Poor Cousin to Se7en

Rating: 4/10 (21 November 2004)

SAW (2 outta 5 stars)
This sounded like such a good idea for a movie that I thought it couldn't possibly miss. Unfortunately I didn't count on the poor acting, the clichéd "wife and child in danger" scenes and the botched attempts at suspense. Two men awaken in an abandoned men's room... their ankles chained to opposite sides of the room. They have been put there by a bizarre serial killer who likes his victims to actively participate in their own demise. So each man gets a saw to free himself... the catch being that the saw blade isn't strong enough to cut the chains... to get free they would have to cut through their own leg. There is a time limit... and one man has to get free and kill the other or his family will die... yadda yadda yadda. Too bad the suspense inherent in this situation is put on hold to emphasize less-interesting sequences like a little girl who isn't believed when she says there's a man hiding in her closet. The movie isn't a total write-off... there are a few well-done scenes and some interesting red herrings... but ultimately the film is a big disappointment.