, Jigsaw revealed that the seven strangers in the house with Daniel were in fact seven ex-convicts who had been arrested by Eric after being framed with false evidence. Eric, under Rigg's advice, began to aggressively attack Jigsaw, punching and kicking him repeatedly and breaking his finger in order to find out where his son was being held. Jigsaw stated that Eric's game was over, and that he would take Eric to the house. Together, they escaped from the building without Eric's team, and drove away in a van. Jigsaw gave Eric directions to the house along the way. Leaving Jigsaw in the van, Eric went through the back door of the house, and found the corpses inside in a state of decay, as if having been there for an extended period of time. He managed to get into the foundation of the house, where he stumbled across the bathroom from the first film, where his son had already been to. Expecting to find Daniel there, Eric was attacked by Amanda Young
, dressed in a pig mask
, and rendered unconscious. It was revealed that the feed of the house that Eric had seen was not in fact live, but had been a recording. Daniel had been locked in a safe that had sat a few feet away from Jigsaw during Eric's test. When Eric woke up, he was shackled by the ankle to a pipe in the bathroom. Amanda revealed herself to be Jigsaw's apprentice before sliding the door shut, leaving Eric to die.
He is also spoken of by Kerry during the film, describing the guilt that she felt after Matthews' disappearance and having hallucinations of him.
It is revealed in this film (which takes place concurrently with Saw III) that Matthews had been missing for six months. As Daniel Rigg began his own series of tests, he learned that Matthews was still alive. Flashbacks show that after his fight with Amanda, he was dragged into a cell, where he was imprisoned until the time came for Rigg's tests. During this time, he was supplied with food and a heavy iron brace for his crushed foot. He and Mark Hoffman were at opposite ends of a seesaw scale; Matthews stood on a slowly melting block of ice with a chain-noose around his neck, while Hoffman was strapped into a chair with an electrode by his feet. If Matthews slipped off the ice, he would be hanged and the runoff water would tip to Hoffman's end and electrocute him. Tired of being used as a pawn, Matthews was ready to give up, saying "I don't want to play anymore" and twice attempting suicide by jumping off the block.
These attempts were thwarted by Art Blank, another man in the test who was forced to watch over Matthews and Hoffman. Once the 90-minute timer for Rigg's tests had run out, Art would be able to release them and himself. Matthews realized that if the door was opened, two large ice blocks would swing down from the ceiling and crush his head. Art gave him a gun and one bullet with which to stop anyone from coming in. As Rigg approached the door, Matthews shot out through it and hit him in the stomach. Rigg crashed through with one second left on the timer, triggering the ice blocks and killing Matthews.
A flashback of his death is seen in Saw V, and his picture is on display at a memorial for the officers who had died up to that point.
In the same interview, Wahlberg commented on the appeal of playing this character:
Saw II
Saw II is a 2005 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and co-written by Bousman and the first film's co-writer Leigh Whannell. It is a sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the seven-part Saw film series...
and a supporting character in both Saw III
Saw III
Saw III is a 2006 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and story by James Wan and Whannell. Wan and Whannell directed and wrote Saw and Bousman wrote and directed Saw II. It is the third film in the seven-part Saw film series and stars...
and Saw IV
Saw IV
Saw IV is a 2007 Canadian-American horror film and midquel to 2006's Saw III. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by newcomers Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Thomas Fenton. The film was released in North America on October 26, 2007...
. It was originally stated that Donnie Wahlberg
Donnie Wahlberg
Donald Edward "Donnie" Wahlberg, Jr. is an American singer, actor and film producer. He is a member of the popular 1980s and 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block. His work background includes music, feature films, and television...
(who portrayed Eric Matthews) would not be reprising his role in Saw III due to creative differences, but this turned out to be a hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
conceived by Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
to throw off fans of the series trying to dig up details on the film.
Saw - Full Disclosure Report
Eric's first appearance was in the fake documentary titled "Full Disclosure Report" which was featured on the Saw: Uncut DVD. A reporter stated that Mathews' extensive force and bad temper might be one factor that was holding police back from solving the Jigsaw case. A clip of Eric entering his car was shown as a reporter asked Eric for some information on the case, also asking about the reports of Eric's brutality. Eric responded by pulling out his gun and yelling, "What brutality?". A fellow officer then pulled Eric back to his car.Saw II
Eric appeared again in Saw IISaw II
Saw II is a 2005 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and co-written by Bousman and the first film's co-writer Leigh Whannell. It is a sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the seven-part Saw film series...
as the father of Daniel Mathews, and as an ex-detective doing desk work. He was called to the scene of one of the Jigsaw Killer
Jigsaw Killer
John Kramer is a fictional character and the central character of the Saw franchise. Jigsaw made his debut as the primary antagonist in the first film of the series, Saw, and he's later portrayed as an antihero in Saw II, III, IV, V, VI and 3D...
