Saw: James Wan

I'd like to think that I am now far enough removed from Saw's debut and all of the hype surrounding it that I can give it a fair and balanced review. This story of a terminally ill patient who captures people and forces them to fight for their lives against death traps is an incredibly unique idea. It's a brilliant commentary on free will and the choices that people are willing to make to preserve their lives. But even more importantly, Saw is a well made film. The use of shaky cams and dulled, washed out sets create a truly disturbing atmosphere. The villain, who goes by the name Jigsaw, constructs these traps as brilliantly perverted Skinner Boxes that push their inhabitants to the brink. Many of the weapons an traps have entered the public consciousness, like the infamous reverse-bear trap. If I counted correctly, there were only six traps in this movie and eight victims. The gore and violence served a point. Director James Wan was trying to actually say something with this film. Sadly, the inevitable sequels would focus more on the death traps than on the psychology behind them. The editing occasionally became too fanatic for its own good, however. And I would have adored to see this film focus exclusively on the two people in Jigsaw's last trap and take place entirely within the confines of the room that they were locked in. But the film is what it is. Would its message get diluted and forgotten as Hollywood cranked out more sequels? Of course. But that was inevitable. On its own, Saw is a brilliant and disturbing film.

8/10