Saw (B or 3/4 stars)
Inclined to teach his victims the value of life, a serial killer abducts a variance of obstinate people and forces them to play his torturous games (most ending in horrific death). HE doesn't kill his victims. He sets them up to accidentally and/or coincidentally kill themselves. This is their punishment for abusing their 'lives' (by way of drugs, moral turpitude, and so on). The killer figures, if they want to live so badly, they'll find a way to survive. The torture games are brutal, bloody, and wonderfully cinematic. 'Saw', directed by James Wan, is grosser than it is scary. But at least the concept is unique.
Adam (Leigh Whannell) and Lawrence (a resurgent Cary Elwes) wake up in a dirty, dingy bathroom, chained by their ankles to rusty pipes. They don't remember nor know how they got there. They don't know they are the latest victims of the 'Jigsaw Killer'. Once their eyes adjust, they notice a bloody body lain in btwn. them. The corpse is holding a gun & hand-held tape player. After their initial horror dies down, they realize that they also have tape players in their pockets. A deranged-sounding voice echoes from the players. Their task: One of them must kill the other by 6:00 or Lawrence's wife & daughter will be murdered! Why them? What have they done to deserve this? Or is it that they haven't done 'enough' to appreciate their gift of life?
In flashbacks, we witness some of Jigsaw's recent attacks. 1) A portly man must find a way to escape a barbed-wire maze; he doesn't succeed. 2) Amanda (Shawnee Smith) has a mask on her head that is hooked & locked onto her jaw. A timer is ticking backwards. The only key to unlock this contraption lies IN the stomach of a man who is paralyzed on the floor beside her. She's the only known survivor of one of Jigsaw's twisted puzzles. Due to Amanda's testimony, an ex-cop (Danny Glover) is hot on the case to identify the Jigsaw killer and prevent any more unnecessary deaths. But he needs to watch out for his OWN life.
Back to Adam & Lawrence, Jigsaw has left them an assortment of odd clues/tools to use to their so-called advantage: a gun (far out of reach), a tape recorder, a cell phone, 2 cigarettes, and 2 saws (all part of a diabolical plan for these 2 men to eventually kill each other in an escape process). Will they survive? Can they outsmart Jigsaw? Will Lawrence be able, at least, to save his wife (Monica Potter) & daughter from Jigsaw's clutches? How will the saw(s) be used {wink}?
'Saw' does a great job of building excruciating tension. There's a fantastic surprise ending. It's grisly & nasty, but not actually that scary (a slight downfall). James Wan's directing is stellar, sans some pacing & editing issues. The dialogue is executed well (except for an overblown outburst displayed by Cary Elwes). But I'm nitpicking here. For once, a horror flick can lend some truly intelligent psychopathia. When it's all over, you'll have witnessed an invigorating, yet uneasy, macabre horror fest. If you enjoy a smart thriller (with buckets of gore), you probably won't be disappointed. It's not like any horror film you've seen before.
Adam (Leigh Whannell) and Lawrence (a resurgent Cary Elwes) wake up in a dirty, dingy bathroom, chained by their ankles to rusty pipes. They don't remember nor know how they got there. They don't know they are the latest victims of the 'Jigsaw Killer'. Once their eyes adjust, they notice a bloody body lain in btwn. them. The corpse is holding a gun & hand-held tape player. After their initial horror dies down, they realize that they also have tape players in their pockets. A deranged-sounding voice echoes from the players. Their task: One of them must kill the other by 6:00 or Lawrence's wife & daughter will be murdered! Why them? What have they done to deserve this? Or is it that they haven't done 'enough' to appreciate their gift of life?
In flashbacks, we witness some of Jigsaw's recent attacks. 1) A portly man must find a way to escape a barbed-wire maze; he doesn't succeed. 2) Amanda (Shawnee Smith) has a mask on her head that is hooked & locked onto her jaw. A timer is ticking backwards. The only key to unlock this contraption lies IN the stomach of a man who is paralyzed on the floor beside her. She's the only known survivor of one of Jigsaw's twisted puzzles. Due to Amanda's testimony, an ex-cop (Danny Glover) is hot on the case to identify the Jigsaw killer and prevent any more unnecessary deaths. But he needs to watch out for his OWN life.
Back to Adam & Lawrence, Jigsaw has left them an assortment of odd clues/tools to use to their so-called advantage: a gun (far out of reach), a tape recorder, a cell phone, 2 cigarettes, and 2 saws (all part of a diabolical plan for these 2 men to eventually kill each other in an escape process). Will they survive? Can they outsmart Jigsaw? Will Lawrence be able, at least, to save his wife (Monica Potter) & daughter from Jigsaw's clutches? How will the saw(s) be used {wink}?
'Saw' does a great job of building excruciating tension. There's a fantastic surprise ending. It's grisly & nasty, but not actually that scary (a slight downfall). James Wan's directing is stellar, sans some pacing & editing issues. The dialogue is executed well (except for an overblown outburst displayed by Cary Elwes). But I'm nitpicking here. For once, a horror flick can lend some truly intelligent psychopathia. When it's all over, you'll have witnessed an invigorating, yet uneasy, macabre horror fest. If you enjoy a smart thriller (with buckets of gore), you probably won't be disappointed. It's not like any horror film you've seen before.