Film Review- Saw (2004)

Saw is a 2004 American horror film directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell. This movie is the first installment in the Saw film series. The film revolves around the mysterious Jigsaw killer, who is known throughout the series for his cruel puzzles and traps in which he tests his victims’ willpower to survive. Also, he serves as the main villain throughout the franchise.

Saw (2004) begins with Adam Stanheight, a freelance photographer, waking up in a bathtub in a dark room. After he gets out, he finds himself chained to a pipe in a room with Dr. Lawrence Gordon who is also restrained. They both discover they’re locked in a disused bathroom with no recollection of how they got there. After a series of questions and confusion, both men discover tapes from which they’re informed of how they’ve become participants in one of Jigsaw’s messed up games. From there on, both characters work together to uncover many mysteries as well as solve many puzzles in which they hope will help them escape.

I believe Saw (2004) paved the way for how horror films are now perceived and presented. Saw had themes of gore as well as violence but despite this was a huge hit in the box office. This is due to how the film still provoked fear even without showing the majority of the gore. It leaves scenes up to the viewer's interpretation to imagine what happens without showing large amounts of graphic scenery, for example when we see a flashback of a man who crawled through barbed wire. It mixed the aspects of intense horror with thriller as well as mystery elements. What Saw differentiates from a lot of other thrillers is the clever use of attacking the audience’s curiosity. It uses puzzles and leaves a lot of blanks throughout the film to make the viewers question what’s going on and be left in a state of intrigue, waiting for more. Saw uses flashbacks and scenes from the world happening outside the room to further display how the character’s are alone, abandoned and are unable to receive outside help which is also great at keeping the audience worried. We see Jigsaw’s other victims and traps which were active before our main characters’ turn. The Saw ending was especially good as it leaves the movie on a huge cliffhanger which further increases the interest in the franchise’s villain Jigsaw and his ideologies which are explained in more depth throughout the series.

Despite the film’s feeling of amateur acting with poor camera movement, it contributed to the movie’s gritty and grubby aesthetic which connected the audience with the film and characters themselves. Many of the angles are from the character’s perspectives. This is what makes Saw so great, as despite a lot of the movie being recorded in the same room, it makes the viewers feel as if they themselves are trapped with Adam and Lawrence and root for their escape due to the uneasiness of the situation. The repetitive use of the camera shaking and tilting alerts to the audience the abnormality of the scenes which reinforces Saw’s ability to provoke the viewers. The acting in Saw is often complained about but I feel that it makes the movie more enjoyable. Dr Lawrence Gordon throughout the film was a serious character who was logical and calm-headed, the opposite to Adam. Many judge Cary Elwes’ performance as Lawrence as “over the top” since in moments he was too stern and often spoke too deeply. Though, I think that this made Lawrence’s character development more interesting as we see him switch from an emotionally distant and cold-hearted doctor to a intimidated and fragile man after a key moment happens in the movie. Adam on the other hand was selfish but empathetic towards Gordon’s circumstances. He was a sarcastic character that cracked jokes throughout the movie which shed light despite the dark and morbid situation the characters were in. I loved Leigh Whannall’s performance of Adam as he portrayed him so realistic with how he used his witty humour as a defence mechanism to uncomfortable questions and circumstances. Even though Adam fit the description of your generic “comedic relief” character, he also had his hidden side. He was a dishonest character who wasn’t trustworthy as he purposely held back information from Lawrence. Adam knew he had these qualities but did not shy away from them and was proud of who he was, even if he was just as arrogant as Lawrence.

Overall, I highly recommend any fans of the thriller/horror genre to watch this film but also the entire franchise. The portrayal of Adam and Lawrence is fantastic as they feel like authentic people but also the development of their relationship throughout the film allows you to feel like you're a part of them too. The storyline isn’t too crazy but the use of twists and certain tropes intrigues the viewer and keeps you entertained. It’s one of my all time favourite thriller movies and if not one of the best around.