Being different...

Rating: 6/10 (2 May 2005)

I was truly looking forward to see this movie. It was one of the most talked about films from the last months. Some consider it as one of the best movies of 2004; some think it's a terrible movie; some didn't get it; some were amazed by itOne friend of mine, who loves movies, or so I think, told me: "It was too weird for my taste"; and another friend said it was great. Maybe I'd explain "Saw" from the first idea (although I won't), but I would never start from the second one.
The movie is different in its own good. Different is great, and more when it comes to horror movies (wait, "Saw" is not exactly horror, but I'll explain later). It's one of the bravest movies in the genre I've seen in a while. It commences with James Wan and Leigh Whannell, who are probably close friends and workers. I imagine they had this incredible idea that could step out of everything we watch every day, and developed it. Later, it became a phenomenon. What they got with the project? Recognition and probably (although not luckily) success. Wan has an eye for this stuff. His style is riveting as it is exuberant and in some way trapping. He got his team, he worked hard and that's why he generated what he generated.
The special effects in the movie seem exaggerated but unforced at the same time, so they can seem realistic. Julie Berghoff, for a first important job, did an outstanding job designing the production. Excellent visuals in this piece. Mysterious sceneries and characters wander through the set; prepared for anything. When Wan uses the typical compilation of scenes with strong sounds, so everything seems scary and freaky (then we can say "weird" here); or when we sense the problems the movie has with time, because during most of the film you can't tell if a thing is happening or if it has happened We just keep watching, and don't care about it, because he has done the rest so well (but we still can't forgive him everything).
Don't say about the narrative. Both Wan and Whannell managed to create realistic characters that are also quirky. I mean; quirky is common in movies from the genre, butRealistic? Not common at all. Then he drives us to his unbelievably original story, which involves the "weirdest" villain mask since "Scream". This plot is extremely intelligent, dealing with the issue that a crazy sadistic killer bastard might have the purpose to save people trying to take their lives away. It could be. Even when we don't see him, he says phrases: "People are so ungrateful to be alive", or "no one appreciates their blessings". That's why this man invents perfectly detailed games for people to kill themselves. Anyone can call him the "Jigsaw Killer", but Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes) explains: "Technically, he is not a murderer. He's never killed anyone". These games you'll see; I won't even say the most important one of the movie, because is one of the great things the movie has. What the hell has happened? This is what Dr. Gordon and Adam (Leigh Whannell) are wondering when they wake up in an isolated room. A whole movie ensues in there.
Performances are adequate and precise. Without risking too much, actors level up with the complex material. Even Leigh Whannell gets his acting chance as Adam (writing has benefits). His performance is alright; he could have done better when he wrote the screenplay and new more than the rest. Cary Elwes remains unrecognizable in every role he does. I hadn't seen him since "The cat's meow", where I didn't recognize him either. He stands out, and made me forget about the stupid character he played in "Liar Liar". Danny Glover, away from movies since "The Royal Tenenbaums", plays Detective Tapp as he only can. It was good to see him again. I can also talk about Monica Potter (Alison) who had clearly been away since "Along came a spider", where she was as unnoticeable as she is here.
It happens to me, as I see some movies of this genre, that I notice a certain complexity. I recently saw "My little eye"; I'm talking about movies when not everything is blood and death. There is also an amount of persons, who have their own personalities. It's not, I told a friend, "the guy with the gun", "the other man". And that's another adding to the movie's stand out originality. It's not horror; I would take a chance to say. It's suspense, and even drama. You won't jump off your seat. You get what I'm saying? But what is it that makes this a regular movie, if there are so many great things about it? It's about taking the risk of finishing the challenge; about not falling into the abyss of cliché and ordinariness. This film's triumph would have been achieved if they had written everything with the same intelligence. But they arrived at the ending and met the dilemma. Did they finish the challenge? No, they didn't. And it doesn't matter what their objective was.