's recently discovered "tests", where Eric was asked by his ex-partner, Detective Allison Kerry, to identify the victim, who turned out to be Michael, a police informant used by Eric. While leaving the scene, Kerry pointed out a message written on the ceiling, which stated, "LOOK CLOSER DETECTIVE MATHEWS." Annoyed with Kerry for bringing him to the scene to be goaded into the investigation by the message, Eric announced that he had enough work to do, while having to deal with his wife's divorce lawyers.
Later, while trying to sleep, Eric remembered the brand name of a padlock used on the device that killed Michael. With this information, he decided to tag along with Kerry and SWAT Commander Daniel Rigg to an old warehouse that they believed to be Jigsaw's latest lair. Finally coming face to face with Jigsaw inside, Eric was put into a test. Eric was told that he had a problem to deal with, and uncovered numerous computer monitors that displayed a camera feed that showed his son, along with seven others, being held captive in a house. Confronting Jigsaw, Eric was told that Daniel was in danger of the nerve gas that was being pumped into the house, but that if Eric were to sit and have a conversation with Jigsaw for long enough, he would get his son back. Eric, under advice from Kerry, reluctantly sat and began his test. During his conversations with Jigsaw, it was revealed that Eric had once been a ruthless and brutal police officer who used extreme measures to complete his assignments, going so far as to plant evidence on suspects and shoot down unarmed suspects. However, Jigsaw seemed to state that Eric at least felt alive during those times, but was now cowering behind a desk. Eric eventually left the conversation with Jigsaw to watch his son's progression through the house with the seven strangers, only being convinced by Kerry, who was revealed to at one point to have been Eric's mistress, to threaten Jigsaw's work as a way to find his son's location. When that did nothing, Jigsaw revealed that the seven strangers in the house with Daniel were in fact seven ex-convicts who had been arrested by Eric after being framed with false evidence. Eric, under Rigg's advice, began to aggressively attack Jigsaw, punching and kicking him repeatedly and breaking his finger in order to find out where his son was being held. Jigsaw stated that Eric's game was over, and that he would take Eric to the house. Together, they escaped from the building without Eric's team, and drove away in a van. Jigsaw gave Eric directions to the house along the way. Leaving Jigsaw in the van, Eric went through the back door of the house, and found the corpses inside in a state of decay, as if having been there for an extended period of time. He managed to get into the foundation of the house, where he stumbled across the bathroom from the first film, where his son had already been to. Expecting to find Daniel there, Eric was attacked by Amanda Young
Amanda Young
Amanda Young is a fictional character in the Saw film series. She is portrayed by Shawnee Smith. At first a minor character in the original film, her role expanded in the sequels until she became one of the most important characters in the series, being the only character besides Jigsaw himself to...
, dressed in a pig mask
Pig mask
Pig mask may refer to:*A soldier in the Pigmask Army, the primary antagonists of Mother 3.*One of the Jigsaw Killer's disguises used in the Saw ....
, and rendered unconscious. It was revealed that the feed of the house that Eric had seen was not in fact live, but had been a recording. Daniel had been locked in a safe that had sat a few feet away from Jigsaw during Eric's test. When Eric woke up, he was shackled by the ankle to a pipe in the bathroom. Amanda revealed herself to be Jigsaw's apprentice before sliding the door shut, leaving Eric to die.
Saw III
Eric managed to free himself from his shackle in Saw III, mere minutes after having been locked away, by smashing and breaking his foot to the point that it could slip through. Flashbacks later in the film showed him escaping the bathroom. Limping through the basement hallways, screaming for his son, Eric quickly passed Amanda, who hid herself and began panicking. Eric attacked Amanda and severely beat her with ease, despite his injuries. When he demanded to know where Daniel was, Amanda spat in Eric's face and kicked his broken foot, then began to walk away. Eric taunted her, saying, "You're not Jigsaw, bitch!" - which prompted her to turn back toward him. It is unknown what she did next, but she seemed to believe that Eric was dead as she told Jigsaw that she "returned the favor" for him taking her life from her. Jigsaw corrected her, saying that he had cleaned up her mistakes.He is also spoken of by Kerry during the film, describing the guilt that she felt after Matthews' disappearance and having hallucinations of him.
Saw IV
These attempts were thwarted by Art Blank, another man in the test who was forced to watch over Matthews and Hoffman. Once the 90-minute timer for Rigg's tests had run out, Art would be able to release them and himself. Matthews realized that if the door was opened, two large ice blocks would swing down from the ceiling and crush his head. Art gave him a gun and one bullet with which to stop anyone from coming in. As Rigg approached the door, Matthews shot out through it and hit him in the stomach. Rigg crashed through with one second left on the timer, triggering the ice blocks and killing Matthews.
A flashback of his death is seen in Saw V, and his picture is on display at a memorial for the officers who had died up to that point.
Removed and altered content
Eric had originally been written to be killed by Amanda in Saw III after she marched back towards him after his taunts. In the original script, Amanda had stabbed and slashed Eric repeatedly in the neck, killing him. According to the Saw III DVD commentaries, this scene was filmed but removed from the third movie, so that he could instead be alive for Saw IV.Characterization
During an interview, Wahlberg offered his opinion of Matthews:In the same interview, Wahlberg commented on the appeal of playing this character: