SAW
dir: James Wan
"Most people are so ungrateful to be alive. But not you, not anymore... " - Jigsaw
Brief Synopsis
A twisted killer known as Jigsaw kidnaps two men and traps them in a sadistic race against the clock where he promises them freedom if they succeed, and death if they do not.
Why It's Here
In an era where horror films are milked for all their worth in a market driven towards teenagers and PG-13 ratings. "Saw" was a low-budget return to form for the genre in the mainstream. "Saw" sought to return to the genre's violent and sadistic nature that peaked in the 1970's to 1980's where lowbrow horror competed for gruesome death counts. "Saw" entered the mainstream acting as a thinking man's horror film. Throwing out the paper-thin plot of the typical slasher where a killer hunts teenagers until at least one plot twist is revealed, "Saw" relishes in it's slippery plotline that flips on you at every moment. It's puzzles are fairly elaborate while sometimes brinking on overdone, they are cleverly manipulative and come together with surprising closure.
Centering around the investigation of a killer known as "Jigsaw" who places his victims in puzzles where he teaches them valuable life lessons through metaphorically horrifying means (someone who cuts their wrists is put through a barb-wire maze). The film flips the psychopath archetype by implying that Jigsaw is no killer, he is an educator. One of his surviving victims tells police she is thankful, and that Jigsaw's harsh lesson has finally taught her to stop abusing drugs. The film never comes out and says it, but it is constant alliance with Jigsaw and his extreme measures. These are all bad people, all people who deserve their punishment, but he doesn't kill them, he offers them an ultimatum and if they truly value life, they will come out a better person. "Saw" powerfully reflects society's seemingly inability to learn and do right. The obvious influence from the film "Se7en" is easily noted and taken a step further, the film questions the morals of everyday people and the lengths that they must be put through in order to truly pay attention. As John Doe in "Se7en" stated, "you can't just tap them on the shoulder anymore. You have to hit them with a sledgehammer." In the case of "Saw", the sledgehammer is instead a disturbing game of self-realization.
Brutally violent and shockingly bleak, "Saw" alienated many mainstream viewers and movie critics, yet horror fans finally found a reason to come out of the basement and away from Straight-to-DVD bargain bins. "Saw" is a powerful tribute to horror in it's prime but using a clever script to elevate the film into higher standing. Although it's many mediocre sequels faded the "Saw" name into an event film series rather than a true horror series, the original is still a powerful stand alone feature and a modern hallmark of the genre.
Centering around the investigation of a killer known as "Jigsaw" who places his victims in puzzles where he teaches them valuable life lessons through metaphorically horrifying means (someone who cuts their wrists is put through a barb-wire maze). The film flips the psychopath archetype by implying that Jigsaw is no killer, he is an educator. One of his surviving victims tells police she is thankful, and that Jigsaw's harsh lesson has finally taught her to stop abusing drugs. The film never comes out and says it, but it is constant alliance with Jigsaw and his extreme measures. These are all bad people, all people who deserve their punishment, but he doesn't kill them, he offers them an ultimatum and if they truly value life, they will come out a better person. "Saw" powerfully reflects society's seemingly inability to learn and do right. The obvious influence from the film "Se7en" is easily noted and taken a step further, the film questions the morals of everyday people and the lengths that they must be put through in order to truly pay attention. As John Doe in "Se7en" stated, "you can't just tap them on the shoulder anymore. You have to hit them with a sledgehammer." In the case of "Saw", the sledgehammer is instead a disturbing game of self-realization.
Brutally violent and shockingly bleak, "Saw" alienated many mainstream viewers and movie critics, yet horror fans finally found a reason to come out of the basement and away from Straight-to-DVD bargain bins. "Saw" is a powerful tribute to horror in it's prime but using a clever script to elevate the film into higher standing. Although it's many mediocre sequels faded the "Saw" name into an event film series rather than a true horror series, the original is still a powerful stand alone feature and a modern hallmark of the genre.