I've heard a lot of people comparing Saw to Seven. I've never liked comparing a new film to another as a way of categorising or rating it. Firstly, the film used as the comparison is usually a good film that a lot of people know and like so you're already setting the bar high for the new film. But the worst thing about such comparisons is that they are inevitably misleading. Yes, there are similarities between Saw and Seven but they are tenuous and on the whole incidental. Characters get killed in both movies, but don't watch Saw expecting Seven. It's not in my view a good comparison; one is a thriller the other is purely horror.
It's a scary movie that expertly plays on some traditional and commonplace fears. From a horror movie I don't expect much else and to be fair it does keep you guessing until the very end. For all those of you out there that like to spoil films for yourselves by trying to guess the end or the next twist, I guarantee you wont get this one.
It falls down slightly because the performances don't allow you to care enough about the pawns in the killer's game. But how often do you identify with the characters in horror movies?
To sum up, Saw is a cleverly constructed horror movie with many twists and turns. You can almost, in some scenes relate to the killer's motive. I would not recommend this movie to anyone with a weak stomach yet from a horror perspective it is a must see. Surprisingly the sequel is also just as good. Overall I rate this movie a definite 4/5.
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Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Re-rated based on Ciao's insistence that such reviews are no longer considered "Off Topic"
spikki241 28.06.2006 22:14
What Soho_Black said, I agree...
And I disagree slightly, I think the acting was good, especially Dr Gordon (whoever played him, can't remember off the top of my head) and his reaction to the phone calls...
Adam (Leigh Whannell) wakes up in a dank room across from Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) ... more
and the body of a guy who has blown his own brains out. Not a happy place, obviously, and it gets worse when both men realize that they've been chained and pitte...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Adam (Leigh Whannell) wakes up in a dank room across from Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) ... more
and the body of a guy who has blown his own brains out. Not a happy place, obviously, and it gets worse when both men realize that they've been chained and pitte...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 4 to 6 weeks...
Awakening from a drugged stupor, Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) finds himself chained to ... more
a pipe in a dingy bathroom, with another man (Leigh Whannell) in the same situation across the room. The men are the latest victims of the Jigsaw Killer, a mania...
![Saw (Uncut, Theatrical Version) [DVD] [2004]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78489839.jpg "Saw (Uncut, Theatrical Version) [DVD] [2004]")
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