Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

How much blood would you shed to stay alive? Quite the intriguing tagline for Saw which is as tense a movie as you’re likely to find in the last few years. Running on a shoestring budget, where everyone involved was practically working for nothing, first time director James Wan manages to squeeze every drop of suspense out of the 100 minute run time. While it frequently draws from other serial killer movies, namely The Silence of the Lambs and more predominantly, Seven, it earns major points for the generally high caliber performances and despicably horrific images. Over the last couple of years, horror movies have almost become a parody of themselves; the formula of having a mask-clad lunatic off over-sexed teenagers one by one has become merely a routine and redundant method of cashing in at the box office, without adding anything substantial to the genre. Then along comes Saw, a vicious, emotional struggle of two characters who would do just about anything to survive. With a wonderfully assembled cast, dark and dingy atmosphere, and several satisfying twists and turns, all signs point to a classic horror film in the making.

The elation this movie has caused in my inner movie critic is almost unprecedented. When is the last time you can say you were legitimately frightened in a movie theater? When is the last time you didn’t see characters in a horror movie make an incalculable number of forehead slapping decisions that an infant still in diapers would be smart enough to avoid? That’s what sets this film apart from its lazy, overstuffed brethren. Where most horror movies would have a bunch of horny college students being slaughtered in various mundane and predictable ways, all the while you’re applauding their demise, this movie invests the necessary time and effort for you to actually care for the people here. While the movie is populated by characters who are hardly perfect, one hostage is cheating on his wife and another man is a sleazy paparazzi wannabe, the director takes the time to show us where they’re coming from and why the killer feels they should appreciate and respect the value of life. Everything starts with the characters, something a lot of horror pictures seem to be forgetting lately.

The basic setup kicks off with the abovementioned two men trapped inside a dilapidated, roach-infested washroom that looks like it needs a serious dose of Mr. Clean and CLR. Both men are chained at their ankles, with no memory of how they got there. They are shocked to discover a corpse on the floor between them, killed from an apparent suicide. A tape recorder reveals that the first man, Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) must kill Adam (Leigh Whannell) before six p.m. or his wife and child will be murdered. Clues to their potential escape are scattered about the room, but they have less than eight hours to solve the puzzle. All of this is concocted by the raving madman whom police have dubbed as Jigsaw. As Gordon notes, this monster doesn’t actually do the killing; he simply puts people in a position where they kill themselves trying to survive.

As is always the case in these types of films, there must be a burned out detective who’s become obsessed with the investigation. This time, it’s Det. David Tapp (Danny Glover) who relentlessly (and often times, illegally) pursues the sadist after his partner becomes one of Jigsaw’s victims. To reveal any more of the plot would be criminal. However, I will add that there are quite a number of surprises, especially near the end. Just when you think you’ve solved the puzzle, a big curveball comes in out of nowhere and turns everything upside down. These big twists are either do or die. If they are executed poorly, the big surprise becomes laughable and can often times ruin the whole picture. But when pulled off with style and panache, it can bring any dedicated horror enthusiast to their feet. Thankfully, Saw didn’t fumble the ball at the goal line.

The film owes a lot of its atmosphere to David Fincher’s Seven. The entire piece is drenched in shadows and dimly lit corridors. In fact, I can’t even recall one scene of the sun shining, as everything in the film is encompassed by a sense of dread, shrouded in gloom and secrecy. This does make for a handful of effective scares. A sequence where a man is being stalked by Jigsaw in his apartment is particularly memorable. As he stumbles blindly in the darkness, clutching fervently at his flash camera in a desperate attempt to illuminate the surroundings. Here we can’t help but grab hold of an armrest and watch in terror, as he presses on with the killer ready to pop out at any given moment. The director, Wan, is a rookie, but you’d never guess it by the way he’s put together this movie. When the killer is cloaked in the blackness, he never gives away where he might be lurking with any obvious camera angles. For the most part, his pacing is acceptable as well, though it does lumber from time to time, but nothing that’s extraordinarily distracting.

Further adding to the sense of unrest is the many flashback sequences, which help to shed some light on Jigsaw’s past. One of his first victims is a man surrounded in a room of barbed wire. He is told that he has just under two hours to make his way out, or the door will lock and leave him to rot forever. I don’t think I have to tell you what happens next. Another women is strapped with a metal mask that will rip off her jaw unless she can retrieve the key from the stomach of a supposedly dead man on the floor with a clock ticking down. Again, to slam recent horror films, most of the killers have absolutely no motive for their slayings; they simply stalk and kill anyone in their path for no reason at all (*cough* Jason, Michael Myers, etc.). Jigsaw’s aim is to force these seedy, flawed people to appreciate the lives they have, and to see just how far they’ll go to stay alive.

Lead by a knockout performance by Elwes, the acting is commendable across the board. Elwes, who has been for the most part of his career a flexible character actor, takes the lead here and delivers with flying colors. At the beginning he is icy calm, given his situation. As the film progresses, and the time to save his family running short, he transcends almost into a madman himself. The transformation is believable, given the intense stress level bestowed upon him, and he handles the role expertly. In lesser hands, it would have been easy to over-act the part, but Elwes does a fine job. Whannell is less likable at first, as he seems angrier when he should be scared, but he too plays the role quite well as an apathetic man who has something to hide. Glover, who’s already played the cop role a few times (Lethal Weapon and Predator 2 come to mind), still puts in a solid performance as the battered and bruised washout detective who’s continuing fascination with the case drives him to the edge. The acting on a whole is remarkably sound, and in this kind of film, that aspect is paramount for success.

Finally, no horror movie review would be complete without discussing the music. During the heavy action, a roaring heavy metal soundtrack was used wisely, much to my surprise. It doesn’t disrupt the ambiance, but gives those scenes an added punch. On the other hand, there are many times where the music cuts out completely, which is probably the scariest thing a director can do to an audience. In the theater I was in, you could hear a pin drop during said sequences. Looking around, it was amusing to see so many people holding their breath, only to save it stolen away moments later with a terrifying visual. While there’s no catchy theme music like John Carpenter’s score for Halloween, but the music only adds to the tension, never detracts from it.

With the rather grim array of horror flicks that come sprouting up year after year that recycle plotlines and characters like empty beer cans, it’s incredibly refreshing to watch an intelligent film build up it’s characters and create real suspense by putting them in the most extreme circumstances. Even more astounding, the big twists are a welcome addition rather than a glaring, illogical explanation for the events leading up to them. It’s hard to say what the long term status of this movie will be, whether it is properly recognized as a chilling and unexpectedly clever horror film or purely a Seven knockoff remains to be seen. In this reviewer’s opinion, Saw is a near perfect mix of spine-tingling suspense, compelling and credible performances, and a maze-like plot that gradually unveils itself leading to the shocking climax. Consider Saw the best horror movie of the millennium.

Final Rating: 4.5 Stars

Recommended: Yes