Do you take your life for granted? What would you do to save it?
Those are the questions posed by the movie Saw, a psychological thriller that delivers in gasps and edge-of-your-seat suspense. A dark and foreboding film, this is a movie that will make you cringe, hide your eyes, gaze in disbelief, and enjoy every minute of it.
The film follows two men, Adam (director, James Wan) and Lawrence (Carey Elwes). They wake up in a dirty, abandoned bathroom, chained to poles on opposite sides of the room with a suicide victim in between them. They soon realize that have been taken captive by a man known as “The Jigsaw Killer”, a psychopath who instead of killing his victims, gets is victims to either kill others or kill themselves. With the clock ticking, Adam and Lawrence are forced to play the game. Lawrence must kill Adam, and Adam must prevent his death. At stake are the lives of Lawrence’s daughter and wife. What follows is a mind trip of incredible proportions. We discover that Lawrence was actually a suspect in previous Jigsaw killings (as told through very intense flashbacks), and also discover the reasons as to why these two specific men were chosen as the killer’s next two victims.
Despite how far-flung the plot is, it delivers in what it promises. This movie will scare you. It’s not overly gory, but the images it burns into your mind and the genius traps that are devised will have you turning away. The movie gets under your skin, with sharp editing and wickedly devious set-design. (Note, I have complained about quick-cut editing in the past. However, in Saw it is extremely effective.)
Wan as Adam does a capable job as the panic-stricken photographer, desperate to save his life. He also does a grand job in his directing debut. Carey also does a startling good performance as the choice-laden father who must make heart-wrenching decisions about how to save those he loves. You can also see the deep regret in his eyes has who recalls what deeds have brought him to this point. Danny Glover plays Detective Tate in a thankless role, that doesn’t utilize the actor enough. The rest of the supporting cast delivers capable performances, though none stand out as amazing.
The dialogue in this film is a bit on the cheesy side. That is really the only qualm I have with the film as a whole. I feel the repartee between Adam and Lawrence could have been a little more developed, however it is not enough to take away from the chilling effect this movie has. Also, it has the best ending I have seen in a film in a long, LONG time. When the killer’s identity is revealed you will absolutely shocked. Fortunately, the shock fades into glee as you have actually been fairly duped as to who the killer is, rather than falsely tricked (like say… Urban Legend).
In all, this film is a great way to spend Halloween weekend. It isn’t overly deep. It isn’t overly gory. However it will make you question what you would do in a fatal situation. And I think, in all that is the most horrifying thing for someone to imagine.
3 ½ OUT OF FOUR STARS
Overall Summary- I tacked on an extra half-star just for how great the ending is. If scary movies don’t bother you, I would suggest seeing it just to found out who the killer is. If scary movies do bother you… stay away.
Those are the questions posed by the movie Saw, a psychological thriller that delivers in gasps and edge-of-your-seat suspense. A dark and foreboding film, this is a movie that will make you cringe, hide your eyes, gaze in disbelief, and enjoy every minute of it.
The film follows two men, Adam (director, James Wan) and Lawrence (Carey Elwes). They wake up in a dirty, abandoned bathroom, chained to poles on opposite sides of the room with a suicide victim in between them. They soon realize that have been taken captive by a man known as “The Jigsaw Killer”, a psychopath who instead of killing his victims, gets is victims to either kill others or kill themselves. With the clock ticking, Adam and Lawrence are forced to play the game. Lawrence must kill Adam, and Adam must prevent his death. At stake are the lives of Lawrence’s daughter and wife. What follows is a mind trip of incredible proportions. We discover that Lawrence was actually a suspect in previous Jigsaw killings (as told through very intense flashbacks), and also discover the reasons as to why these two specific men were chosen as the killer’s next two victims.
Despite how far-flung the plot is, it delivers in what it promises. This movie will scare you. It’s not overly gory, but the images it burns into your mind and the genius traps that are devised will have you turning away. The movie gets under your skin, with sharp editing and wickedly devious set-design. (Note, I have complained about quick-cut editing in the past. However, in Saw it is extremely effective.)
Wan as Adam does a capable job as the panic-stricken photographer, desperate to save his life. He also does a grand job in his directing debut. Carey also does a startling good performance as the choice-laden father who must make heart-wrenching decisions about how to save those he loves. You can also see the deep regret in his eyes has who recalls what deeds have brought him to this point. Danny Glover plays Detective Tate in a thankless role, that doesn’t utilize the actor enough. The rest of the supporting cast delivers capable performances, though none stand out as amazing.
The dialogue in this film is a bit on the cheesy side. That is really the only qualm I have with the film as a whole. I feel the repartee between Adam and Lawrence could have been a little more developed, however it is not enough to take away from the chilling effect this movie has. Also, it has the best ending I have seen in a film in a long, LONG time. When the killer’s identity is revealed you will absolutely shocked. Fortunately, the shock fades into glee as you have actually been fairly duped as to who the killer is, rather than falsely tricked (like say… Urban Legend).
In all, this film is a great way to spend Halloween weekend. It isn’t overly deep. It isn’t overly gory. However it will make you question what you would do in a fatal situation. And I think, in all that is the most horrifying thing for someone to imagine.
3 ½ OUT OF FOUR STARS
Overall Summary- I tacked on an extra half-star just for how great the ending is. If scary movies don’t bother you, I would suggest seeing it just to found out who the killer is. If scary movies do bother you… stay away.
