Saw
| release date | October 29 2004 |
| studio | Lions Gate Films |
| director | James Wan |
| writer | James Wan, Leigh Whannell |
| starring | Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Leigh Whannell, Dina Meyer, Monica Potter, Shawnee Smith, Tobin Bell |
| rating | R |
| tagline | Every piece has a puzzle. |
| site | sawmovie.com |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
4 Comments
The films premise is better than the actual execution.
Overall crap.
Is the perfect horror-thriller i
Great horror movie with perfect ending. Highly recommended.
wickedly awesome movie with perfect timing and striking realism!!!!!!!
These movies have become a disgrace to horror movies around the world. I guess plot and acting aren’t important to people any more. I think the franchisee of Saw is aiming to just hire shitty actors that have never been in a movie before. The Idea was creative with the first saw but it has become redundant with each film and I don’t know why I bother watching them. It starts out with some people who are “flawed” and then they go through this entire process of “finding themselves” and in the end just die, and the whole time the killer is in the room. This is the structure for every Saw that has been made and will be made. To touch up on the caliber of the actors, the producers are extreme misers. They obviously have enough money to hire good writers and good actors but instead they take the cheap way out and it always shows. Now no one with half a brain or career will even touch these movies. They already have 5 and 6 lined up, so please people stop going to see these movies we must stop this franchisee in its tracks.
a pretty good movie though only worth watching once. The ending is exciting. here watch saw 2 and, 3 4 is shit and lets hope saw 5 and 6 are as good as 2 and 3.
Great
Awesome movie… sheer brutality. Great
one of my favorite movies ever!
This movie is pritty good. Its just like 88 minites and friday the 13th in one. The ending was a little disturbing but it was good and gory and thats how it should be.
“I guess plot doesn’t mean anything to anyone anymore, just gore . . .” . . . says the man who likes The Decent, which is a hopeless cliché from start to finish. Monsters that could be copy/pasted from any movie, oh-no! I’m only imagining this! ending. Come on now, people.
On the contrary, Saw is one of the most perfect movies I’ve ever seen. The plot is more original and complex than anything released in . . . well, my lifetime. The plot twist ending is literally better than most any twist I’ve ever seen because it has nothing to do with boring, cliché physiological stuff we’ve all seen a hundred times.
Those who say this movie lacks a plot are too simple minded to understand it. Or they just can’t get over the fact that something this balls-to-the-wall actually has some intelligence. If you hate the story, fine. If you think it was poorly executed, fine. But people, don’t make a fool of yourself by saying it lacks a plot.
Contrary to what critics would have you believe, this anti-cliché anti-critical acclaim piece of awesomeness will still be something your grandchildren will know about. Saw is a legend. If not because of the story itself, because of the fact it defied everything the critics love and still became one of the most well-known horror franchises ever made.
I Recently Watched Saw And Was Very Pleased.
It Combines Emotion With Fear.
The Aim Of The Film Was To Get This Message across: Look At Whats Really There, Not Whats Right In Front Of You.
Cary Elwes And Newcomer Leigh Whannell( Also Writer) Put On Stunning Performances.
And Child Star Makenzie Vega (Sister To Alexa Vega)
Played Her Role As Diana Very Well, I Have Never Seen A Child Act With So Much Emotion.
Also Minor Roles From Tobin Bell And Shawnee Smith Added More Suspension To The Film.
The Climax Of The Film Was By Far Shocking, With A Performance From Michael Emerson And Danny Glover.
Leigh Whannell Says This : “James And I Were So Amazed That We Actually Got The Likes Of Danny Glover And Cary Elwes!”
Even Though They Only Had 18 Days To Film It, Saw Is An Instant Cult Classic!
Good movie
Gr8 Film
Extremly Clever
A film with what I’d consider excellent acting, something that’s become almost impossible to find in most horror movies. I like how all the films deal with the human condition – the darker side of people, capabilities of committing acts of both good and evil , burden of guilt, and frailty/vulnerability.
‘Saw’ is one of the better horror films in recent memory. I suppose it’s more of a thriller than horror, although it still is gory and serves well on a horrific level. It’s sort of a cross between ‘Se7en’ and ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ I’d say, and altough not nearly as great as either of those films it’s still quite good.
