Production Year: 2004 - Thriller - Director: James Wan - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Tobin Bell, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Ken Leung, Cary Elwes, Dina Meyer, Shawnee Smith, Leigh Whannell more
Be prepared to be scared. James Wan's directorial debut, written by and starring Leigh Whannell, is a violent, bloody, psychologically exhausting and exhilarating exercise in... more
Saw [DVD] [2004]
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...
Saw [DVD] [2004]
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...
Saw DVD
How much blood would you shed to stay alive? Two men (Whannell and Elwes) wake up in the ... more
secure lair of a serial killer who's been nicknamed "Jigsaw" by the police because of his unusual calling card. Given six hours a hacksaw and a bullet the two...
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: K.C. Bascombe - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jesse James, Rachel Skarsten, Charles Powell, Linda Purl, Kevin Zegars
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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
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Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Matt Dillon - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matt Dillon, James Caan, Natascha McElhone, Gerard Depardieu, Sereyvuth Kem, Stellan Skarsgard
A review by DarkMark on Saw (DVD) August 12th, 2005
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Liked it
Story
Good
Characters / Performances
Unmemorable
Special Effects
Good
How does it compare to similar films?
Good
Advantages:
a great premise, a thriller that actually thrills
Disadvantages:
suspect acting, some minor scripting problems
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Frequent readers of yours truly will probably know that I find all things Hollywood to usually be unsavoury. Of course there are exceptions, we sometimes get a stroke of genuine genius that of course as a result gets over-marketed, over-hyped and over-used by similar films in the next few years ( a la "Matrix" for example). Then of course there are the rest of those films that follow the same general template. In those elaborately garnished murder/thrillers for example, there's the slick professional whom either goes on their last or most challenging case ever only to come across a suspect who is quickly written off as innocent only for you to find out later that he/she was in fact the bad guy. But let's not forget that final 'big twist' which is the one that catches the oh so professional bad guy off guard and leads to his/her demise. I swear there is a film like that on release every other month. When will we see a 'thriller' that actually attempts or even determines to 'thrill', that emotional variance from content to excited, which it claims to do hence its cataloguing in the 'Thriller' section. Being my usual deadpan, cynical self, I thought out loud: "Hollywood can't thrill me anymore…"
I stand corrected…
Along comes freshman filmmaker James Wan and his writing associate Leigh Whannell and offer us "Saw". Like most serial killer thrillers of similar ilk, "Saw" harks back to the glory of David Fincher's modern classic "Se7en" but what sets "Saw" apart from its counterparts from both Thriller and Slasher genres is the fact that you're not too sure what's going to happen next.
The initial premise is incredibly simple; two strangers wake up inside a secure room with no windows. The two men Adam (Leigh Whannell) and Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) wake up at either end, their feet chained to the pipes and a dead body between them, lying in a pool of his own blood. Upon discovering a small audio cassette and a Dictaphone, they realise that they are the latest victims of a serial killer known as the 'Jigsaw' whom tests his victims appreciation for life by placing them in a dangerous scenario that they can escape from, given that they have the determination to live. In Adam and Lawrence's case; Lawrence must kill Adam in order to save his kidnapped family and thus if Adam is to survive he is to kill Lawrence, they are given a rusty hacksaw, a bullet and six hours to do it in.
"Live or die, make your choice."
Whilst the two men try to escape their predicament without unnecessary bloodshed, including back tracking to when they were captured and the possible reasons for the 'Jigsaw' to choose them, Detective David Tapp (Danny Glover) is on the Jigsaw killer's case, trying to work things out on the outside. After being removed from the force from 'going crazy' after a brush with death from the Jigsaw and the death of his partner (Detective Sing - Ken Leung), he's become obsessed with the capture/taking down of the Jigsaw. His story again being told in a splice of present time scenes and flashbacks to add further depth to the puzzle.
Performances on the whole are rather suspect, the two leads Leigh Whannell ("The Matrix Reloaded") and Cary Elwes ("Kiss The Girls", "Cradle Will Rock") only put forward moderate efforts. Out of the two, Elwes is the better, probably due to his wealth of screen acting experience whereas Whannell seems too self conscious over whether or not he's producing his occasional (and sometimes annoying) wisecracks with the comic timing and deadpan velocity that he thinks they deserve. As for Danny Glover, (the "Lethal Weapon" series, "The Royal Tenenbaums") who's on the back seat for this outing plays his moody, gruff persona to his usual decent standard and seems well cast.
