Directed by:
James WanScreenplay:
Leigh WhannellCinematography:
David A. ArmstrongComposer:
Charlie ClouserCast:
Leigh Whannell, Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Ken Leung, Michael Emerson, Tobin Bell, Makenzie Vega, Shawnee Smith, Dina Meyer, Benito Martinez (more)VOD (6)
Plots(1)
SAW’s opening scene immediately plunges the audience into the unknown, along with the two unfortunate men, Adam (Leigh Whannell) and Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes), who wake to find themselves chained up in a fetid subterranean bathroom. The captives are the most recent targets of a psychopathic genius known as Jigsaw, who constructs elaborate games that force his victims to make impossible choices between life and death. As Adam and Dr. Gordon struggle to unravel the elaborate puzzle of their fate, Detective Tapp (Danny Glover) and his colleague Kerry (Dina Meyer) work furiously to determine Jigsaw’s identity before he can claim yet more victims. But Jigsaw has accomplices – whose willingness is not entirely clear – and his meticulous planning enables him to escape. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (13)
An atmospheric slaughter movie that I found surprising thanks to some of the twists. Great ideas put into practice well. Wan certainly knows his stuff. It was pleasant to see many well-known and quality actors alongside some unknown ones. But it isn’t so brutal and doesn’t make you jump, so don’t be afraid. ;)
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Come out and play, Mister... A whole lot for very little. You see, Saw is like FilmBooster where the room is substituted by the webpages and Jigsaw by POMO himself, who mixes everything up with his twisted sense of humor. He deploys an army of a thousand multi-accounts to stir emotions and turns users against each other. I bet now we can look forward to some final twist and tricks on ordinary people like deleting all of their scores and reviews. That would be a master stroke worthy of this atmospheric genre.
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This saw has really sharp teeth, though a bit rusty in places. Among the good things we can count the thick oppressive atmosphere, several excellent suspenseful scenes and one awesome jump-scare. On the other hand, there is the unconvincing performance of Cary Elwes as Dr. Gordon, a bit of the traditional clichés (the pratfalls or the pointless hesitation before blowing someone away) and the final twist. In itself, it is very, very surprising and shocking, but it is too much "for effect" and in hindsight it digs big holes in the logic of the plot. Still, I won't go below four stars, a film that can happily be described as a heavy punch for the average audience (a friend told me how he experienced a stampede to leave the cinema during a screening in Ireland) doesn't deserve it.
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Saw is nothing by very well and effectively filmed bloodbath. James Wan is definitely not a bad director, he is original, inventive, and dynamic, and for the most part, he manages to maintain an almost lethal pace throughout the entire film. The atmosphere and excellent screenplay save a lot, but I still can't help feeling that it is just cleverly written and effectively filmed ordinary nonsense.
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The overwhelming majority of films in this style don't even fall into the B-movie category; they're more like C-movies and have a woefully semi-amateurish character. Saw significantly stands out from these productions with its professionalism and is currently the actual pinnacle of the genre. It boasts a relatively sophisticated script, professional direction, editing, camera work, and acting performances that don't elicit disdainful smiles. Along with its horror atmosphere, strongly naturalistic shots, and effective ending, it creates a perfect cocktail to become a box office hit. On the other hand, the script isn't so well-developed that it can avoid inconsistencies and some clichés. The editing at times resembles music video production, and the flashbacks only serve to delay the story. Overall impression: 60%. Subsequent installments of this film lacked the originality of the original and were merely squeezing money from the pockets of viewers.
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