SAW (1)

I’m not generally a fan of horror flicks. I don’t rush out to see poor remakes of great films that set the stage: Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I don’t need to see Deep Rising, or The Cave to know where horror has brought us in the 21^st century. What I do appreciate is good film making and a good story. I appreciate the ability to tell an interesting story, with good plot twists, and developed characters; further more, I love it when it’s done so easily. Lastly, I love a smart villain: Jigsaw.

Two men wake up in a dark abandoned bathroom. They are chained to the wall, and discover that there is no way for them to escape. A man lay dead in the room, a gun and a tape recorder in his hand. Dr. Gordon (played by Cary Elwes,) and Adam (played by Leigh Whannell,) learn that they are in a deadly game that promises death within the next 7 hours. Dr. Gordon’s goal is to kill Adam; Adam’s goal is to stay alive. If they want to escape alive, they must saw off their feet in order to escape the chains.

Ok, so we have two men who are chained to a wall. How can this be a horror film? What makes these situations scary? It’s the feeling of being trapped in the mind. It’s the fear that comes from the imagination, and the psyche. Dr. Gordon knows that he must kill the man across from him, a man he’s never met before, or his family will be murdered. The clock ticks down through flashbacks. We learn that the doctor isn’t as great a man as he once seemed. We also learn that Adam, the seemingly innocent man across from him, has a darker past. Joined by Detective David Tapp (Danny Glover,) an obsessed ex-police office hell-bent on discovering the true murderer, this film takes us on a strange and deadly path set in one location.

And I have respect for that. This film had a grand total of 5 sets: the bathroom, a parking garage, the doctor’s home, Adam’s house, and the bad guy’s hideout. I’ve always been a fan of low-budget film making, and even more, good writing. The film, 103 minutes long, never seems to drag through its retelling of the events that lead up to the capture, and placement of the two men in the bathroom.

I must take a moment to apologize. This film, as well as its sequel, and most likely its third and final chapter, have amazingly large twists near the end. It’s hard for me to go into plot too much as there are large things I’d like to avoid saying.

Director James Wan brings this horror film alive, and I’m not surprised. In the past 5 years, Japanese horror films have risen to the top of the genre. Films like The Ring, The Grudge, and even Dark Water have been a highly used style in recent horror. But one thing that sets this film apart from the others is that it doesn’t rely on a huge budget, or elaborate sets. It relies on the strength of its actors and the strength of its story. We are placed in a situation where anything is possible; the most horrible of our nightmares come true. And what makes it all the more scary for us is that time is counting down. It’s all in the mind. The psyche makes this film one of the better horror flicks to come in the past 5 years. Style, good acting, atmosphere, solid writing, and great direction are a great recipe for an enjoyable film.

If you’re not big on the gore scene, or have trouble with those sorts of situations, I’m not sure this is the film for you. Then again, I’m sure that if you have problems with horror in the first place, you most likely won’t see this film anyway. I suggest it for Halloween. It’s coming up. Rent it, and its sequel, as the third one is coming out very soon. It’s a great demonstration of what you can do with a single room, and two strong performances. 7 of 10.