Decent

Rating: Null/10 (14 March 2008)

Saw (2004)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
The film opens in an abandoned bathroom where two men are chained to opposite sides of the room. Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) and Adam (Leigh Whannell) don't remember how they got in this room but soon Gordon begins to fear this is the work of a serial killer the police have labeled "The Jigsaw Killer". This serial killer doesn't actually kill his victims but instead puts them in a life or death situation where in order to live, the victims must kill the other person or instead, kill themselves. Gordon and Adam have just under eight hours to figure a way out of this puzzle before their untimely death occurs.
I remember reading a review of Wes Craven's Scream when it was first released and the reviewer, whose name I can't remember, mentioned that the opening scenes were so intense and it took no time to reach that high level of suspense. Within the opening minutes of Saw I felt the same way because, just like a fast car hitting zero to sixty miles per hours in a few seconds, this film takes off just as fast and is pretty relentless in its scenes of torture. However, the film with its wonderful start and finish is like two great pieces of bread without any fillings in the middle.
There is so much to admire in this film that I only wish the middle sections were half as brilliant as the rest of the film. The opening scenes have a certain dirty and grungy look to them that sets the film up perfectly. The idea of a serial killer who forces someone to kill themselves is another interesting idea that goes all out. Unlike many other horror films, we've actually got smart people thinking out their situations and trying to come up with the best way to live. We've also got an incredibly haunting ending that has such a claustrophobic feel that I was automatically reminded of the dinner scene in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Another high aspect to the film are the performances by Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell who for most of the film are strapped to a pole. These two are the ones telling the story and it's up to them to get the viewers drawn into the story and make us want to care whether these men live or die. I was rather shocked at how much development was allowed in the screenplay for the Elwes character to really grow on us. Elwes has many emotional scenes in the film, especially towards the end when he begins to fear he may never see his wife and child again. The actual look of fear in his eyes is quite remarkable and I'd be curious to know how Elwes got himself to that level. Whannell is the more quiet of the two but he too makes for an interesting characters as does Danny Glover who plays a detective trying to track down the killer.
I mentioned the middle section of the film really doesn't work and I think it's mainly due to the fact that the intensity level from the start, once it hits the sixty miles per hour, slams into a brick wall and stops the film cold in its tracks. We get to see some of the serial killers previous victims but this really doesn't add too much to the story when we're supposed to be concentrating on the two men in the bathroom. The side story dealing with Elwes personal life isn't too interesting either but I guess this was somewhat needed in order for the viewing to understand why he was selected to play this game. I think the film would have been better off without all the back story and instead focused on the two men trapped in this game. I personally feel their acting was strong enough that it could have carried the film a lot further than any of the flashbacks did.
Having said that, the film hits full stride again towards the end with a finale that is downright shocking. I'm not going to give anything away but I wouldn't mind comparing the ending to this as being just as shocking as the ending to Psycho forty-four years earlier.
Not only does the shock ending work but so does the climax to our two characters fate.
Again, the feel of dread, torture and pain are so agonizing that I'd rank this higher than what was seen and felt in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The film certainly isn't for the faint of heart and I'm sure those with prejudice attitudes towards horror films will be left sickened but hey, that's the point. Saw gets a marginal recommendation due to the wonderful start, ending and performance by Elwes.