You’ve probably heard about the movie Saw by now.
Most people learn about it over dinner at some point. Someone in the group will ask if anyone’s seen it and a few people will chuckle and then exchange sudden knowing glances.
In case you haven’t heard, Saw is a slightly over-hyped, slightly innovative horror film. It is violent, doom-laden and driven by a story that offers more meat than your average mindless parade of gore. Though, personally, I worry that this series gets more Mensa credit than it deserves. Just because a film is meticulously thought out, doesn’t mean it’s intelligent.
I digress.
It is the story of people that have been collected to face the life or death challenges of a sadistic (yet politely hands off) madman called Jigsaw. Jigsaw knows something about each of the players. Some dirty sin that has dulled their appreciation of life. It is his vigilante-mission to test this dullness touting that the victim can choose to live provided they don’t hesitate at the thought of severe self-mutilation.
Jigsaw is ingenious and, all things considered, extravagantly resourceful; however, also utterly unconvincing. The victims are, by necessity, fatally flawed and therefore almost impossible to sympathize with.
It is their situation that draws you in. The challenge to complete the puzzle before time runs out. The punch-line being that, for the victims, time usually does run out. Whether you would call that the film’s payoff or not, Saw is grisly, graphic and not unlike the cliché of a car wreck that is impossible to look away from.
If you’re looking for over the top cartoon gore, this film and it’s sequels to date are competent.
If you worry that it might be too much for you… I assure you that it is. Absolutely.
In the end, Saw is what it is: a disturbing and sadistic maze of human cruelty led by a misguided moral compass.
