The most disturbing film for years

Rating: 9/10 (12 February 2005)

As an avid horror fan i can safely say that the majority of horror movies released today are average at best. they are either crap yet fun or just plain crap. Even films such as Cabin Fever, although trying to go back to the original 1970's style of horror, fail to hit the mark. Which is why i was stunned by this little beauty. If you thought serial killer flicks could only ever b as good as the next Ashley Judd thriller then you were gravely mistaken.
It tells the story of two men (one a photographer, Adam, and the other a doctor) who wake up to find themselves chained up in an old abandoned warehouse, With no knowledge of how they got there or why. Then a mysterious killer by the name of Jigsaw informs them the the doctor must kill Adam by 6 o'clock or his wife and daughter will be killed. Although the premise is very basic, after the opening the majority of film is played out in flashback informing the audience of how the characters got there and looking back at past killings Jigsaw has committed (the barbed wire murder will make you sick to your stomach).
Shot on a budget of only $1,000,000 this film looks as professional as Silence of the Lambs and as grim as Se7en. Although at many points the director seems to delve into MTV syndrome (look at anything by Michael Bay and you'll know what i mean), the overall tone of the film is probably the bleakest in film history. There is nothing pleasant in this film. No comic relief, no assurance that everything will be OK, just twist after twist the keeps you guessing till the very end and even then things look pretty bad. If your movie preference is that of soppy rom-coms or chick-flicks this is definitely not for you. I have a fairly high tolerance for this kind of stuff but even this tested me.
This is a truly great and utterly disturbing film that deserves to be up there with the great horror films of our time. This is pure nightmare inducing material. If they were as well made as this gem then i would openly welcome many more movies like it. Apparently there is now a sequel in the works set for the end of this year. Lets hope it works as well as this.
4/5