Could have been sharper

Rating: Null/10 (9 November 2004)

"Saw" begins with an intriguing premise and, for most of the film, is a taut, tight, suspenseful cat-and-mouse game. The promise of the title is fulfilled -- as the old proverb says, if a gun is introduced in the first act, it should go off by the fifth act. Indeed it does, and we are not disappointed.
Where the film loses its sharpness and becomes blunted and dull, like an old rusty saw, is in the final reel. There are simply too many red herrings, undeveloped or underdeveloped characters, unlikely twists and turns, unanswered questions, and an ending that ultimately fails to satisfy.
Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell are, by and large, excellent as the trapped surgeon and darkroom photographer. In an interesting dynamic or dialectic, Dr. Lawrence Gordon initially approaches his dilemma with cool, calm logic, only to descend into a maelstrom of madness. Adam, his fellow prisoner, starts out as impulsive and unthinking, but grows increasingly cagier and slyer. The shift in the dynamic between them genuinely proves to be a see-saw battle (pun intended).
However, "Saw" woefully wastes the thespian talents of the likes of Danny Glover. The rest of the cast embody cardboard characters and simply go through the motions.
"Saw" should have been cutting-edge cinema. In the end, however, it should perhaps have been left on the cutting-room floor.