A good Seven style thriller with some interesting ideas.

Rating: 7/10 (5 November 2005)

Saw is a very good thriller, with some excellent twists and good looking production design. It's got some absolutely fantastic set pieces and an excellent villain in the shape of the Jigsaw Killer. I enjoyed it, and saw it as a fantastic, slick piece of entertainment.
However, I had some issues with it. For one, the acting is pretty suspect. No worse than a lot of other indie thrillers, and streets ahead of some, but many of the actors turn in OTT or stereotypical turns that stopped me from truly immersing myself in the atmosphere.
I found that I also wasn't as gripped as my colleagues when we finally sat down to watch the film. I loved certain parts of it, especially the girl in the reversed bear trap and the section in Leigh Whannels apartment, but most of the film I felt was too slick for it's own good. The movie lacks the suffocating atmosphere that makes films like Session 9, Seven and My Little Eye so disturbing and memorable, and plumps instead for a Hollywood-style atmosphere reminiscent of movies like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer and Red Dragon. This detracts from the impact of the horror elements.
Still, the plot is great, and I genuinely didn't work out whodunnit until the final reveal. Though the movie won't hold many shocks or horrors for genre vets, it's still a satisfyingly meaty film with a lot of gruesome scenes and dark ideas. Saw doesn't quite make the greatest hits list of thrillers or horror, but it's a good solid film nonetheless with a lot to offer.