Saw was released on October 29, 2004. It is the first instalment in the Saw series. It was directed by James Wan, written by Leigh Whannell, and stars Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, and Danny Glover.
The Saw series is one of my favourite horror film series of all time, if not my favourite horror film series of all time. What I love about the films are the twists, the traps, and Tobin Bell. The twists are always smart, innovative, and surprising (except for Saw 3D), the traps are always imaginative, scary, and in an odd way, impressive (except for Saw 3D), and Tobin Bell is always chilling, scary, and making you soil yourself (except for Saw 3D). However, something that many people don't realize is that the first film is extremely different from the rest of the films.
While Saw II-3D (that's the seventh one) were just filled with traps, gore, and exemplify torture porn, Saw doesn't really do any of these. Saw relies on horror, setting the mood, and great writing and performances. Actually, not every performance is a great performance. Leigh Whannell can get a bit too whiny by the end, but aside from that, there are great performances all around.
The basic plot is two men, Gordon and Adam (Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell, respectively) who wake up in a dirty, dungy bathroom, chained to pipes at the opposite sides of the bathroom. In the middle of the bathroom is a man lying on the ground. Tape recorder in his right hand, gun in his left, and lying in a pool of his own blood. They have to figure out what is going on and how to get out of there before 6 P.M., or there will be deadly consequences.
The majority of this film is set in the bathroom, between these two characters, with flashbacks taking up some time. Because of that, dialogue is extremely important. And luckily, the dialogue between these two characters is believable, and realistic. The mood is also set with creepy shots and music, although some times, the music can be a bit too nu metal, at least for my tastes. The final piece of music, during the last scene, is brilliant, and has since become the theme of the series, and leitmotif of a major twist.
While the rest of the films set this series up as pure torture porn, this film remains a gem in the modern day horror industry, a truly horrifying film. I'm glad to see that this film was on this list, and this early too. For enjoyment, I give this film a 9.5/10. And to those who don't want to check out this film because they think it's torture porn, trust me, it isn't. It's horror, and a good one at that.
Next time, I'm watching a classic, Back to the Future Part II.
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