‘Saw’ opens with two men who wake up in a dilapidated public restroom with no memory of how or why they are where they are. Chained to the floor, they are both utterly confused and terrified. Together, they begin to piece together the memory of what happened to them as the serial killer, nicknamed Jigsaw threatens them and plays numerous mind games that lead up to their demise. Meanwhile, detectives and officials are on the trail of the brutal serial murderer, trying to save the men the entire time.
This is definitely a smart thriller and it will have you on the edge of your seat from the very beginning to the bloody, limb-severing conclusion. The entire movie has a dark, damp setting, and is overloaded with intense scenes and lots of gore, that are sure to please any horror fan. On top of that, the cleverly-woven story is unique and underived. James Wan does an excellent job, especially considering this to be his first feature film. I can’t wait to see some his future stuff.
Bottom line – ‘Saw’ is a smart, grisly, unforgiving, all-around brutal horror movie that is unique and original. If you are looking for a horror movie a notch above your average slasher flick, I advise you see ‘Saw’.
pretty cool
I love this movie! It proves that a simple, original concept and a good script makes a great movie. The “two guys chained in a bathroom” concept is pure genius, and the acting is far more substantial than most horror movies. James Wan and Leigh Wannell totally knew what they were doing. Amazing.
THE SAW SERIES IS THE BEST SERIES OF FILMS EVER MADE!!! JIGSAW IS MY HERO!!! HE HAS MADE ME APPRECIATE MY LIFE FOR WHAT IT IS. AFTER WATCHING THE FIRST ONE, I REALLY REFLECTED ON MY LIFE AND REALIZED HOW GRATEFUL I AM TO BE ALIVE!
“SOME PEOPLE ARE SO UNGRATEFUL TO BE ALIVE, BUT NOT YOU! NOT ANYMORE!!!”
Good movie filled with gore and excitement really the film that finally took gore to a whole new level sick and twisted scenes were done great. The ending was very exciting.
Two men wake up in a dilapidated public restroom unaware of what had happened they have to find the clues to what happened an unpredictable thriller, the cops and detectives trying to find jigsaw throughout the film was done great.
Great acting especially by Toben Bell definitely the best in the series 2,3,4 were not as good as the original highly recommended film.
What a masterpiece of a horror film this was, unlike anything really at the time, this film came out of nowhere and punched the hell out of the genre, and it was very interesting, shocking and unpredictable, with a really different kind of villian who doesnt even actually kill.
and the twist at the end is one of the best ever
my favorite
Here it is people: the film that jump-started the entire torture sub-genre of horror films. One of the best horror films to ever grace the cinema in all of its existence, Saw creeps up unexpectedly and really gets to you when you’re least expecting it. I wasn’t expecting much from this first movie in a series. I had heard buzz about it at school, lots of things from my favorite websites online months before it came out–it sounded like it would be a decent movie. Little did I know, Saw would completely blow my mind and become one of my favorite films of all time… well, at least until I saw the sequel, which was superior in ever way, shape, and form. I viewed Saw a week after it came out in theaters, and I was so far from being disappointed. I went in with very few expectations, and I came out shaking, moved, scared. Saw is an amazing movie.
Saw is written by Leigh Whannel, who also starred in the film as Adam, and over the course of three movies has managed to become one of my favorite actors. This guy can really write, too! He knows what scares people, and he really uses it to his full advantage. The dialogue is top-notch and really hits hard, especially in the final act. The ending is, by far, the best ending I’ve ever had the good fortune of witnessing, and it is probably the best twist ending in a movie ever. James Wan is behind the director’s chair in this picture in collaboration with Leigh, and they do a sensational job.
Awesome film and great Twist!
Saw changed horror as it stands today. Quickly starting to become a classic, which is very impressive. Saw V has the tagline: You won’t believe how it ends. Well, you could say the same for Saw. An unbelievable film that had my jaw hitting the floor at the end!
