Cinematic serial killers are an interesting lot. For one, they always have truly elaborate, complicated modus operandi...it's always "I've got to teach these pitiful creatures a very potent lesson" of one kind or another. They've always got ornate, highly obvious "lairs", complete with enough blatantly damning evidence to have them locked away for eternity. They also tend to be highly intelligent and inventive. It's not enough to just stab someone to death. No...these guys have to stage symbolic, truly sadistic set pieces that bring to mind...well, they bring to mind horror movies about serial killers. Saw, the new flick from James Wan and co-writer (and co-star) Leigh Whannell, is a case in point. Here we have all the elements of the proper "Hollywood" serial-killer picture: the industrial/workshop-like lair, the highly intelligent and inventive killer, the brow-beaten cop with an obsessive personal vendetta, the none-too-likeable "victims", and all the requisite twists and turns, just to keep things interesting.
The synopsis...
Saw begins with two men; Adam (played by Leigh Whannell) and Dr. Lawrence "Larry" Gordon (the increasingly paunchy Cary Elwes), waking up in what appears to be a dilapitated, filth-strewn bathroom. Each man is chained at the ankle to a hefty water/waste conduit, and as their eyes become adjusted to their surroundings, they find that there is an apparently dead guy lying in the center of the room in a pool of blood. Ostensibly, these two fellows know nothing of each other, and don't know (or can't remember) how they came to be in such a comprimising situation. Slowly, as they become apprised to their plight, little clues are revealed...by someone...that shed some horrific light on what's happening. The dead man in the middle of the room holds two items, a tiny tape recorder and a handgun. Adam and Larry each find cassette tapes, which they play. The voice on the tapes explains a maddeningly tiny bit about why each man has been chosen to participate in this little game...and a game it is. They are told that, in only a few hours, one of them must kill the other. If that happens, the one who commits the deed will be allowed to go free. However, if both men decide not to "play", not only will both men be killed, but also Larry's wife and young daughter. High stakes, indeed!
Over the course of the film, snippets of back story (in the form of flashbacks, for the most part) are shown, revealing several intertwining stories. One story involves Detective David Tapp (Danny Glover), who develops more than a casual personal interest in the case. Several "murders" have taken place, all perpetrated by a killer known as "Jigsaw". As each murder escalates in both intensity and gruesomeness (one in particular involves a reverse-bear-trap type of device designed to rip apart the jaws of its wearer), Tapp delves deeper and deeper, trying to stop "Jigsaw" before he kills again. Meanwhile, Larry and Adam uncover more information about not only their grisly situation, but also about each other. These two fellows aren't exactly as innocent as we are initially led to believe, and are ultimately connected on more levels than are immediately obvious. Without giving away any twists or major plot developments, I'll say that the story spirals further into spiritually dark places, and that more than a little blood will be shed in the process. Each of the characters in this particular passion play will find out more than they wanted to know about themselves...including their limits, and their capacity for committing horrific deeds.
Saw has often been compared to Seven (or "Se7en", if you prefer). On the surface, those comparisons are valid enough. Both films revolve around a series of killings that are perpetrated by a person with a plan...a message, if you will. Both killers are less "killers" than "elaborate and careful assistors of suicide", in that (for the most part) they don't actually kill anyone. Instead, they put their victims between a knife and a sharp place and literally force them to kill themselves. Further comparisons reveal other similarities; both films feature world-worn, driven black cops seemingly close to retirement, and whom have young, spunky "sidekicks". Both films have a subplot involving the underappreciated and long-suffering wife of one of the principals. And on...and on. The similarites between these films was played up to such a degree that I went into "Saw" simply expecting a rip off of Seven, albeit a fresh and inventive rip off. I literally forced myself to draw comparisons between the two films, and I wish I hadn't, because I think that made me miss out (on my first viewing at least) on some of what Saw has to offer.
