An intelligent horror film that does not insult the viewer

Rating: 9/10 (15 March 2006)

Two men wake up in a deserted and decayed bathroom, each chained to a pole at opposite sides of the room. Lying in the middle is a dead man, with an empty revolver in one hand, and a tape recorder in the other. It is a simple beginning. Yet this uneventful film, takes you on a roller coaster ride that is smart, well paced, and unforgettable. What drives this movie is such a well laid plot. Initial appearances are deceiving and become forgotten by the end of the film. For a horror movie, I believe it was wrongly advertised. there was some very gory scenes in this film, but, surprisingly, it is not a film that is driven by the blood. Also the gut wrenching scenes audiences could come to expect from R rated horror movies are not as frequent as one might expect. While there is gore, it does not populate the move, the scenes are few, but still pretty messed up. No what makes Saw so much fun, is the psychological terror. Watching these two seemingly random men, unfold the terrible events that got them there is where the thrills really are. to make the psycho terror even more intense, the man who put them there, is so much a factor, yet very invisible. its hard to explain but the serial killer who does not technically kill his victims, without making flashy appearances, still scares the bejesus out of the audience. To make the film even more active are various puzzles that captivate the audience, hoping to figure out what it could possibly mean. For a gory film, it its relatively tame. For an uneventful film it is action packed. For a horror film, it is extremely well crafted. Highly recommended for those who like films that don't insult our intelligence, and those that like a really really good scare.