Tuesday, August 7, 2012

"He Doesn't Want Us To Cut Through Our Chains."

SAW (2004)
So here's the thing. I actually avoided this one when it came out. I couldn't tell you why. Probably because it was around the time when the theaters were infested with plotless gore and I was over it. I was getting sick and tired of the same "rotting" green filter and the same heavy breathing in the microphone. So I skipped this one. For much too long. Finally, I sat down to see it. And I'll be the first to say it: I was wrong. 

The brilliance of Saw is that it's just a straight-up good movie. There's a good deal of gore, sure, but that's nothing compared to the mindfuck that this movie puts you through every time Jigsaw gets another victim under his grasp. We have our killer, our hero, we even have the obsessive cop with a chip on his shoulder. It's all the makings of a good, physiological thriller. The acting is, for the most part, pretty solid, and it helps that Ben makes an appearance. It puts a lot of twists on what you expect from a horror film and constantly ups the ante. Case in point: tired of the one man fumbling through his dark apartment to avoid a hidden assailant? Try a photographer fumbling through his apartment, constantly flashing pictures to give himself some makeshift light. Brilliant. The music is epic, the pacing is great, I really have no complaints with the movie as it is. 

Of course, one of my favorite things about Saw is how simple it is. The majority of the movie just focuses on two guys in a filthy room. It was created by two film students straight out of school who wanted to make something low-budget and brilliant. Honestly, it doesn't get better than that. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a Cinderella story that ends in a jaw-splitting torture helmet. 

I'm probably the last person on earth to see this movie, so I highly doubt I have to recommend this one to anyone. Onto the rest of the series! 

16 comments:

  1. I saw this with two friends who laughed at the movie more than they enjoyed it. When it was over, they trashed it.

    I've seen movies like Saw that I hated and didn't respect, but I was mostly very happily surprised by this movie. It was like a much less "intellectual" version of Seven more than it ever was a torture-porn feature.

    Although, damn, Cary Elways starts to lose it a bit at the end - all the crying and shouting gets to be a bit much, but horror films almost always rely on exaggerated emotions...

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    1. Less "intellectual" Seven is actually a pretty good description of this one. It is what it is--a fun, gory thriller with some pretty solid twists and turns.

      And yeah, I might have a bone or two to pick with Cary Elwes during this one. But hey, campy is the standard for horror film, and this IS Westley we're talking about.

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  2. I, er, saw it on video myself. I also quite liked it. Clever movie, sone good actors. Good stuff. I also liked that for seven straight years fans could go see the newest sequel each October - although I, er, saw none of ghem theatrically. I actually have only watched up through part three and I've decided to save the rest for an all at once weekend viewing festival - to catch more of the tie-in stuff from movie to movie. Maybe this Halloween season's Horrorfest weekend...

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    1. Holla to the video-watchers! And that is a pretty epic legacy, I definitely know people who saw the movies every year they came out. I'm with you there--I was actually planning on watching the series through on Halloween. Sounds like a celebration to me!

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    2. I attempted to watch the remainders and like the Final Destination flicks, they just fizzled. Each one worse than the last until I wanted to kill all of them myself around Part 4. They add absolutely nothing on the original and the way they attempt to keep everything going is just ridiculous. I would say watch only when desperate for something to do aside from poking your own eye out.

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    3. Horro movies have a bad habit of fizzling the more they go on. I learned that the hard way via Nightmare On Elm Street. Good word of warning!

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  3. This film is very good. I enjoyed it quite a lot and yes, I wanted to bitch slap Cary. This one is highly original with one of the creepiest doll/puppets ever in horror.

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    1. Agreed! And definitely one of the creepiest doll/puppets ever. Damn scary inanimate objects!

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  4. It is very good. I quickly lost interest in the sequels but the original was solid!

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    1. I'm with you there! You're the second one telling me not to watch the sequels. Advice I should heed...but probably won't for some purely masochistic reason.

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  5. I was in for one and two theatrically, and I've never seen any of the other ones. Oh, and I own four and five. What the shit is that?

    "What can I say, I'm a sucker for a Cinderella story that ends in a jaw-splitting torture helmet."

    Yep, another one for my T-shirt company.

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    1. What the shit! It's probably for the best, apparently it gets worse as it goes on.

      And you and me shall make big bucks off our T-shirt company! I'm sold.

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  6. I've never seen it because I have a low gore tolerance. It sounds wild. BTW I tagged you with an award
    http://www.thegeektwins.com/2012/08/best-geek-bits-dark-knight-rises-star.html

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    1. Yeah, if you have low gore tolerance, I suggest skipping this one! And thanks! I'll check it out pronto!

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  7. The first Saw is so freaking good! The dialogue is kind of ridiculous at times though. The ending is probably one of the most iconic of the last decade.

    If you like how simple this one is, then you might not like the sequels. I've seen 1-3 and liked them all but from there the story goes wild. Lindsay on the other hand loved them all, and I might give the rest of the series a chance at some point. At least you know you'll get to see a lot of sick torture devices and set ups!

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    1. Yes! I loved it, even despite the ridiculous dialogue. Good, solid movie.

      See, I'm fully aware that horror movie sequels are a genre in themselves, so I'm not going to get myself pumped up about it. However, my girlfriend is a gorewhore to the bone, so she's definitely going to sit me down and make me watch the rest of the series pronto.

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