Post by Bub on Oct 30, 2004 13:05:59 GMT -5
Plot: Two men, Dr. Lawerence Gordon and Adam, wake up chained in a room with a dead body on the floor. They've been captured by a killer dubbed Jigsaw, a man who gets his victims to kill each other in order to live. Slowly turning both men on each other, giving hints and clues, he tells Dr. Gordon his wife and child will die if he doesn't kill Adam.......
I've heard all the really positive buzz for newcomer to the genre James Wan's horror film Saw, and I was so pumped about seeing it I went on opening night. Before the film began, I got a load of horror trailers, from Haute Tension, Seed of Chucky, The Devil's Rejects, and others. Then the film began.......
Saw is a great horror film as it is, but for a directorial debut, this may be the finest in the horror genre since Clive Barker's legendary debut with Hellraiser. I dug almost everything about the film and was completely immersed into the films storyline.
James Wan's direction is amazing. His visual style is fantastic. The shades of dark green, blacks, and whites in the locations creates the atmosphere excellently. The lighting and angles of the film are truly great. Camera shots were completely out of control and wild, illustrating the victims panic. There were very unique camera angles incoroperated into some scenes that had me thinking to myself "Man, that's a cool shot." In one scene, he even creates the feeling two cars are chasing each other without either car moving at all! Lights and shadows are used to their ultimate effect.
Now, I've heard some people compare Saw to Se7en, and I don't really know why. The only similarity is the fact the film has a crazy-ass killer. But other than that, I would not compare the two films. Se7en was an atmospheric, chilling Detective flick while Saw is an out-of-control, frantic horror film.
The music fits the film to the point of perfection. Composed by former NIN members Danny Lohner and Charlie Clouser, the music fit the industrialistic setting and overall feeling the film had. Mechanical and frantic, like many of Jigsaw's traps and "games", the music fit the film to a T.
The story basically has two plots, which both come together at one point. There's the story of Adam and Dr. Gordon's experience, and there's the story behind Jigsaw's previous crimes and the investigation into them by Danny Glover's character. Both stories are very good, and they fit together well. The scenes between Dr. Gordon and Adam reveal their characters and their part in the game, while developing them to the point where you like them and wish them to live. The detective investigation plot is more of the casual horror fan's cup of tea, displaying the incredible traps and puzzles Jigsaw makes for his victims and their fates.
There were some scenes that had me on edge, and that's pretty damn hard to do in my opinion. The scenes showing Jigsaw's victims and their stories were fantastic. The scene in which you see a victim of Jigsaw reveal her experience is creative as hell. I adore that scene, but there's one that tops even that. In one scene, a character wakes up in their apartment, completely dark. The lights don't work, so he/she uses a camera to see where they are going. It was so intense and creative an idea. Every shot you expect something to appear, only to have the tables turned.
The film uses classic horror imagery (clowns, dummies, eyes, etc.) to good effect. The manequin used by Jigsaw is quite creepy looking, as is the pig mask. The film has a wide variety of kooky, creative set-pieces. When Jigsaw is down, he's actually at his most dangerous. His strength is his exensive traps and intelligence, not strength.
The acting in the film is pretty convincing. Carey Elwes showed me he wasn't just a comedy actor and delivered a layered performance. I've heard some people complain about how he goes into William Shatner mode near the end of the film, but considering what his character has gone through, it didn't suprise me. Leigh Whannell is natural in his performance and he did good, though some of his little humor felt out-of-place. However, Danny Glover is completely wasted here. Sure, his character had motivation and all, but we didn't really get to know him at all. I felt he was just there for his namesake. Still, he was still convincing, if under-developed, and most of the scenes he was in were cool.
Most character decisions were convincing, but there's one scene where a character makes a completely stupid move. The entire theater was yelling at him/her to do the opposite thing. There is one point in the film where I thought it was going to end predictably, but believe me, this film has one of the most hairpin plot twists in recent years and took me totally aback. The ending is incredible.
I loved Saw. Everything I love in a horror film was rolled into one incredible package.
9.5/10