Other supporting players in general go about the film business as usual with nothing eye opening. However, they are perhaps the more important characters with the film's back and forth narrative weaving subplots and small twists to insinuate that there is more to the story than the Jigsaw and his list of mutilated victims stacking up nicely in the morgue. This is where Leigh Whannell's screenwriting comes into better effect, introducing drama element that isn't as whimsical or melodramatic as the life of death situation occurring in the filthy utility room between the two men. These more down to earth dramas come in the form of the flashback's; Dr. Gordon's supposed affair with one of the other hospital staff for example. What finishes it all off quite nicely is how the things you discover in the flashbacks make you see Lawrence and Adam's situation in increasingly different lights, forcing you to take sides; hence getting you the viewer more involved.
Another contributing factor to the film's success is director James Wan's ("Stygian") energy for the material. Sharing the 'Story By' credit with screenwriter Leigh Whannell puts him more at one with the story. That may sound a little silly, but the reason why lots of films fail is because of the conflict of interest between the director and writer. When the writer puts together a scene, he/she can't help but visualise how it could look. The director, whose job is to transplant the written page into moving images may have a different approach to that of the writer. It's an industrial relations disaster waiting to happen, it's usually that or a tiff between the director and his/her difficult lead actor (I could name countless examples).
Of course Wan goes for that polished, teen slasher style of camerawork but we are in one of those rare situations where this MTV style of storytelling is actually useful, making everything exciting to watch. Keeping the Jigsaw villain as much a secret as possible works as well, although yet again it's a standard teen slasher method it helps in spades to build the overall genuine tension and adrenaline that the films installs in you. The Jigsaw's method of installing his victim's new found sense of gratification for life via his sadistic traps, are endlessly inventive and provide a strange pleasure when viewing. Scenes such as the reverse bear trap wired to a victim's jaw and the barb wire maze will have you automatically shifting into cringing gear with James Wan's hyperactive camera reinforcing that dreaded sense of panic and pressure that make those moments so gripping to watch. Kudos to DP David Armstrong for his vivid use of exotic colour and appropriate shadow to capture these scenes of sheer terror, sliding the fear factor all the way up to eleven.
Soundtrack goes for the more hardcore approach not too dissimilar from the recent "Dawn Of The Dead" remake, emphasising the thrill of the moment instead of some practical background soundtrack used in most thrillers; that predictable fanfare that always includes a frantic piano to mask the fading of scenes and a taut ensemble of violins used to build tension before the proverbial sh*t storm. "Saw" goes for a more modern approach, of course keeping the traditional orchestral instruments but using them in a more contemporary manner with more modern instruments. A worthy inclusion, wrapping up this delightful package quite nicely.
The beauty of this film is that something is constantly going on and if something is constantly going on, you are constantly engaged, whether you're trying to solve the puzzle of the filthy utility room where the two men (Adam and Lawrence) are held captive or trying to find the Jigsaw killer with Detective Tap (Danny Glover); "Saw" has more activity than most recent thrillers. Hell, if a film can have a twist at the end that I failed to predict, it must be special.
BOTTOM LINE "Saw" almost breaks the mould and is a thriller that actually determines to thrill. It also reinvigorates the slasher/horror genre borrowing ideas from both and making them better. Its 18 certificate implies bloody carnage and believe me there is so the patented 'cowering behind the sofa' crowd may want to avoid this. It's meagre budget means that it sticks to the more organic thrills of yesteryear; no CGI rendering here thank you very much. And although the script could've done with some extra work and the acting was a bit… dull, the fantastic premise carries the film past all of its weaknesses and makes for very good entertainment indeed. James Wan's direction is spot on; no wonder there's going to be a sequel (it's in post production at time of press). If you want to see a mid nineties thriller updated to the twenty-first century, you've come to the right place.
"A revolutionary shocker" - Shivers
"A harrowing head trip" - Premiere
"Perhaps you enjoyed 'Se7en'. This goes up to 'Ei8ht'" - The Guardian
CERTIFICATE: 18 TIME APPROX: 100 minutes
CAUTION: Frequent strong language Frequent strong violence
IF YOU LIKE THIS, TRY: Se7en (1995) - shot in only five days, David Fincher's serial killer thriller is still the best, quite scary too.
