Really Disturbing....In a Good Way

Rating: 9/10 (15 February 2005)

THIS DEFINITELY HAS SPOILERS SO BEWARE!!!!
Considering its tiny budget and short filming time, this movie was excellent. There is definitely a "Se7en" feel to it, but not so much that it's repetitive. The story itself is quite original, especially in its execution. Granted, the killer making others do the killing isn't that original, but "Saw" is by no means typical. OK, so I really enjoyed the movie, but, as always, I have some griping to do.
SPOILERS!SPOILERS! SPOILERS!!!!!! SPOILERS!!!!!! SPOILERS!!!!!! SPOILERS!!!!!!SPOILERS!!!!!! SPOILERS!!!!!! SPOILERS!!!!!!
First - the ending - I was a little annoyed. Not so much by the unveiling of Jigsaw, but the implausibility of him being in the room the entire time without a trained oncologist realizing he was not dead. Second - the Zep or Zap factor - his 'game' seems a little convoluted. I understand this is a movie, but it could have been done a little better. Why make him a part of all this, when he seemed to defend John at the hospital as a person? Third - the sawing - why wouldn't the Doctor use his shirt to get the cell phone and tell his wife he was still there? He could have found out that she was safe. Did he really think he could saw off his foot and save himself? That bothered me. It could have been a different twist, like the wife was OK, but Jigsaw was on his way to finish the Doctor off or something like that. Fourth - Cary Elwes in general - I don't know. At times he just seemed out of place. His hair was too blonde and he was almost chunky. Maybe he was supposed to seem pompous and yuppie-like, but at times I found it unbelievable. Fifth - the loose ends - Did the Doctor actually die? Granted, he was dragging himself out of the bathroom at the end pale as a ghost and he probably made it only ten more feet, but who knows? Do they later find his body? A loud thump five seconds after he crawled out would have done it. (Maybe there was one and I missed it, so I apologize if I did). Do they later find Adam shriveled and dead with Zap or Zep (I am unsure which it is)? Are they leaving the loose ends for a sequel? Didn't Jigsaw have a frontal lobe tumor, so he was dying before all of this began?
All that being said, I still rated this movie 9/10. Why? Because it was that good. So good, in fact, I found myself picking out the aforementioned little things. Why even nit pick like that? Because it could have been perfect. "Saw" had all the potential but only came through about 95%. And that is why I was a little annoyed at the end. Again, still a great movie. One of the best horror/suspense films in a LONG time. Original, creative, scary, freaky, disturbing, etc.
Despite what I have said, I highly recommend this movie. Be warned that it can be quite graphic, but it is definitely worth it.