Saw

Saw – 2004

Horror movies today have taken a wildly unexpected turn from those made during the birth of slasher flicks, with films such as Friday the 13^th and Halloween giving way to the quote, “torture porn” style. I would never have been the one to guess that the foremost style of horror, which people worship and adore, would feature extended scenes of people being brutally tortured. Thusly, from this new genre birthed by this film, and Eli Roth’s Hostel, can come to rest in 3 areas. Original torture porn (see the former), sadistic torture porn (Wolf Creek, Hostel: Part II) and movies trying to be torture porn (The Hills Have Eyes II, Captivity). Not to say the movies that marked the beginning of this trend are automatically works of genius, as I despised the original Hostel, but there is credit due to the filmmakers for their uncompromising works.

Writing this review having seen Saw I, II, III and IV it is difficult to A) not disclose anything, as the films after the first do not stand alone and to B) be somewhat objective in this review. But let me say, that the Saw quadrilogy is a masterpiece of modern horror, and unless the future sequels take it into a nosedive, that title will stand for a long time. Shot in saturated shades, with a gritty overlay that is at times almost noir looking, Saw, directed by James Wan who made his big break with this movie, is original and psychologically terrifying. Awaking trapped in a room together, Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Carey Elwes) and Adam (Leigh Whannell) try to figure out how they ended up chained in a grungy bathroom with a dead body between them, and how they are going to escape. Through tape recorders and other messages these men discover they are victims of the Jigsaw Killer, played sadistically by Tobin Bell. His trademark being the capture people who are either criminals in some way and/or do not value the precious gift of life, and forces them to escape their imprisonment by enduring great physical and psychological anguish, or die. Jigsaw himself does not murder anyone, he gives his victims ample opportunity to escape and if they do will be expected to leave without their previous moral failings.

Jigsaw’s contraptions, which in some way mimic their victim’s sin, are complex and at times silly, but never laughable. They are brutal and sadistic, make no mistake, but hope is never totally out of reach. On the trail of the Jigsaw is Detective David Tapp played by Danny Glover and Detective Steven Sing who have a grudge to fulfil. Through a series of flashbacks we see the two detectives at past crime scenes of the Jigsaw, and learn that one of his victims has actually escaped the killer’s clutches. They race to save his latest victims, while trying not to become victims their selves.

The main follies of Saw lie with the acting and certain aspects of the storyline, as both Elves and Whannell’s characters are wooden and one dimensional, as well as not being provided with much in the way of a fiery script. At times the dialogue is actually laughable, which takes away from the mood of the film. With regards to the storyline, sometimes Jigsaw’s traps are too complex, and would never work out in reality. But I am happy to report that both of these issues are resolved in spades with its successors.

Saw will have you thinking long after it is through and this may also be one of the few times that nobody will have predicted the twist before the film is through. If you say you did, then you are lying. As far as horror films go, Saw is one of the freshest and most original in years, and opened the door for promising future prospects in the genre. If Saw doesn’t give you nightmares or at least make you squirm in your seat, then you had better check your pulse, because odds are that Jigsaw has already gotten you.