I Want To Play A Game

Rating: 9/10 (27 January 2007)

*Saw SPOILERS*
Adam (Leigh Whannell, also co-writer of the movie) wakes up in a dark and maleodorant bathroom. Soon after that he notices that he isn't alone... there is Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes, 'Crush', 'Robin Hood: A Man In Tights'), too.
They're both chained at the opposite ends of the room, a dead body between them, two minicassettes in their pockets; and they soon learn they are captives of the 'serial killer' (he never 'actually' killed anyone, after all) Jigsaw, who has decided he wants to play a game with them, a game in which the stakes are exceptionally high; for Adam, it's his life, and for Lawrence, it's something more... his wife (Monica Potter) and daughter (Mackenzie Vega).
Will they win? And will the borderline obsessive Det. Tapp (Danny Glover) help matters any or will he just wreak everything? 'Saw' is a movie worth every penny of the hype it gets; I especially liked how it doesn't assume its viewers are stupid, and the motives of Jigsaw, who acts out his 'games' according to his twisted morality.
It's not a particularly gory movie, though; gorehounds will probably be bored by this.
Of course, the great and tightly paced script written by Whannell and James Wan (the director) and the intense directing, editing, photography and music (I particularly dig the song that is played when Adam realizes WHO and, more importantly, WHERE Jigsaw has been for the whole time) wouldn't work if there weren't actors good enough to pull it off.
But there are; all of them, especially Elwes and Whannell do a damn fine job (I was surprised when I heard Whannell had never acted before! Thumbs up boy!).
In short, Saw is great and not to miss.
Saw: 9/10.