Director James Wan Has Brought Us Some Very Horrible Films,Films Like Dead Silence Or Death Sentence,But Saw Sticks Out Of This Group.Saw Is A Very Tight Drawn Thriller That Keeps You Guessing Til The End.The End Of This Film Was In My Personal Opinion The Worst Climax Ive Ever Seen.But Other Then That Rather Small Flaw The Movie Was Well Crafted.
my english is poor, sorry
i love saw
My second favorite in the series. I’m a huge SAW fan and have seen all the movies (well I’m seeing Saw V today) and liked this one. I like this the most because the gore was needed in the right places, the acting was good, and the traps were clever. Really well done.
Really good film, but I felt I couldn’t keep my attention away for the awful acting by Cary Elwes as Dr. Lawrence Gordon especially towards the end of the film. Just a little niggle.
Apart from that great movie!
I have to admit that this film gave me the chills. Not for the scare factor but the way it ends. Just the 1 line then trapped for ever until he dies (unless of course you’ve seen saw 3). A excelent movie with plenty of gore and some mild shocks.
What would you be willing to do to in order to survive?
A sick movie that continuously tests the boundaries of human sanity.
Brilliant
Boring, and plot twisting. Attempts to be smart and interesting while at the same time trying to appeal to the modern interest of horror audience – sadistic torture and slow, pointless deaths. You might as well be watching a Death Montage video on YouTube.
Honestly, Hostel was at least plausible – this movie didn’t even touch reality.
I found it boring. The plot was slow and boring. This was the only SAW movie I have seen and I do not intend to see the next ones.
the BEST low budget movie ever.. they just take a week to finish this movie.. can u imagin?? .. this franchise is the BEST ever and really gri8 movie with gri8 Sequals too.. 10/10 original
This is my least favorite saw movie but dont get me wrong i loved it but the sequels were more awesome, gory and scary but i still have the memories when i first saw billy the puppet it scared the hell outta me and what i loved about this saw movie is that you dont know who the killer whick makes it more intesting
I think its very special but by no means my faverite in the series.
great movie, one of the best horror in the 2000s
but the sequels went downhill
Eh. I saw this in the theater, and it left me feeling… well… not much of anything really. I didn’t find it BAD persay, but I didn’t care for it either. Certainly didn’t leave me with any desire to watch the subsequent sequels (which I still have yet to watch). Well, it’s been a few years, I may give it another try (and the sequels as well, perhaps). Who knows. For now I can only give it a resounding… Meh.
I remember wanting to see SAW when it was in the theaters, but for whatever reason, I never ended up going. When it was released on DVD, I realized that I had yet to see it, even after hearing some very good things about it as well as seeing the trailer. It was the first time I ever bought a DVD without actually having seen the movie beforehand. Without a doubt, that was the wisest DVD-buying decision of my life.
I remember watching it for the first time by myself, and by the beginning of the movie, thinking that it seemed like a pretty good crime drama/mystery/suspense/thriller. That was before the fun really started.
It wasn’t long before I realized that I was watching one of the next great horror films (which technically is NOT horror, but hey) of all time. I know probably everyone, especially those reading this review, has seen this movie by now, but I still won’t give away the twist. I really wasn’t going into the movie expecting any type of twist, and like most or all people who watched it, I was sucked into the plot and of course I was led to believe one thing…and then, the ending came, and I was completely blown away.
SAW has, in my opinion, THE BEST ending to a movie ever. Not only did I feel like a complete idiot, but I had this overwhelming desire to show everyone I knew this movie, and I’m glad I did.
It is not a movie for the weak-willed or the faint of heart, that’s for sure. Even though there is not excessive amounts of blood and gore, there are some parts sure to make a few of you uncomfortable in some way. It is hard to imagine a remake of this movie 20 or 30 years down the road doing any justice to the original, but for now, I’m content with having this masterpiece in my life. Yes, masterpiece. Argue all you want, but that’s how I see it.
One of the best horror movies ever created with amazing stories and great sequels
The new generation of Horror.
