Horror film advances old story
By Laurie Lo
Oct. 27, 2004 9:00 p.m.
“SAW” Directed by James Wan Lions Gate
Films
Two men wake up to find themselves chained inside a filthy
subterranean bathroom. In between them lies a man with a gunshot
wound to his head, holding a .38 in his hand. The only thing the
two men have in common is that they are oblivious as to how they
got there, why they are there and what is to become of them. Debut
filmmakers James Wan and Leigh Whannell definitely waste no time as
they catapult audience members right into the action of
“SAW.” And they refuse to let go until every last gory
detail and inventive atrocity is played out. “SAW” is
continuously finding ways to take the old serial killer story one
step further. Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) and Adam (Leigh
Whannell) find themselves at the mercy of a preachy psychopath on
his self-proclaimed pedestal who punishes those who do not
appreciate life. Yet there is always the unavoidable catch: The
victims have to commit a heinous crime if they hope to walk away
with their life. Though the men believe they are random victims,
their selection is actually well prepared. (Think
“Phonebooth.”) But unlike the movie’s most
obvious influence “Seven,” the architect behind the
twisted game does not murder his participants directly. Rather, the
choice of how much the victims value their life is left up to them.
Gordon is instructed to kill Adam within eight hours or else dire
consequences will ensue. Fortunately, the mastermind behind the
game, nicknamed “The Jigsaw,” left the men with a way
out: a hacksaw. Unfortunately for them (and to the shock of the
audience), the tool is too dull to cut through metal, but just
sharp enough to cut through skin and bones. Truly, desperate times
call for desperate measures. In terms of delivering suspense and an
intricate story line, the movie works. But because it is coupled
with some questionable acting, “SAW” fails reach the
same caliber as such similar movies as “Seven”. Elwes
fluctuates between overzealous and wooden without any hope of a
medium. Whannell, who also happens to be one of the co-writers,
holds his own in his first leading feature film role. His
inexperience, nevertheless, is not lost on the audience. Luckily
for the film, it happens to be the only horror/thriller film
opening this Halloween weekend. If audiences are willing to look
past some of the questionable acting and concentrate on the macabre
story, they will find a nice treat.
-Laurie Lo
