Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Saw (2004)
Director: James Wan
Movie review
From Time Out London
Why see ‘Saw’? Because it has teeth and it cuts to the bone. Two men wake up in an underground bathroom, chained to the pipework. Neither knows the other, or why they are there. The audience is equally in the dark, knowing only what they know: they may be victims of The Jigsaw Killer, who devises cruelly inventive ways for his victims to kill themselves. In the middle of the room is the body of man who has blown his brains out. While video-taping them, their captor torments the men with clues about how they might escape.Veteran cop Danny Glover is so obsessed with the Jigsaw case, he’s lost the plot while trying to fit the pieces together. You may find yourself doing the same, as director Wan and actor/scriptwriter Leigh Whannell ratchet up the twist quotient, then floor you with their final sucker punch. Like David Fincher’s ‘Seven’ and Dario Argento’s inventively nasty gialli, ‘Saw’ fuses an intricate thriller plot with a gruesome horror sensibility. The former sucks you in, the latter chews you up and spits you out.
Author: NF
Time Out London Time Out Issue 1780: September 29-October 6, 2004
User reviews of this film
-
- Sam said...
- Posted on Oct 12 2007 23:06 Damned clever, its clear explotation of the fact that you fear the gore works to make the tension in the film buid up and give you some, and i say some, relief at the end. but its a rollercoaster ride all the way through and the acting is impressive. In a different ballpark to its sequels.
- Report as inappropriate
Cast & crew
Director: James Wan
Cast: Leigh Whannell, Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Ken Leung, Dina Meyer, Mike Butters
Rated: 18
Duration: 100 mins
UK Release: Oct 1 2004
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
London Children's Film Festival
Read our exclusive reviews of films playing at the 2009 London Children’s Film Festival
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Michael Haneke discusses 'The White Ribbon'
Dave Calhoun met with Michael Haneke in Munich to mull over the details of his Palme d'Or winner, 'The White Ribbon'
Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?
Time Out ponders the influences behind James Cameron's anticipated space-opera on the basis of the trailer
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations












What do you think?
Post your review now