The trailer for "Saw" hooked me instantly. It exploits the concept of the film, a concept that's really cool, and the imagery was really creepy. Based on the trailer, "Saw" was twisted, disturbing, and ugly. I definitely wanted to see it! Then I found out that the assholes at the Motion Picture Association of America (also called the MPAA, they're the group that decides on movie ratings) gave the film an NC-17 rating. In order to secure the R-rating, the film had to be cut quite a bit. Not only that, the MPAA complained about the overall tone of the film, so changes were made to the colors and the sound. Unbelievable. Censorship is alive and well, ladies and gentlemen, it just happens to be under the guise of the film ratings system. Anyway, I was gonna skip out on the movie and wait for the inevitable Director's Cut DVD release, but I really wanted to see it, so I went and saw the R-rated version of "Saw." I liked it, despite the many flaws, and even though it was toned down, the movie is still pretty damn grisly.
A lotta people might see this movie thinking that it's a horror movie, but it's not. Sure, it's got creepy moments, and some of the images are ghastly, but I wouldn't categorize it as a horror movie. In some ways, it's like "Seven." Please don't misinterpret that. "Saw" isn't nearly as good as "Seven," nor is it as smart, but they both have that same freakish quality.
The way this film got made is like a dream come true for film students. James Wan and Leigh Whannell, film school graduates from Melbourne, Australia, worked together on a story, and then Whannell wrote the screenplay. The screenplay eventually fell into the hands of an agent in L.A. who loved it, and invited them for a meeting. The agent suggested that they shoot a scene from the script as a short film, and after they did that, it was passed around to different producers. Twisted Pictures (the genre label of Evolution Management) ultimately decided to fund the feature film. $1.2 million and 18 days later, "Saw" was filmed. Not bad.
James Wan directed the film, and he shows a lotta promise, but for his feature film debut, he probably should have reeled in a lot of the acting. Also, some of the shots were corny, but he definitely has an interesting style, and he keeps the movie exciting and fast paced. Leigh Whannell's screenplay is very cool, but some of the dialogue is cheesy, and the killer's motivation is pretty lame, and not very believable.
There are quite a few familiar faces in "Saw," like Cary Elwes (forever immortalized as "Westley" in "The Princess Bride"... he also starred in "Robin Hood: Men in Tights"), Danny Glover, Monica Potter, and Dina Meyer (geeks love her... she was in the thankfully short-lived TV series "Birds of Prey" as "Barbara Gordon," also known as "The Oracle," formerly known as "Batgirl"... she was also in "Starship Troopers" and "Star Trek: Nemesis"). Monica Potter and Dina Meyer are fine in their small, thankless roles, but Cary Elwes and Danny Glover both get way too hammy, especially Elwes. More than once, I laughed at Cary Elwes during moments that I doubt the director wanted his audience laughing. Surprisingly, an actor I found really convincing is a guy I don't remember ever seeing before, and he has a pretty big role in the movie. It turns out that it's Leigh Whannell, the guy who wrote the screenplay. When I did some research on him, he's actually done a little acting before, and not just in tiny independent films. He played "Axel" in "The Matrix Reloaded," though I don't remember the character. Still, I was pleasantly surprised by his acting in "Saw."
"Saw" is far from a perfect movie. The acting is too hammy, the inexperience of the director is obvious, and the motivation of the killer is a cop-out. At the same time, it's dark, twisted fun, and the ending kicks ass. Also, I like the potential that I see in James Wan (as a director) and Leigh Whannell (as a writer and actor). I look forward to seeing the Director's Cut, and finally seeing the director's true vision of this very entertaining movie.
Scale of 1-10: 7