Your waiting for something nasty to happen. The saws are in place and the idea already implanted on your mind. You know that it’s going to happen, and secretly, deep down inside you want to see it, but you never will, because Saw wants to mess with your mind. You see , the secret to making a really scary film, is by showing nothing at all. It worked in Jaws, and it worked for Alien, and whilst it’s sequels took a more direct approach, James Wan’s debut thriller shows little but tells all.

In a few years time, her teeth would be straight!

The sadistic “Jigsaw” killer, so named because of his habit of cutting a small jigsaw shaped section of flesh from his victims, is Obsessed with teaching his victims the value of life. The deranged madman abducts morally corrupt people and forces them to play horrific games for their own survival.  A revengeful detective is hot on his trail, but it’s the story of a doctor and a photographer who follow through out this chilling film. They wake to find themselves chained to pipes at either end of a harshly lit ,dirty bathroom.  The film mainly takes place in this one single room, with a few flash backs and some other scenes thrown in. This use of a single room, helps to build a story through dialogue. I’d go as far saying that it’s quite  smart film, but it’s certainly not intellectual. At times this staging feels a little gimmicky, almost budgeted , but as the film progresses, you understand the importance of this one room. As victims of Jigsaw, you are experiencing it first hand. It’s an unusual approach to a horror film, but one that plays out well through out.

Lets face it, We have woke up in worse places!

Of course, the reason your watching it is for the nasty stuff and  Saw depicts quite a few scenes of brutal torture. We see people waking to find themselves in terrible situations, and quickly after, their demise. We never really see anything on screen, bet even so, the situations alone are brutal and the results are shocking. It’s certainly not a film for any one that’s squeamish. We see people burned alive and sliced open. Yep There is  a number of bodies and lots of shocking moments that will defiantly get a looking from behind a cushion or two. One of the pinnacle moments and the one in which the film gets it;s name, see the desperate doctor hacking off his own foot, in order to save his family. It;s all done off screen, with a nice spray of blood, just enough for you to get the idea of what has happened. And lets not forget the horrible sound effects laid on top. Enough to make anyone a little pale.

Somebody beat his Candy Crush high score.

The entire film is shot with dark green and yellow lighting, giving a gritty and dirty feel , which really adds to the tension. The music is steady and building, and slowly picks up pace and tempo as the film moves on, almost like a ticking clock. The film is edited with fast cut scenes , that beats well with the rock sound tracks laid over, which just adds to the sense of urgency throughout. Talking of timing and editing, the film is paced really well. Despite it being Wans very first time in the big chair, he holds enough back to keep the audience compelled, but never gives away anything until the right moment. However it does show a few shortcomings, such as a badly cut “car chase” and a few other moments that just don’t flow right with the rest of the film.

My secluded villain hideout comes with built in smoke machines.

The cast is a little flimsy, even with heavy weight  Danny Glover adding some maturity to the cast, Cary Elwes performance is lack luster and Wans choice of including the films writer, Leigh Whannell in a central roll, seems to have been his biggest mistake. The cast have no chemistry, there is no real outstanding performance from anyone. Maybe with a little bigger budget , things might have been different. Of course the real star here is Jigsaw. Unlike other killers, Jigsaw does not intend to kill his subjects; the purpose of his traps are to see if the subject has the will to survive, hoping that the horrible experience will shock/teach them the value of life. Whilst you see little of him in the first film, you do get to see the terrifying looking puppet that comes to represent Jigsaw throughout the series.  This little ventriloquist’s dummy styled toy has a flash little tricycle and some cracking lines. Do you want to play a game?

I want to ride my bicycle.

Saw is a fun psychological thriller, with just the right amount of gore and violence throughout. It’s not a perfect film, and it’s a little slow to get going. However it is very entertaining and has  one of the all time great movie twists. It’s certainly not for everyone., but if your up for something different and shocking, it’s just great.