Saw

Saw (2004)

Runtime: 103 minutes

Directed by: James Wan

Starring: Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, Danny Glover, Ken Leung, Tobin Bell

From: Twisted Pictures 

I don’t have to ask-everyone will be APPALLED I had never seen any Saw film until this last night on Netflix. Oh yeah, I’m subscribed again, just for the upcoming month—a few movies will be watched on that platform. This is leaving the platform two weekends from now and considering the recent news, it was nice to see Danny Glover in something. After finally checking out the OG, I don’t want to see any of the sequels (which from cultural osmosis I know double down on things I do NOT like in horror) but at least the original was a pretty good time, occasional goofy moments and gross details aside.

Even more so than elevated horror, what was pejoratively called “torture porn” at the time was way too off-putting for my tastes. No hate on people who love that gruesome form of entertainment-I know how popular this franchise has been since 2004. Props then to James Wan and Leigh Whannell, who were Australians that had a unique, bold idea, went to Hollywood, and worked hard to create an unexpected hit, launching both their careers.

By now, I’m sure I don’t need to explain how Whannell and Cary Elwes wake up trapped in a gross room, or how Glover investigates The Jigsaw Killer, or why Jigsaw plays his games. Some moments were hilariously dated to the early 2000’s; aside from that and some story quibbles, otherwise I had a pretty good time with Saw. The nonlinear story plus seeing two strangers attempt to escape that gross room despite all odds by working together despite their frequent squabbles, along with never having the surprise ending spoiled during the preceding 22 years… those were the highlights. There are nice suspense scenes, along with horror moments and a few gross-out bits.

It was also nice seeing a quality performance from Danny Glover as a police officer whose obsession burns ever-brighter due to events that occurred. Those that missed the news, several days ago he made it public that for awhile now, he’s suffered w/ Alzheimer’s. Many people have been touched by someone afflicted w/ that awful disease—unfortunately, my late grandfather was one of them. What a miserable last few years for him before passing away in ’09. 

On a lighter note, while I’m not interested in the subgenre it spawned-where the focus was on vile things happening to innocent people in traps apparently funded by Elon Musk, they were so elaborate & presumably expensive to build… this and Paranormal Activity were the most influential horror films in the first decade of the 2000’s, at least in the West. It was a relief then that Saw was a movie I did enjoy; as mentioned by me too often, a popular movie should have been tackled by me long ago. This picture is more than just a memorable villain and several clips that I knew from cultural osmosis for many years.