Congratulations, you're still alive. Most people are so ungrateful to be alive. But not you. Not anymore…
Advantages: Disturbing | Great concept Disadvantages: Some acting
...this film is about.
Saw begins with us seeing two men, Adam (Leigh Whannell, also the co-writer for the film) and Doctor Gordon (Cary Elwes) chained up and locked away in a rather dirty looking public bathroom and to top it all off a dead body is in the middle of the room. At the beginning they have no clue how they got there or, indeed, why but its safe to assume they weren’t out with their drinking buddies and are a butt of some practical joke. ... ...fill up that sub genre. Saw marks another progression, taking torture and suffering extreme and being clever about it. This isn’t the first film to do so, it isn’t making a new sub-genre all of its own here but it’s doing something different from the standard norm we are seeing a lot of lately. Being different and being good are two separate things though. It’s no good thinking you’re clever when you’re not. Luckily Saw manages to pull it off pretty ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: gripping thrilling entertainment Disadvantages: dont care about the characters
I was sent Saw by my DVD rental club in error and did not think that it was the sort of film that I would enjoy, however I thought that I would give it a go.
After 10 minutes i was hooked and had to watch the whole film.
CAST
+++++
Dr Lawrence Gordon - Cary Elwes
Adam - Leigh Whannell
Detective Trapp - Danny Glover
BASIC STORYLINE
++++++++++++++++
Dr Lawrence Gordon awakens from a drugged sleep and is in a dark room. He can hear that there ... ...but I expected a circular saw to feature somwhere in this movie but it doesn't!
I would not call the film gory as it does not show too many horrific things, it is more the idea of what is going on than buckets of blood and gore. It is a very good horror/suspense movie.
As with all good thrillers there is a huge twist at the end of the film, which I was not expecting. It just comes out of nowhere! There are a couple of questions left unanswered ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Gripping, cringe-worthy in places, bit scary Disadvantages: 'interesting' acting by some
..."Saw".
From the outset, Saw plunges you into the unknown, initially establishing virtually nothing. To begin with, and for a good portion of the film, we know next to nothing about the characters we are watching. We, like they, do not know where they are, except that they're chained up in a dirty bathroom, and we are given no background on the characters, or why they are in their current predicament. This does an excellent job of making sure you're ... ...we are treated to), giving Saw its 18 certificate. There are some interesting directing tricks in Saw that give it the edge. Look out for the way the action is speeded up during the torture scenes, giving it that sense of urgency it requires. Another scene that was a personal favourite of mine was when we're seeing the last part of Adam's life before he woke up in the bathroom. He thinks there's someone in his apartment, and the electricity has gone. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: : A great film, good effects! Disadvantages: The story doesn't end!!!!
Saw (film only review)
Details:
Director: James Wan Release Date: 1 October 2004 Certification: 18 (UK) Runtime: 103 mins The first of 5 Saw films. Saw came out in 2004, and I don't think anybody knew just how big it was going to get. The problem with the Saw series, is that you have to have watched all of them to watch one of them, otherwise you can get very confused by what is happening! Also, at the end of each film you have to ... ...This was the first Saw film, and I have now seen it quite a few times. I like horror films (though I won't watch them on my own!!!!), and the Saw series has become one of my favourites. As with most films with sequels, the first film is the best, although nothing is really "tied up" at the end, not even the story with Lawrence and Adam really, which is a little annoying as it's kind of like a TV show in that you have to wait for the next episode ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: A good idea, with constant twists and turns Disadvantages: The characters werent developed early enough and you end up not being bothered about them
...lot of good things about Saw and it was with great expectation that I decided to watch it. Especially as it has been heralded as the scariest movie of the year, I take it they didn’t see the Legend of Ron Burgandy. The film has a bit of a different feel to it, which I thought would make it a good film, shame it didn’t turn out that way.
We meet out characters for the first time in a dark room. Adam (Leigh Whannell) wakes up to find himself sat in ... ...of scrambling about and shouting a voice from the darkness tells him its pointless. A short time later the man across the room finds a light switch and we now meet the rooms other occupant Dr Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes). They are both chained at opposite ends of the room with a body lying in the middle surrounded by a puddle of blood.