1960′s-Psycho
1970′s-Texas chainsaw/Halloween
1980′s-Jason/Freddy
1990′s-Scream/I Know what u did last summer
2000′s-Saw/remakes/torture films
I never really saw this movie/franchise as a “Horror” movie, to me it’s more of a Psychological Thriller. As far as the movie itself goes, I absolutely love it. It was one of the better movies of 2004.
good acting, great story. <3 jiggy
Meh. It wasn’t crap but it wasn’t great. The more often you watch it, the more it bores more. Every year when the new one comes out i watch them all again, but once actually passed on this one. It’s too much of a hassle screwing with your brain the million times you watch it after forgetting, but when watching it the first time it was rather enjoyable. It was very smart, and sophisticated, but that is what also made it seem unbelievable at times, and rather predictable.
The plot is very original and very intriguing but without great acting the whole story is thrown to waste.
Well the acting is the downfall of the movie, and it’s very frustrating watching the two main actors trying their best but not shininh.
Overall SAW, is interesting to watch, but only watchable every few years. My rating is 2.5/5
What a good horror movie! Visually disturbing, yet not enough to make you feel sick during the whole movie, leaving you to enjoy the great storyline. The puzzle of the Cube with the twist of Seven. If you haven’t seen it yet, make sure you don’t surround yourself of spoilers! It’ll lose half the fun…
Hello…I want to play a little game!
Alright movie. If it wasnt such a big pop-culture movie i wouldnt recommend it. Must say i liked the ending.
the best saw. bloody, disgusting, and definitely creepy.
Great movie. Like nothing I had ever seen before at the time it came out. At the end of this movie I found myself yelling WTF just happened at my tv. It has a great story and is well acted and it asks a simple question. What would you do and how far would you go to live? After every death scene I was asking myself the exact same question. If you have not seen this movie, go out and watch it. Definitely worth the price of a rental.
sure it has its pitfalls but i thought this was an incredible movie with an amazing cast , amazing acting, amazing screenplay, amazing sets and direction special effects which were just jaw droppingly good and the film had Shawnee Smith in it. what more could anyone possibly want from a horror film i ask you ?
The original. The best and should never have been subjugated to the yearly shitty sequels. Seriously? Saw VII? This movie just came out five years ago. The brutality, the twists, the unique traps and the epic score have all been done to death. Nothing is surprising or exciting anymore. Just leave it alone already.
Michael Emerson’s in it though. Benjamin Linus bitch, what what?!
A modern classic: one of the best genre movies of the 21st century
I remeber taking my little brother who was like 7 to see this with me and getting in trouble lol. Loved it
A great start to the series!
The start of a really brilliant series! Altough this is one of the weakest saw’s in the series compared to the others it is still amazing! Not much gore in this one though, original story and one of the best horror villains since Jason! And my favourite all time ending to a film!
although the other saws were pretty bad, i enjoyed the first saw so much.
the doll was absolutely scary and i loved him.
the ending was very impressive.
very suspenseful and definitely bloody. really bloody.
SAW is a great film and you need to check it out.
WARNING: DO NOT watch this movie if you are squemish. i repeat DO NOT watch this movie if you are squemish.
good movie loved the twist end
Saw directed by James Wong is a bloody, disgusting, and distrubing film. When watchin Saw i felt like i was watching a snuff film, this film capatalizes on fear itself. Tobin Bell does an extraordinary job playing John Kramer the Jigsaw Killer. The story goes like this, two men wake up in an old bathroom with a dead corpse lying in the middle of them with a revolver in his hand, the catch, their ankles are chained. One of the men Lawrence soon finds out Jigsaw wants them to cut through thier feet not thier chain, so throughout the film, Lawrence finds out one of his employees Zepp are keeping his wife and daughter captive, they both learn why there there and they are brutally tortured by this. Soon Lawrence learns that Adam over the weeks had been taking pictures of Lawrence, Lawrence gets mafe and shoots Adam, while this is going on Zepp is trying to get to the bathroom,but, Det. Tapp (Danny Glover) who is obsessed with Jigsaw attacks Zepp, but, Zepp breaks free enters the bathroom and is about to shoot Lawrence when Adam gets up and beats Zepp to death, soon, Lawrence saws his foot off and leaves. Adam starts to panic, until the bloody corpse that had been lying in the middle of the room gets up and walks out, leaving Adam to rott. Overall the bottom line, Saw is a bloody, gruesome film that brings out true terror and makes you appriciate life.
