Saw
2004
Director: James Wan
Starring: Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, Danny Glover, Ken Leung, Monica Potter, Dina Meyer, and Tobin Bell.

THE ULTIMATE IN TERROR! Yeah fucking right.

I was really disappointed in this film. I was expecting something really scary and I mean "The Omen" scary. You see, in my opinion, "The Omen" is the scariest movie ever made. It's scarier than the Exorcist, Poltergeist, Candyman, and about every scary movie made combined. It's strength in delivering scares is the belief that it can happen. And shit, the things in the Omen can truly happen in real life. When Saw was shown in audiences at the Sundance Film Festival, many audiences were raving about it. Some were calling it this year's Blair Witch Project and some were calling it contrived bullshit or a rip-off of David Fincher's Seven. Well, I know I'm in the latter group.

I liked this film a tiny bit but it could have been so much more. The film could have been scary but it isn't. It could have been smart but it wasn't. It could have been thrilling but it's just definitely not. The problem with the film lies with the script and many of its conventional plot points. The true revealing of the killer at the end is not only stupid but manipulative. It makes the viewer look stupid and at the end of the movie, you feel stupid.

Add to that the horrendous acting by Cary Elwes and Danny Glover. Jesus Christ, I haven't seen acting this bad since the Filipino film Agimat. At times, when subtle, Elwes gives some of his best performance as Dr. Lawrence Gordon but when he tries to act too hard it leads into self parody. Many of the final scenes in the film made me laugh because of the ridiculous acting. And what the hell is Danny Glover doing in this film? He is totally miscast as a cop. He is the same character as he was in those Lethal Weapon movies but only with an insane streak going with it. Leigh Whannell as Adam, in his first film in a starring role, is also bad in this film. In a scene where he's supposed to be playing along with a ploy, it felt more comedic than horrific (when you're trying to fool the person who kidnapped you, at least make it look real!). From the bad performances to the ludicrous script, many things just are bad in this film.

Many films require a sense of disbelief but this one takes the fucking cake. How can Person X get shot with a shotgun to the back but yet be able to run off? Why can't Cop Y shoot the motherfucking killer in the leg instead of telling him to shut up? Why didn't Cop X and Cop Y bring more policemen than themselves?! How can Person Y stay still for 8 hours without moving? Many questions but no answers.

As I said before, this was a rip-off of Seven and it truly is. The killer named Jigsaw really hates people who take their lives for granted. This motive is used throughout the movie but one important character is not even shown why he was chosen. This really bugged and annoyed me. Seven was superior in every way than this film. The killer was even revealed before the ending and his purpose of the film was actually a fucking PURPOSE. The killer in this film is never given a purpose.

I only truly liked a bit of this film for two reasons. The imaginative ways the people can die and it's premise but that's it. As I said before, this film could have been so much more but it isn't. The ultimate in terror it is not. It's more like the ultimate in stupidity. The more I think about this movie, I more I hate it. Maybe that's the film's true purpose, isn't it?

Grade: D