Saw

James Wan, USA, 2004, 102 minutes

"I want to play a game..."

Two men wake up to find themselves trapped in a dirty bathroom, their ankles chained to the pipes, with a dead body lying between them. They soon discover that they are the latest victims of "Jigsaw", a serial killer already responsible for several gruesome deaths. Of course, Jigsaw isn't a murderer per se; he has never actually killed anyone. Instead, he finds extraordinarily unpleasant ways for his victims to kill themselves, and derives great pleasure from observing the carnage.

The rules of this particular game are simple: Dr Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) has six hours to kill Adam (Leigh Whannell) or his wife and daughter will be murdered. Alternatively, the two men have been provided with a pair of hacksaws as a potential means of escape - not strong enough to cut through their chains, but easily sufficient to cut through their feet...

Sawis an exceptionally dark, twisted psychological horror that evokes a similarly oppressive, nihilistic atmosphere to David Fincher's masterpiece Se7en. The audience are rarely provided with any relief from the tension and although the ultimate level of gore is perhaps not as excessive as could be expected, this is still not a film for the faint of heart - grisly images and frankly disturbing concepts are commonplace throughout.

This film is not without its faults. The acting quality varies and there are a couple of minor plot issues, but nonetheless Saw is a hugely impressive debut for director James Wan, especially considering the ultra-low budget. It is also pleasing to see Danny Glover return to the screen as a crazed cop desperately trying to catch Jigsaw before he claims any more victims, effectively playing against his "good cop" image from the Lethal Weapon series.

Intense, shocking, thrilling; this is a remarkably unique film to escape the modern Hollywood system, and should not be missed. Dare I say it, you must see Saw.

Review by Iain Jackson
Written for EUFS Programme Autumn 2005