You really should see Saw

Rating: 10/10 (5 December 2004)

Saw has achieved a rare feat in Thriller/Horror film-making in that it holds the suspense and intrigue throughout the entier film. From the opening moments (possibly the most captivating first 20 minutes of a film I've ever seen), until the end credits role, the audience is on edge, continually wondering what is going to happen next. The film centres around two men, chained to pipes, at either end of an industrial bathroom. Between them, lying face down on the floor is a body surrounded by a pool of blood. The questions of how and why these men are here are answered is a series of flashbacks throughout the film and this is where my only two real problems with the movie exist. Firstly, the first time out of the bathroom takes too long. Although the back story is interesting and necessary, I wanted to get back to the bathroom faster. The second problem I had was with the use of sped up film and rapidly changing camera angles in some of the flashback scenes. Although this technique did have an impact, after a few moments, it felt a bit 'gimicky'. The scenes in the bathroom however are masterful and the way the writers develop the plot in a setting that can seemingly go nowhere is a real credit to them. Saw is intriguing, it is imaginative, it is scary, suspenseful and wonderfully entertaining. Saw is a movie you must see at the cinema.