DVD Review: Saw
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::Movie review
Saw is a film that desperately requires its audience not to think too carefully while watching. It hopes that if you must ponder the impossibilities of the plot that you will wait until after the credits roll. If you are willing to make this small concession, then Saw becomes an effective and gruesome entry into the horror genre.
The film opens with two men locked in a filthy restroom. They are each shackled by the ankle to pipes at opposite ends. In the middle of the room, just barely out of reach of both men, lies a dead body. In one hand, the body holds a revolver. In the other, it holds a tape recorder.
These opening moments of the film are brilliant and, although sick and twisted, somewhat plausible. Once the men figure out how to get the tape recorder from the body, they begin to get clues about their situation. Someone has placed them in this room for one chilling purpose: One of the men has been given 4 hours to figure out a way to kill the other man. If he does this, he and his family will live. If he doesn't the family will be killed and both men will be left to die in the stinking bathroom.
The men find some tools, including a pair of hacksaws. After breaking one blade on the chains, one of the men chillingly observes that the hacksaws weren't meant for the chains, but for their feet. He says this so gravely, that we'll now spend the rest of the film waiting for the payoff to this statement. The man who makes this observation is Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) and he is the one ordered to kill the other man, Adam (co-screenwriter Leigh Whannell).
The tone here is set for a very effective psychological thriller. Instead, the film shifts gears to a flashback. We discover that Dr. Gordon suspects he knows who has trapped him. There is a serial killer on the loose, who kills his victims through elaborate traps, and Dr. Gordon was once thought to be a suspect.
About those traps. We are shown some truly inspired means of torture and mayhem. In contrast, being shackled in a dirty bathroom is something of a technological letdown, but no less twisted in intent. Had the killer simply run out of clever inventions? Or did he wish something more personal and horrifyingly intimate for the good doctor? Before Gordon, the killer forced someone to disembowel himself on razor wire. Another girl was strapped into a wicked device that works like a "reverse bear trap" (as the killer helpfully explains) and is intended to rip her head apart, unless she finds the key. Where the key is hidden is a detail best left as a surprise.
One interesting twist that Saw has over other horror films is that the killer provides a means for all of his victims to escape. In fact, he wants them to escape. The problem is that getting away involves excruciating personal torture. In his own psychotic way, the killer believes he is doing his victims a favor. In his mind, they have taken life for granted. If they fail his test, they deserved to die. If they pass, they will appreciate life all the more.
There are subplots that involve a wounded cop (Danny Glover) who is obsessed with finding the killer, Dr. Gordon's kidnapped family, and, or course, the killer himself - maybe. Unfortunately, these subplots water down the real drama, which is the two men trapped in the room, both of them knowing that one must kill the other in order to survive, and both of them knowing that the second half of their survival involves the unfortunate meeting of a hacksaw and a foot.
If given the choice between cutting off your own foot, or death, which would you choose? (In a way, I'm reminded of hiker Aron Ralston, who had to make this exact same choice when a boulder crushed his arm. One can imagine that Saw's killer would have been pleased with Aron.)
Saw is not a perfect film and it certainly has its flaws (for instance, just how does the killer fund all of his elaborate traps?). However, within a genre filled with people who run up stairs when they should be running away, who always go into the darkened room, and who never look under the bed before so handily exposing their Achilles tendons, Saw provides us with characters who really are trapped in situations that the audience can't see an easy way out of.
::Video
I found this image to be very gritty and since I missed the theatrical run of this film, I can't say whether or not this is a faithful transfer or not. However, based just on the DVD, the picture looks much more raw than what I'm used to seeing from a modern transfer. This isn't necessarily bad, as it helps to add to the edge of the film. Other than that, contrasts were good, with plenty of shadow details (and much of this film is very dark). I noticed no real edge enhancement to speak of and only very minor artifacting.
::Audio
The 6.1 audio mix for this disc is very impressive. There isn't a lot of action, but even so, the surround speakers are put to good use to help to create the mood. Also, I absolutely loved the musical score by Charlie Clouser (formerly of Nine Inch Nails), and it comes across beautifully on this disc.
::Special Features
There aren't a whole lot of extras on this disc, and the showcase piece is the commentary track by director James Wan and cowriter (and co-star) Leigh Whannel. Still at the beginning of their careers, this is the first commentary for each of these gentlemen and it shows. At first they seem to be at a little bit of a loss, but they quickly settle down and talk in earnest about their inspirations and intent for this film.
Next up is a very short featurette called Sawed Off. Unfortunately, this is very much more of an Electronic Press Kit (EPK) than a real behind-the-scenes look, and therefore it leaves a lot to be desired.
Also included is a very cheesy music video by Fear Factory called Bite the Hand That Bleeds You. The song itself isn't bad, but the video (in both a rated and unrated version) is just awful. You're better off switching off the TV and just listening to it. Inexplicably, there is a making-of featurette for the video, too.
Wrapping things up are a series of trailers and TV spots that are very poor in quality.
::Bottom Line
Saw does suffer from a bit of over-acting (on the part of Elwes), and the construction of the plot requires a little more exposition than seems natural for the main characters, given their dire situation, but beyond those things, Saw is an effective, gory and tense horror film that should satisfy fans of the genre.
| Movie |  |
3.5 / 5 |
| Video | |
3 / 5 |
| Audio | |
4.5 / 5 |
| Extras | |
2.5 / 5 |
| Family Friendly | 0 / 5 | |
| It should go without saying that a film called "Saw," and that includes a picture of a severed foot on the DVD is not appropriate for the kids. However, just in case anyone missed the point, Saw is NOT APPROPRIATE FOR THE KIDS! | ||
| Overall | |
3.5 / 5 |
- Robert Wurth, ©2005
::Technical Specs
Studio:
Lions Gate Home Entertainment
Year of Theatrical Release:
2004
Disc Format:
1 single-sided, Dual Layer
Image Format:
Anamorphic Widescreen
Aspect Ratio:
1.85:1
Region Encoding:
1 (North America)
Sound Format:
Dolby Digital 6.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 (pro logic)
Running Time:
100 minutes
Director:
James Wan
Stars:
Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Tobin Bell, Leigh Whannell, Dina Meyer, Monica Potter
MPAA Rating:
R
Disc Supplements:
- Commentary with James Wan and Leigh Whannell
- Sawed Off featurette
- Music video
- Trailers and TV spots
