Poorly written, poorly acted, ridiculous farce.

Rating: 3/10 (31 October 2004)

If only this movie didn't have so much potential: a cast of historically competent actors, an interesting premise, and a reasonably compelling story, it might not be so painful to sit through the drivel that is "Saw." Yet, just as you might slow down for a glimpse of a gruesome car accident on the side of the road, you will probably be curious and stare riveted at the screen until the bitter end, wondering just what twist will be yanked from the amateurish screenwriter's posterior next.
Easily, the worst part of this movie was the acting, or, possibly, bad editing made the timing and tone seem worse than it was. At its best moments, it's as melodramatic as a 19th century British parlor room drama. At its worst, one could wonder whether it has stooped to self-parody. In fact, in the crowded movie theater where I saw this film on opening night, loud laughter nearly covered the ridiculous supposed climax of the movie. This was not the sort of nervous giggling that sometimes accompanies horror and gore; this was the kind of full-out belly laughter one might hear in an uproarious comedy. One wonders if any test-screenings of this film were consulted and how this final version was allowed to make it to distribution.
Again, the story was fairly inventive, if somewhat gimmicky. However, the surprise-twist ending was certainly a surprise; it was basically physically impossible if you'd been watching the rest of the movie. The greatest surprise endings, while difficult to guess, make the rest of the movie make more, not less, sense, explain unanswered questions from the rest of the movie, and allow a second viewing to give you an enjoyable new perspective. This ending does none of these three things.
I'm quite baffled at the high rating this movie is currently enjoying on this site, and the box office success it reportedly has had this weekend. My advice: skip it and rent "Se7en" again.