Saw

February 6, 2005

Rated: R Runtime: 100 min Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Saw isn’t as good as the trailers make it look, but it’s still a pretty darn good horror flick.

Saw

The basic idea of the movie is that you’ve got two guys chained to opposite sides of a really dirty bathroom, and there’s a dead guy laying in a pool of blood in the middle of the room. Neither of them have any idea how they got there or why they would be there.

In the course of trying to find a way to escape, they begin to discover clues and we start to learn about both characters via flashbacks. We all know they have a saw and that it won’t cut through the chains, only their flesh. Is that the only possible way out? You know I can’t answer that question. In fact, there’s not much more of the story that I can really talk about safely.

The only actor you’ve likely seen before it Danny Glover, and some of the other actors aren’t quite up to par during some scenes. We know they are supposed to be expressing horror or terror in some scenes, but it sure looks like they are trying not to laugh. That’s ok though, the situations and ideas behind this movie make up for those types of shortcomings. Special effects? Eh, not so hot. There are some really cool sets, but the blood/gore factor isn’t nearly as high as we had hoped. You’re gonna have to use your imagination on some things. Lack of a budget or purposeful decision by the director? I’m going with the lack of budget argument.

One thing this movie does exceptionally well, and this is why it’s getting 4 stars instead of 3, is setting you up on who the bad guy really is. They throw out some obvious fakers, and some subtle hints on others so you think you have it all figured out. Then WHAM, nope, wasn’t that guy… what about?… WHAM… nope, not him, what about… you get the idea. Did I figure out the ending in advance? Yes, but not until right up til the end, and these days that deserves a boost in the ratings.

This one isn’t for the squeamish even though it’s not as graphic as others would like you to think. I do recommend seeing it on the big screen, and if you take a date with you you can expect lots of arm squeezing and head ducking. Come to think of it, that also might be worth another star.

Posted by John | Filed Under 4 Stars, Cary Elwes, DVD, Danny Glover, Horror, Leigh Whannell, Michael Emerson, Monica Potter, R