They soon discover that they are part of a game as they discover two tapes with a distorted voice telling them ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Erm... it's very short! The fight scenes are fairly cool too. Disadvantages: Utterly horrendous in just about every way!
...Whilst monthly DVD rental packages undoubtedly bring much joy to many film fans, they are also ready and waiting to heap woe on the renter who adds titles to pad out their list, even though they've not heard of them, much less read any reviews on them! So it was that, last night, I went to a friend's house and watched the latest DVD he'd received - Sawed (also known as Devon's Ghost: Legend of the Bloody Boy).
STORYLINE
The plot is flimsy, to say the least, but the gist is that 10 years ago, in a small town in America, a 7 year old boy went missing. He was presumed killed by his drink and drug addled parents, who became minor celebrities through the media circus surrounding their trial, until they too went missing, along with their high-priced defence lawyer. Thus arose the urban myth of The Bloody Boy, who was reputed to have...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: A worthwhile addition to the franchise Disadvantages: It will have its critics
...unhindered, and the movie allows both this, the story of how he came to be the successor of the original Jigsaw, and the build up to Jigsaws final days. And as if this was not enough, added to the mix a blend of five characters chucked in a series of four puzzle rooms trying to figure out how to get out alive, while the rules of the game pretty much state that in order to get out one of them must die in each room.
It may be wrong but I'm rather partial to the Saw movies, no horror offering has successfully got to a fifth instalment while keeping its blockbuster status since the mid 80's, and whether you like them or not the Saw movies to launch each year off the back of a wave of publicity, as well as getting big screen cinema offerings rather than previous incumbents that either go straight to DVD or worse still, straight to television...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Suspenseful and clever Disadvantages: Slightly confusing to follow at times
...enjoy "Saw" all depends on what you need to be frightened, if it is lots of in your face blood and guts you will not be disappointed and if you need suspense then "Saw" has enough to keep you satisfied, but if you need anything else then you are more than likely going to come away disappointed. For me the deciding factor as to why I personally enjoy "Saw" is the ingenuity of the torture sequences both in what you see but also in the wait for the inevitable.
● DVD Features
I would hazard a guess that the limited budget for "Saw" did not stretch to any credible extras on the DVD as the few in this package are pitiful to say the least. What is most disappointing is the lack of an audio commentary, which has now appeared on different DVD versions of this film. Other than a music video by metal band Fear Factory, which can be watched...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Be prepared to be scared. James Wan's directorial debut, written by and starring Leigh Whannell, is a violent, bloody, psychologically exhausting and exhilarating exercise in terror. Adam (Whannell) and Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes) are chained in a vile, disgusting bathroom, separated by a bloody corpse holding a gun and a tape recorder. They are each given a saw--the only obvious way out is to cut one of their feet off. A serial killer who specialises in torturing morally bereft strangers is playing a game with them: Gordon has less than eight hours to kill Adam or else the doctor's wife (Monica Potter) and daughter (Mackenzie Vega) will be murdered. As the two men engage in a battle of wits, alternately trying to help each other or secretly attempting to win the game, a series of flashbacks reveals the history of the madman and the pair of detectives (Danny Glover and Ken Leung) handling the case. Some of the torture scenes are excruciatingly horrible and hard to watch, a real treat for fans of the genre. Inspired by the work of David Lynch (BLUE VELVET, TWIN PEAKS) and Dario Argento (SUSPIRIA, INFERNO), Wan has created a scintillating suspense thriller that will have audiences continually shocked, repelled, frightened, and surprised, right up to the very last second (which Whannell has said was influenced by the endings of such films as THE USUAL SUSPECTS and THE SIXTH SENSE). The accompanying heavy metal soundtrack is appropriately scary as well.
Technical information
Special Features: Directors And Writers Commentary, Music Video By Fear Factory Bite The Hand That Bleeds, Making Of The Music Video
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround English
Professional reviews
Review: Dare you see Saw? (Empire, )
A harrowing head trip. (Premiere, )
A revolutionary shocker. (Shivers, )
Perhaps you enjoyed Seven. This goes up to Eight. (The Guardian, )
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