I love this movie plus the traps and the part where the guy has to cut off his foot. That was the best part of the movie to me. This movie is one of the few I really like.
This has got to be the best tortue film ever made. Saw, an American, pysco tortue film, is directed by James Wan, and stars a unknown, but brilliant cast. It’s sick mind games, horrible gory scenes and amazing sound track is what makes Saw such a classic. Horrible, disturbing traps, and one hell of an ending makes this a great, gore fest of a movie. Don’t watch this and expect a low budget American blood and guts fest, because it is, but pleases you in every single way. James Wan, your the best!
10/10
Saw’s strongest point was the climax. That’s literally the best I can say about it. I was applauding the end, which was surprising. The only real reason I clapped was because of the vast difference in quality from the whole movie and the ending. I had started out watching a movie that immediately had problems, so instead of doing the whole good first, bad second thing I like to do, I’m going to list the problems I had with “Saw” first:
1. Cary Elwes. He was such a major problem with this movie, it’s not even funny. I can’t fathom how he landed the role of an American for one thing, seeing as his accent slips out every other sentence. Another thing is simply this; he’s a terrible actor. He really needed to stop screaming at inanimate objects. It was a constant thing, and it pissed me off a whole lot! Why did he need to scream at the phone?! It was definitely NOT going to stop ringing and say, “You know what? Okay, I give up! The guy in the middle of the fucking bathroom is alive!” Screaming wasn’t going to save his wife (even though she did live).
2. Leigh Whannell. Once again, simply a terrible choice. All he does is scream, smoke, and pretend to die. Then scream some more. He screams pretty much throughout every scene he’s in. At least once. The fact that he screams through the first ten seconds of credits annoyed me to no end.
3. Danny Glover. Really? It’s funny how all my first problems are the LEAD ACTORS. These people are terrible!!
4. Shawnee Smith. I’m sorry, but she didn’t get important to me until the third movie (my personal favorite).
5. It tried to be what it wasn’t: a horror movie. If it would’ve labelled itself as a psychological mystery/crime thriller, I would most likely have NOTHING but good to say about this movie. I mean really, who DIDN’T like “Se7en”? It wasn’t a damned horror movie. No matter how much it WISHES it was, it wasn’t. It was a thriller with blood. It was a smart cop movie with bad lead actors.
Sure, there are only five problems, but they’re BIG problems. My utter dislike for most of the cast threw what could’ve been my enjoying this film out the window ten minutes in. It was such a straight-to-DVD-worthy movie it’s unbelievable. The only enjoyable part was (after Mr. Elwes is finally gone) when Tobin Bell gets up as Zepp’s tape is being played back to Adam, he points to the tub and reveals the escape all along, rips off the rubber shit on his face, and awakens fully. That was what may have been the best reveal I have ever seen in a movie. For anything. Ever. Forever. As Adam starts to scream when Jigsaw slams the door shut, yelling “Game over!”, I jumped up and screamed “You fucking pulled through, you piece of shit movie!!” I was so excited that the ending honestly made up for the ninety minutes of dreadful buildup. Had it not been for the ending, I’d be rating this movie with a five or lower.
Thank you, Leigh Whannell.
I remember seeing the advertisements and wanting to see it really bad. Never got to and had to wait for dvd. A friend of mine said it was dumb but I rented it anyway. I don’t know what movie they watched but I thought the first saw was awesome. I definitely think it helped that I didn’t know the ending because I do think that would have hurt alot. This movie has been compared alot to seven but this movie is really is its own. You have alot of characters but really the story is following two guys in a bathroom and it just works out really well. The only complaint I have in this movie is I felt the flashes of certain scenes spliced together were there just to kill time. Other than that this was a really good movie with a good cast and story and really one of the best horror movies to come in quite some time.
The best of the best !!!
Best of the Series…Hands down. I recommend the first three films of the franchise, after that…it gets to much out of hand but i don’t want to spoil for those who never watched.
Original!!
What a unique twist on an old genre. This movie was stuck in my head for days after I watched it. Too bad they have diluted the crap out of the franchise.
