Pretty original... definitely worth seeing.

Rating: 7/10 (28 October 2006)

No doubt, today's horror genre is filled to the brim with tired, worn-out clichés, predictable plots and settings, and "scare" attempts that frankly, would put me to sleep faster than a tranquilizer dart to the jugular vein. I'll be honest, I'm not a big horror fan. Usually, the only horror films I REALLY like are the classic masterpieces---The Shining, The Exorcist, Misery, etc. I was much more of a horror fan when I first saw this movie (almost exactly two years ago, when it was in theaters), so the fact that it still retains a certain degree of respect from me and a special place in my heart really says something about it. I'm giving this movie seven stars, although I would give it a 7.5.
I have now viewed the entire "Saw" trilogy---I just watched the latest installment last night. And now, I feel compelled to write reviews for all three films.
"How much blood will you shed to stay alive?" was the tag-line for this movie. And indeed, it was applicable in many places throughout the film. Would you hack into the stomach of a living (albeit heavily drugged) person to save your own life? Would you shoot someone you barely knew in order to save yourself and your family? Would you sever one of your own limbs if it was your only means of escape? These are situations that are explored in gruesome detail throughout the movie.
The story is that there's a unique serial killer out there who puts unsuspecting hapless souls into desperate situations whereupon, by their own action or inaction, they become victims of some truly gruesome endings. There's a lot of flash-backs and secondary stories, but the main course of the movie involves two men who wake up in what appears to be the scummy remnants of some abandoned restroom, chained by leg shackles on opposite sides of the room. There is a body resting face-down in a pool of blood between them, clutching a revolver and a tape recorder. Both men discover audio tapes in their possession that feature a dark, raspy voice telling them the rules of the "game", and also warning them of the consequences they face should they fail to fulfill their objectives.
Strangely, unlike many horror films involving psychopaths, the mystery of the identity of the killer is not the only thing that keeps us glued to the screen. Of course, we wonder about it (as do the characters on-screen), but many times, it is treated as something of almost secondary importance. This is not to say that the movie doesn't tease us about it, but it relies on much more than a stupid guessing game to keep us interested. As we come to know the characters more and more, we come to sympathize with them, at least to a degree, because the situations they are forced to endure are things that most of us wouldn't wish on our worst enemies.
The film doesn't focus so much on the killer and his inner self as it does on the story and lives of the victims. Don't get me wrong---the killer has his places in the movie, but he's more or less a masked phantom figure that chooses only to observe the situations he rigs into place, rather than directly interact with them.
In real life, the situations that are masterminded by the killer in this movie (and in the succeeding two films) probably wouldn't play out as smoothly to his liking or prediction as they do. However, that almost goes without saying; in the movie world, the unlikely becomes very plausible.
Also, unfortunately, the acting is quite sub-par in certain parts. Cary Elwes, in particular, is kind of... well, lame. There's scenes where the acting makes you go "Uughh, come ON." That's the main weakness of the film. If you can withstand those certain scenes of rickety performances though, it's quite easy to enjoy the rest of the film.
This movie definitely relies on some of its impact through gratuitous bloodshed---even though it doesn't come anywhere near the level of grotesque gore of the succeeding two installments, that is definitely where some of its ammunition is stocked. Part of it is also the sheer sadistic creativity of the traps that are placed for the characters on-screen. One thing I really like about this film is that it relies on very little of that annoying "having things pop up on the screen so we can get the highly strung audience members to jump up in their seats" technique. Oh yeah, and part of the impact comes at the end, which features a huge, unexpected twist. Frankly, I thought that said twist was ingenious.
In any case, this is definitely a horror film that deserves recognition, because it is certainly far better than many of its competitors, and in a genre that is so filled over-the-top with lame excuses of celluloid crap, that is always a relief.