Saw has become quite the horror movie franchise, and it all started with director James Wan (The Conjuring [2013])) who also wrote the film with Leigh Whannell who also starred in the film. Saw first graced horror fans presence in theaters on October 14, 2004, from Lionsgate. Saw is definitely a horror film, but I believe it’s also a psychological thriller to scare movie watchers.
Cary Elwes & Tobin Bell
Leigh Whannell
The film opens with 2 individuals Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes (Bram Stoker’s Dracula [1992])) and photographer Adam (Leigh Whannell (Keep Watching [2017])) chained in a washroom at opposite ends of the room not knowing how they got there, and each find a cassette tape. There’s also what appears to be a dead person lying in the middle of the room with a small tape recorder and they find a way to get it and listen to the messages. Dr Gordon’s says he must kill Adam if he wants to save his wife Alison (Monica Potter (The Last House on the Left [2009])) and daughter Diana (Makenzie Vega (Fender Bender [2016])) which obviously he doesn’t want to do.
Shawnee Smith
While listening to the tapes he seems to recognize the voice, and we see flashbacks and another story that’s going on at the same time. He was investigated for the jigsaw killings by Detectives David Tapp (Danny Glover (Predator 2 [1990])) and Steven Sing (Ken Leung (Old [2021])) and watches one of the survivors Amanda (Shawnee Smith (The Blob [1988])) who only survived by getting a key from a dead person’s stomach. Tapp is obsessed with finding Jigsaw and what Dr. Gordon’s connection is and follows him everywhere and soon discovers a clue to the supposed location and of course it’s a trap and Tapp’s partner Sing gets killed. Meanwhile the time has come, and Dr. Gordon hasn’t killed Adam, and the killer Zep (Michael Emerson) must fulfill Jigsaw’s mission. Alison is able to talk to her husband and that gives him motivation to fight back when Zep comes to kill him and can escape. He promises Adam he’ll return (yeah right), and Adam is left alone and suddenly the corpse in the middle of the room rises and *spoiler* the person who orchestrated everything was lying there all along and leaves him locked in the room abounding all hope.
Ken Leung & Danny Glover
When I first watched Saw when it came out it was too much for me at the time, now when I watch it I had a different take on it, I’m not sure if it’s because I can watch horror movies much easier now or my movie watching has matured, but it’s still an intense film. It’s what started the entire franchise and will begin watching the others as so far I’ve only seen Jigsaw [2017] and Saw X [2023]. Saw is for the seasoned horror fan and not for a beginner as it’s very intense and can be gruesome. Curiously, the Saw films have a moral dilemma built into them, so it makes one think twice about what you do.
TAGLINES:
- Let the games begin!
- Live or die. Make your choice.
- I want to play a game
- Oh yes, there will be blood
- This Halloween, he’s pulling out all the stops.
- If It’s Halloween… It Must Be Saw
- Its legacy is inescapable.
- Every piece has a puzzle.
- How much blood would you shed to stay alive?
- How do you solve a puzzle with pieces missing? [Australia]
- Dare you see SAW? (UK)
- Their saw isn’t there to cut their chains, they are there to cut their feet.
- Every puzzle has its pieces.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387564/
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
3C Rating: 7.5/10
Followed By:
Saw II [2005]
Saw III [2006]
Saw IV [2007]
Saw V [2008]
Saw VI [2009]
Saw 3D [2010]
Jigsaw [2017]
Saw X [2023]