=D : D
! this is THE greatest movie ever made. it was an amazingly original idea and i cant get enough of it its soooooo goood! truth be told although V isnt the greatest, I WILL ALWAYS BE WITH THE SAW FRANCHISE! no one can beat these movies no matter wat anyone else says!
billy-”congratulations. you are still alive. most people are so ungrateful to be alive….but not u…………not anymore”
talk about the Game of Life! the only to get out of the bathroom is to lose a limb!
Ahh, the birth of Jigsaw. This movie was great it made you think and then kicked you in the ass at the end. Good performances from pretty good actors as well.
only two words can describe this movie…… FUCKING AMAZING!!!
One of my absolute favorite modern horror films. Refreshing. Original. Satisfying.
Very good gorey Classic of a 21st centry Horror film on a very low Budget defo a classic in the Horror Genre
I love this movie, and i can just say that it is GOOD!
The first saw was amazing and it had a great twist!
This film was good. Not as good as Saw V but better then all the others. It was the less gorey Saw with MINIMUM blood but the ending was emmense!! Saw is a world wide phenomalnem. There should have been only three saw movies. With the 1st one, then the forth then fifth. it would have worked. The other 3 should be made as special edition copies so that only a hundred were made so then it could be called a complete set!!!
I watched the movie a while back was sad that I figured out the entire “twist” early on. I think it would have been much better if I didn’t see the empty gun in his hand. Kind of wish I could have gone along for the ride. Most of the people I know liked it so I go with a 6.
awesome.
Go and buy this if you haven’t already got it, its a real must-have for any horror fan. Everything a good horror should be: unpredictable, dark, and of course, scary. The gore helps too, especially for those who haven’t experienced much gore or are easily scared.
I like Saw, a lot.
9/10
Great movie. Good mystery throughout the entire flick. A couple gruesome moments. Loses a point for the acting. It wasn’t so bad where it ruins the movie though.
Terrific horror flick. Good mystery & suspense. 100% through the flick. Outstanding film.
10/10.
one of the greatest horror films of all time
a modern classic
If you havent seen this movie… WHATS WRONG WITH YOU!?!?!?!
By The Time I Turn 30, This Will Have Reached A Legendary Status (Admit It, It WILL)….And Jigsaw Will Also Become Iconic Like Pinhead, Leatherface, Michael Myers Etc….. And One Question? Do You Think That Someone Will Make A Remake Or Spinoffs Of This Series In The Near Future? I JUST HOPE FOR GODS SAKE THAT THEY DONT! Titans Arent Supposed To Be Moved…Thats Just Wrong! Lol….Cya
The Saw series is collectively my favorite horror movie. I can’t pick a favorite out of all of them. This one was the least gory of them all, but I don’t have a problem with gore so it doesn’t matter. I think the series (with the exception of Saw II, which I didn’t really care for) just keeps getting better and better as it goes along, although I have yet to see Saw VI. I’m watching it tomorrow though, so no worries. ^__^
This my friends, was the introduction to torture porn. And my god, did it ever take off. How many movies try to compare to the SAW franchise? Granted, they get shittier and shittier with each sequel, but name me a horror franchise that doesnt.
8.out.of.mother.fucking.10
( . Y . )
I just watched it again for the first time and a while. I loved this movie, well done, scary, and a great villian to go a long with it.
Hands down the most original idea for a movie to hit the big screen in YEARS.
It’s in my top 3 favs.
SMART, CLEAVER, SCARY, INTEANSE, PERFECT! THIS WAS THE MOVIE THAT STARTED IT ALL. WITH ONE OF THE GREATEST PLOT TWISTS I HAVE EVER SEEN! A MUST SEE FOR HORROR FANS!
…
One of the scariest films i’ve seen. Great story,great cast,great script. This movie was…well…Great.
Loved the other ones too.
10 out of 10
This was kinda groundbreaking when it came out. Too, bad the machine milked this thing completely dry.
