One of the most disturbing films I've ever seen

Rating: 10/10 (28 February 2005)

A demonic serial killer (Okay, so he's not REALLY a serial killer, but) imprisons two average men (Carey Elwes and Leigh Whannell) in a rather unpleasant bathroom in an ancient, long-deserted sewage plant. Things go from bad to worse for them when they realize that the intent of the said killer is for them to turn on one another and ultimately, kill one another.
Wow. How can I describe a film like "saw"? Brutal, disturbing, grisly, unpleasant I think you get the picture. Elwes and Whannell (Who also scripted the film) both give excellent performances, but more importantly, we care about the characters, they're engaging and realistic, usually in this type of film I find myself not caring at all for the characters, that isn't so here, though. The characters are well-rounded and likable. I WANTED them to survive.
This is James Wan's first big feature film, and he delivers everything here with extreme intensity, style, and atmosphere. The cinematography was superb and I loved the ways some of the flashbacks were filmed. The guy's got a great eye for detail and I'm sure we'll be hearing more from him soon.
This is no Disney film, folks, in case you haven't guessed. Not only is it extremely gory at times, but the situations are so unsettling and mean-spirited that if the film hadn't been gory, it still would have earned every bit of it's R rating (come to think about it, this is probably the most physiologically disturbing film I've ever seen!).
In my opinion, the ending was absolutely terrifying. I won't give it away, but it's easily the most twisted, ironic and anticlimactic ending I've ever seen. Yes, I'll admit, I did loose some sleep over it.
"Saw" is a flick that wasn't designed with the faint-of-heart in mind. It ruthless, brutal, and gruesome, but it's easily the most powerful and disturbing films I've ever seen.
8/10.