Saw (7/10 Rating)
Released October 29, 2004
Streaming on Hulu & Max. For rent/purchase on all major platforms.
Genre: Splatter Horror, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
R: Strong Grisly Violence and Language
1h 43m
Director James Wan (Insidious, The Conjuring, Aquaman) and Actor Leigh Whannell wrote the script for this movie after graduating from film school. They produced a low-budget short and received enough attention with it to make Saw. This film is considered one of the most profitable horror films of all time and has led to 9 other movies in the series. There are some decent storylines and other great horror elements in some of them, but this one stands alone. Perchance. I watch a lot of horror movies and tend to rate them within the genre, but I consider this a good film outside of just the genre. There is a lot going on and while it definitely pushed boundaries with the various torture devices involved, this is a great thriller and mystery. It does not always have the best acting and the dialogue may be cringy at times, but the story is constantly moving and revealing more interesting elements. It grabs you by the ankle from the open and never lets go…unless you choose to use a hacksaw to escape. We had not seen much like this since Se7en was released 10 years prior. We also got introduced to not one, but two horror icons: Jigsaw himself and the puppet. Jigsaw is already given a lot of depth in this movie and that puppet stays creeping through my nightmares on its little tricycle. Plus, we all got to go around asking our friends, “Do you want to play a game?” and “Did you seesaw?” I still do. This movie earns its R rating, so if you don’t like gore, stay far away. If a little blood just makes you crave steak and you like hanging out in old dirty warehouses, revisit Saw. It is probably not a Movie You Missed, but if you’re younger and only familiar with the sequels, you need to give the original a good watch and ignore the others. Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon) and Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) up the talent, although Elwes’ makeup late in the film makes his performance a little easy to laugh at. Of course, that is just before the ending kicks into high gear and that badass theme song plays. What a time to be alive! I hear most people are so ungrateful to be alive. Not me. Not anymore. Be sure to check out Wan’s Malignant if you want a wild throwback to 80s horror. That is, if it’s one you never…Saw. I’ll handcuff myself to a pipe now.
Also released in October 2004: The Grudge, Ray, Sideways, The Incredibles, The Machinist, Friday Night Lights, Shall We Dance?, Ladder 49, I Heart Huckabees, Team America: World Police (follow @jlucia85 for these reviews and more)