The Robot Chicken “Saved By The Bell”/”Saw” send-up is VERY funny. So, I guess I’m glad I “saw” this movie (sorry) in order to get a chuckle from a cartoon parody.
this mvie was an original idea and never lets down. this film was shot in 27 days. with a 1 million dollar budget. it was incredible. legh whannll plays adam.. and cary elwes play dr larence gordon the story of this movie is. two people are stuck in a bathroom and one has to kill the toher to suceed.this film is about how far would you go to save yourslef. to cherish your life. its one of the best horror films of the decade and stops time everytime you watch it. it spawned over 6 seaquals every year after. and they never disspoint.
AMAZING, ORIGINAL, SMART, SCARY, AND INSANE! FANTASTIC HORROR MOVIE BEST IN THE SAW SERIES!
Oh the one that started it all. James Wan’s instant classic has everything necessary to be considered one of the most influential films in horror history. A simple premise with tension at every corner leads to a series of events that will always be the best mindfuck I have ever had. I am so glad I grew in the Saw generation.
Easily a classic horror film.This movie started new horror franchise and its have been ended.
The final scene where ‘Jigsaw’ says – game over -, and slams the door is the exact same scene from the original texas chainsaw massacre at the end, where ‘leatherface’ does the same thing. Without saying anything, of course. Awesome.
a awsome movie and still is awsome but when it first came out it was shocker to everyone and then they started making other saws which was stupid they should have least stoped at 3!!
Once the credits of “Saw” began to role, I was shocked. Not because the predictable and suitably intense twist ending actually got to me; but because I had finally concluded that by golly, I actually LIKED “Saw”. Now why was that?
Take for instance the premise of the film. It is spectacular; a serial killer who may not be a killer at all, due to the fact that his only method of killing is setting sinners up in traps which will eventually force them to kill themselves. The killer’s name is Jigsaw; and he’s a solid madman for a solid thriller. Yes, I said thriller; because that is what I respect “Saw” as.
Yes, the script isn’t amazing. It’s predictable, and the ending doesn’t provoke as much as it wants to. And I also hate when people regard “Saw” as a horror film, because that was not the kind of film that James Wan wanted to make. He is a talented filmmaker, and while he does make mostly horror films, “Saw” has the elements of a good thriller. Thus, it’s only scary if you take the torture aspects and apply them to realism. I should tell you now that this is not necessary.
So overall, “Saw” is smart, well-made, but gruesome. If you like horror, then see it; even if I don’t think it’s a horror film. What it is is a thriller, and it gets the job done well. I’ve watched the “Saw” series, and I look back on this one and smile. It’s the only one I own, and it’s the only one I want to own. It’s entertainment, and I don’t love it. It’s not meant to be a masterpiece. All it wants to do is thrill; and that is precisely what it succeeds so well as doing. I can totally respect that. Plus, it has a creepy/cool theme. Which is always good, right?
It’s very good, but not the best. I liked it.
One of the better films in the series, along with Saw 2 and Saw 5. 
This is a great film and I love this. Any fans of psychological horror will enjoy this.
although Saw has a script,which is pretty clever and is an inovation,if you think of all those disastrous remakes,it fails to reach its target
from my point of view,the creators of the movie wanted to create something new,which would make a lot of fuss due to its extreme violence,but the grisly scenes are very fake and besides a horror movie is successful,if it takes something from the everyday life and make it dangerous
too bad that movies like Psycho,The Shining,Halloween,Evil Dead,Scream and others are in the same group with movies like Saw
not to mention that they used boredom as a motive
is that the stupidest thing,or what ??
Saw (2004)
Saw is one of these films where many future films will be influenced by. James Wan is again excellent directing this film with writer Leigh Whannell. Saw instantly became a fan-favorite in the horror, gory, thriller community. Granted, I argue Saw is great not for it’s horror qualities, rather it’s glory and thriller qualities.
First the premise of this film is not purely unique as there is a similar feeling of the earlier crime and suspense film Se7en (1995). Nevertheless, Saw is able to take the idea and make it relatively new. Saw brings an excellent back-story, development of many fundamental characters and the role they initially play in Jigsaw’s game. Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) is the name of the brilliant serial killer, who does not really kill anybody, yet gives his subjects the choice between living or dying essentially. However, the choice isn’t always that simple as you might like to think.
