Best Horror Film of 2004.

Rating: Null/10 (28 February 2006)

The Joe Cool Review: Saw(2004)
Starring: Leigh Whannell as Adam, Cary Elwes as Dr. Gordon, Danny Glover as Detective Tapp and Tobin Bell as Jigsaw
Plot: Two men find themselves locked in a dirty bathroom, chained to pipes and with a dead man laying between them. One of them, Dr. Gordon soon realizes this is all the work of a serial killer named Jigsaw, who really isn't a killer, but finds ways for his victims to kill themselves. Now they must figure out how to escape, and to avoid having Gordon's family killed before it's too late.
Openers: What a blast this movie was. I mean it seriously was just a crazy ride to go through. The movie opened in pitch black until you realize our main guy is under water. He wakes up and the lights come on, he's trapped with another guy in this strange room. It certainly is a surprising beginning. Reminiscent of the Cube movies where they wake up and are locked in a room and have no idea how they got there. But this movie is nothing like Cube. It's very very messed up.
The Good: First of all, the Jigsaw killer concept was truly amazing. He actually never kills anyway. Not once. He sets up traps to help them "appreciate life". One girl has a device strapped to her head which will rip her jaws open if she doesn't find the key inside of the dead man's stomach. One guy has to escape by crawling through razor wire. The situation the two men find themselves in is that they have to find a way to escape or be trapped, and one of them has to kill the other or lose his family. I thought the voice work in particular for the Jigsaw killer was creepy. And his motives, which we find out in the end, are very unique. The acting was top-notch as well. Cary Elwes has been known to me as the guy from Robin Hood: Men In Tights and The Princess Bride. Up until SAW, I thought he wasn't a serious type of guy. He proved me wrong here, playing a dramatic role perfectly and sold me when he broke down and cried, right before doing something drastic. Another thing this movie has was plot and script. The movie had be locked in from the very opening frame and kept me engrossed throughout the whole thing in it's suspense filled story. Not only that, but there was many a twist and turn which made me think one thing, but then turned around and gave me a truth of something else!
The Bad: The first time I watched this I would have said nothing was wrong with it. But upon reviewing I've discovered some problems that bothered me. Cary Elwes is thought to be the over actor here, and I don't agree. Leigh Whannell was very annoying. Danny Glover's character should have been more fleshed out as well, as he was just playing the generic grizzled veteran/paranoid cop. I've seen it before, and am not impressed with the copy-and-paste version here from other more effective roles. Lastly, the movie sorta kinda ends abruptly and I was not okay with that at all.
The Ugly: Well it's not ugly as in a flaw for the movie, but this movie does have it's strong share of gore. We get a blown off head, a man DOES have to crawl through razor wire, bloody entrails, a slit throat, lots of gunshot wounds and a amputated leg. Other than that, nothing.
Final Verdict: SAW is the best horror film of 2004, regardless of how my opinion may change of it. It's still a great movie, but not as great as I believed it was on my original viewing. Still highly recommended.
Rating: **** of *****