Bad Acting, alright plot

Rating: 5/10 (7 February 2005)

This film looked very good from the trailer, but the acting just wasn't convincing. The people they hired could act in small roles, requiring a limited range of emotions; but for a person locked in a room with nothing but a saw, a foot, and a choice, the acting just didn't have me convinced.
The story-line was good, as were the different methods of murder/torture seen throughout the film. In fact the movie itself played upon a lot of my key inner fears. Despite this, I found most scenes less frightening then I first expected. I think this is mostly due to the poor soundtrack. If you ever watch a scary film, and it gets too much for you, simply turn off the sound and it is nothing. There were never any tense violins jerking as the killer got closer, or bass music building up as something bad was about to happen. I suppose if they had spent more then 18 days filming it, then they may have made some better choices.
Overall I give it a five because while there is technically nothing wrong with it, it is still lacking something to make it a good film.