Saw’s creative torturous games and excellent twist to the ending makes this movie stand alone in the thriller genre. Granted Leigh Whannell should probably stick to writing as his acting performance as one of the main subjects in the movie (Adam), is mediocre at best. Moreover, the witty dialogue, choice of setting (a bathroom) for the majority of the movie and the desire to learn more about each character additionally adds to the overall success to this film.
In conclusion, Saw is an excellent film and it is too bad that this series went off the rails with some of the sequels. Although, once you watch every film and you put all the pieces to Jigsaw’s puzzle together, you ought to have an appreciation to the full Saw series. I thought for having many directors and writers the series did not do too bad. Nonetheless, this is a review strictly on the first film. As a result, the first film is the best of the series and will always set the bar for gore and great twist endings.
8.0/10
Disorienting beginning in bathroom. Elwes tough-guy surgeon notices a “brand new clock”. There is no way he can drag that with his shirt. Jigsaw’s advice for Leigh Whannell is weird. Why pass Elwes the other saw? They give up after 30 seconds. When Elwes finds out they are supposed to saw off feet, he knows who’s behind this. Benjamin Linus. Elwes and Glover’s acting is questionable. Cops always ask people “what’s the first thing you remember?” Cool headgear on Shawnee Smith. Jigsaw’s haircut. Uwe Boll spinarooney camerawork. Jigsaw is funny looking. Jigsaw’s motive is to make people appreciate their lives? 20 minute flashback. Leigh Whannell is a shi&&y actor. Elwes is either creepy or a VERY bad actor…he drifts in and out of British. Glover is talking to himself creepily. “Killer Teaches Sick Life Lessons” is completely inaccurate. Stygian Street. Glover and Miles Strom find a diorama of the bathroom. You’re cops, you don’t have to hide. Jigsaw is sick of people who enjoy watching people suffer (that’s himself). Still-frame of Glover w/ tongue out, after seeing Miles dead. Once they’ve tried to escape and can’t Whannell proclaims “I remember my back story.” Jigsaw hired a J-horror pig man to kidnap them. Elwes gets mad at a photo of Zapp (Linus). Badly directed sped-up camera. I don’t like immediate flashbacks for exposition purposes. I am showed the whole movie again in fast forward.
This is not a horror movie.
I know that this statement might turn a few people off but this is, by far, the cleverest film to come out of Hollywood in the past decade.
The premise is excellent, the acting is sublime and the twist, well, it’s so good I clapped at the sheer audacity of it.
See Saw!
SO disappointed. Slow, drawn out and only ‘horror’ because there’s blood in it. Other than that it’s a slow whodunnit! Really not for me at all. Can’t believe they made another 5 or 6 of these, perhaps they get better though??
The best in the series, completely awesome, one of the best movie twists of all time.
I know that horror fans absolutely love this movie, but I’ll be the naysayer regardless. To me, this movie intends nothing but to disgust, repulse, and inject a sense of hopelessness into the viewer, which places the nail into the coffin as the end-credits begin to roll. It’s an exploitative journey into hell for the sake of itself. Shows the *”insidious”* nature of the storywriters where the bad guy wins all and the good guy never stands a chance. It’s abhorrent pessemism that disturbs instead of empowers. I prefer a strong “good vs. evil” story myself, but this film tries to elucidate what “hell on earth” would be like AFTER the good guy had already been defeated. Not my cup ‘o tea to say the least. I much prefer movies like “Elm Street” where the protagonist is at least as strong as the villian. It seems obvious to me, from this movie as well as the film “Insidious” that the writers of these stories are nihilistic sociopaths who have no empathy for anyone other than the bad guy. And that scene of the underling psycho placing his head against the little girl’s chest in her bedroom to hear her racing heartbeat right in front of her mother…sadistic and tasteless exploitation of our worst fears. To think these 2 men got wealthy off of this trash is a testament to the age of darkness we now find ourselves in. This franchise, along with the “Hostel” series, would (and probably does) make any devil-worshipper proud, as “Jigsaw” is the classical, and even stereotypical satanic high priest. Makes me wonder who this Leigh Whannel really is…
excellent film with not so great sequels
Great storyline, great acting, great thrills, and an overall great movie.
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