A Really Solid Start-up

Rating: 9/10 (11 October 2019)

Saw is the film that started it all, and boy, it was a really good way to "let the games begin."
The plot of Saw is about two guys, Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) and Adam (Leigh Whannell), that are trapped in some bizarre looking bathroom with a dead man in the center of the room. They find out they are in a game. The game is where Gordon has to kill Adam before a certain time and if he fails to do so, his wife and daughter will die. Gordon and Adam try to find clues around the room to escape this game and save Gordon's family before it's too late.
The first Saw film had such a clear and basic plot, and had some good extra subplots to it. Danny Glover's character, Tapp, that wants to analyze more about Gordon and see if he is innocent after his partner Sing gets killed. Michael Emerson's character, Zep, was hired to kill Gordon's family because he had a poison in his body and if he succeeds, he gets an antidote. I liked how it all tied in by the end and it all came full circle. The pacing was also very good and everything went where it had to go.
The acting from everyone was really good. Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell had good chemistry as the two main victims, and although he didn't get much screentime, Tobin Bell did a great job as the main antagonist and person that was behind everything, Jigsaw/John Kramer.
Out of all the Saw films, this one was the least graphic one. They were just starting things up to see how it went, and in the sequels, things would get more out of control with the gorror. This film also didn't have much traps like the other ones, mostly because it was just about two guys in one trap, but shows other traps in the film that have happened prior to their situation.
All in all, Saw is a pretty complete film and holds up 15 years later.