SAW

Ratings : * Avoidable ** Average *** Good **** Must Watch

Saw opens in an industrial washroom, where photographer Adam Faulkner (Leigh Whannell) and Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) are chained by their ankles to pipes at opposite corners. Between them is a corpse (Tobin Bell) holding a revolver. From a microcassette, Lawrence is told that he must kill Adam in eight hours, or his wife and daughter will die and he will be left in the bathroom. Hacksaws are soon discovered; neither is sufficiently sharp to cut through chain, and Adam accidentally snaps his in frustration. Lawrence realizes that they are meant instead for their own feet.

He realizes that their captor is the Jigsaw Killer, named due to his practice of cutting piec es of skin in the shape of a jigsaw puzzle piece from his victims, though Lawrence comments that the name is a misnomer, as he never directly murders anyone and his intentions are for his victims to survive with a better appreciation of life. We are presented with flashbacks of his previous victims, including his only known survivor, a highly traumatized heroin addict named Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith), who believes that her experience in the test has made her a better person in the end.

As Adam and Lawrence search for alternative escape routes, Zep Hindle (Michael Emerson) breaks into the Gordon house and captures Lawrence's wife, Alison (Monica Potter), and daughter, Diana (Makenzie Vega). Through flashback, we learn that Zep is an orderly at Lawrence's hospital who witnessed Lawrence coldly informing an elderly patient, John Kramer, that he had terminal brain cancer. (We also recognize John as the corpse in the bathroom.) While psychologically toying with Alison and Diana, Zep monitors Adam and Lawrence through video surveillance.

He is unaware, however, that the house is being observed by Detective David Tapp (Danny Glover). Tapp grew unhealthily obsessed with the Jigsaw case after hearing Amanda's testimony, and, following a lead, he and his partner, Steven Sing (Ken Leung), illegally broke into a warehouse that turned out to be one of Jigsaw's lairs, where they saved a man from being killed by drills. Before they could secure Jigsaw's arrest, however, Sing was gunned down by a booby trap, and Jigsaw escaped. Tapp was later disbarred from the police force, and is now stalking Lawrence, convinced from planted evidence that he is the Jigsaw Killer.

Meanwhile, Adam attempts to stage his death, but a strong electric shock is sent through his chains, foiling the ruse. Lawrence later finds a cell phone that cannot make calls, but receives one from Alison, who warns Lawrence that Adam knows more than he is telling. Adam explains that he had been paid by Tapp to trail and photograph Lawrence and shows him a pile of photographs that he found with the hacksaws. He then turns from defensive to offensive, showing Lawrence evidence that he has been cheating on his wife. The two begin arguing, but are distracted when Lawrence notices a picture of Zep in his house. They deduce that Zep has placed them in the bathroom. Just as this realization is made, however, Adam realizes that it is six o'clock, the deadline.

Tobin Bell as John Kramer, the corpse in the bathroom.Allison frees herself from Zep, and a struggle ensues. Gunshots are fired, which attract the attention of Tapp, who distracts Zep long enough for Alison and her daughter to flee. Zep shoots Tapp fatally and races to the sewers, intent on killing Lawrence, who is only aware of the sounds of gunfire and screaming. Flung into desperation, he uses his hacksaw to cut off his foot and shoots Adam with John's revolver. Zep arrives to find Lawrence in tears. Before Zep can kill him, however, Adam springs from the floor, as his wound was in fact nonfatal, and beats Zep to death with a toilet tank cover. Lawrence crawls away to find help, despite Adam's pleas not to leave.

Adam searches Zep's body for a key, but finds another microcassette player. As the series theme, "Hello Zepp", begins to play, Adam learns that Zep was only a pawn in Jigsaw's game who acted under threat of death. He then hears a moan behind him and turns to see John slowly rising to his feet. Adam reaches for Zep's handgun, but John stuns him with another remote-controlled electrical current. As he flicks off the lights, he asks Adam if he is now grateful to have been alive. He then shouts, "Game over!" before slamming the door, sealing Adam in the bathroom as he screams in despair.

My Rating : ***

Genre : Horror/Thriller

Director : James Wan

Cast : Cary Elwes, Leigh Wannel, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Tobin Bell.