Disturbing, Frightening and Extremely Clever.

Rating: Null/10 (18 October 2004)

There hasn't been a decent psychological thriller since "Se7ven". Yet "Saw" has all the hallmarks of a grade A picture. With it's dim lighting, claustrophobic camera angles and a dark, grainy look.
The movie opens with our two lead characters awaking in a dark and dingy bathroom, chained at the ankles with a dead body lying between them. They have no recollection of how they ended up there. Then they discover tapes hidden in their pockets. Using a tape player situated in the dead bodies hand, they discover they are the pawns in a sick game concocted by the sinister "Jigsaw", who tortures his victims into killing themselves. Queue flashbacks of the killers previous victims, including a guy trapped in a maze of razor wire.
The movie is very fast paced, and uses extreme lighting for maximum effect. Take, for example, the young girl with the "reverse bear trap" on her head, which if she doesn't get it off, will rip her jaw off. As the sudden realisation dawns on her, the camera spins around, catching the immense tension and pure fear. The music score of the movie is bold and brash, very heavy metal, and adds another layer to this deeply complex movie.
The movie isn't just about the shock value. Sure, the movie does contain some graphically violent scenes, and contains several shocks and scares, but it's also a clever and deeply intricate look into the bowels of the inner psyche of an insane criminal, with a sick and twisted pleasure of watching fellow humans suffer.
Over here, the movie was passed with an 18 certificate, with a few cuts. If you are a hardcore horror movie fan, the dark and grimy sets, the intriguing plot with it's many twists and turns and deliciously macabre story telling will keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing right up to the very last frame. If, however, you are just your average movie goer, then I would recommend you steer clear of this movie.
The twist at the end of the movie does leave the door open for a sequel, but don't count on it. A movie this good really only will work once. A sequel would ruin the amazing originality behind it.