A lot has been made of the visual style used to present Saw, and justifiably so. Many key sequences are lit with garish primary-colored lighting, lending an otherworldly quality to the proceedings. Some of the camerawork, too, is of the Argento-esque school; that is to say that the camera swoops and dives for mere effect. These things are never distractions, though. I've read other reviews that seem to indicate that Saw is an "American Giallo". Well, I don't know if I'd go quite that far, but the film does borrow liberally...at least stylistically...from such lofty sources are Argento and (Mario) Bava. Where Saw fails as a thriller (too much exposition, a few too many subgenre cliches), it succeeds as a stylish, reasonably shocking experiment. It manages to be both fairly mainstream entertainment and a fairly ugly, unflattering look at the American Male "self-oriented" psyche. There are several ugly, creepy, standout scenes in Saw, including one in particular where a main character investigates his pitch-dark apartment using only the flash on his camera. It's chilling, creepy, and wonderfully evocative. Plus, it's got one hell of a knockout ending. Just see if you can hold back the chills as the screen fades to black...let's just say that Saw is not a "feel-good" happy little movie. You'll see what I mean...
Now...to the DVD itself. Saw, as presented here by Lion's Gate, is a mainstream, big-budget-low-concept release through and through. The packaging, while admittedly cool, belies the rather scant and slipshod contents (other than the film, of course). Oh, sure...there are several supplementary features to be had here, but none of them are all that "special". We've got the requisite commentary track from director/writer James Wan and co-star/co-writer Leigh Whannell, which is entertaining enough (though Whannell seems to be kissing Wan's ass a bit too much, if you ask me), but the other extras are pretty weak. I generally hate the music videos that are included on so many DVD releases these days (with the possible exception of some of the Necrophagia videos that tend to be present on various Argento and/or Fulci releases), and the "Bite the Hand that Bleeds" video here is no exception. Plus, we must suffer through a "making of" video...for the ever-fuckin' music video! Not only is this overkill, but it's kind of a slap in the face. The "making of" video is longer than the actual music video, and it's also longer than the crappy featurette about the making of the actual movie. That's kind of stupid, if you ask me. If I wanted music videos, I'd watch MTV...wait...scratch that...reverse it...MTV doesn't show videos anymore. Whatever. What I'm getting at is that Lion's Gate is clearly marketing this thing for the bubble-gum gloom-metal set, and it's a fairly offensive thing. It's a shame, really, as I'm sure that other features could have been slapped together at even less expense, and in less time, but that would have actually added something to the overall package. Oh, well. Beyond that, I'll say that the presentation of the film proper is quite nice. Anamorphic widescreen transfer and surround audio options make this edition of Saw a pleasure to watch, from a purely technical perspective, at least.
DVD shortcomings notwithstanding, Saw is a fine little film. While it's not quite the earth-shattering achievement that many have made it out to be, it's still miles better than your average, run-of-the-mill Seven clone...plus, it's got a bit more going on upstairs, as well. And that ending...it'll stick with you...I promise. Recommended, but don't waste your time with the "special features".
Cinematic serial killers are an interesting lot. For one, they always have truly elaborate, complicated modus operandi...it's always "I've got to teach these pitiful creatures a very potent lesson" of one kind or another. They've always got ornate, highly obvious "lairs", complete with enough blatantly damning evidence to have them locked away for eternity. They also tend to be highly intelligent and inventive. It's not enough to just stab someone to death. No...these guys have to stage symbolic, truly sadistic set pieces that bring to mind...well, they bring to mind horror movies about serial killers. Saw, the new flick from James Wan and co-writer (and co-star) Leigh Whannell, is a case in point. Here we have all the elements of the proper "Hollywood" serial-killer picture: the industrial/workshop-like lair, the highly intelligent and inventive killer, the brow-beaten cop with an obsessive personal vendetta, the none-too-likeable "victims", and all the requisite twists and turns, just to keep things interesting.
