[Film Review] Saw (2004)

In honor of the ninth instalment of the Saw franchise I revisited the film that started it all; Saw (2004) set off a wave of success with its fresh take on horror and what it means to be grateful. 

Director James Wan and Writer Leigh Whannell would make their break into mainstream media with Saw after it’s short film’s success which lead to a cult-followed franchise. With that, Saw (2004) is more than the torture-porn horror it was labeled. Saw introduces the audience to simple characters met with a killer who tests his victims on their willingness to suffer in order to live, leading to their choices within a deadly game. 

Sleazy photographer Adam (Leigh Whannell) and unsatisfied Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) find themselves chained at the ankle in a disgusting bathroom while a deceased man lays in the middle of the floor. Confused and scared, the two men must work together to find a way out but they can barely remember how they got there in the first place. Through a multi-timeline structure, the men recount the past, giving us flashbacks that slowly fill in the gaps of our story. As Adam and Lawrence put the pieces together, we watch an adjacent storyline -  an 80s style cop drama following detective Tapp (Danny Glover) who becomes obsessed with the case even though he’s no longer involved with it.

Here we are introduced to our killer, Jigsaw, coined by the police but more simply known as John Kramer (Tobin Bell). Kramer and his mascot Billy the puppet seek out their victims, choosing those who have something to hide;addiction, lies, adultery, and even self harm. Jigsaw places his victims within traps that they must escape from in a certain time or make a huge sacrifice in order to live. Similar to early Christan beliefs where suffering is of no blame on god but to be endured by the sinner and then repented. Jigsaw believes that these victims ‘sins’ are the true suffering, and not his torturous contraptions he's placed them in. Jigsaw, John Kramer, is slowly dying from a tumor in his brain; it is his own trauma that really pushes him to see the immorality of others. This is depicted when Dr. Gordon is holding a lecture session with the new nurses, John lays in the hospital bed as Lawrence refers to John as just “the patient” disregarding that he is a human being with a life that is slowly being drained from him by sickness.

Looking past the gore, violence, and blood, Saw is about the lesson each person must learn. Jigsaw takes it to an extreme but this is the kind of film that when you finish it you ask yourself ‘what if that were me?’ or ‘how would I get out of that trap?’ Jigsaw creates these series of contraptions as a test, a game, an opportunity for his victims to repent for their past mistakes and through pain and bodily sacrifice to transform into better human beings. If they are successful, (although the odds are rarely ever in their favor) Jigsaw believes they will emerge from the experience with a newfound appreciation for life. 

Furthermore, Saw (2004) has aged with grace and even with eight other films in the franchise, it seems to always remain the best film out of all. Saw presents us with a self-preserving riddle, a killer who maybe isn’t really a killer since he gave his victims a chance to win their game. With one of the best twist endings to ever grace an audience, Saw is undeniably one of a kind. If you have yet to see this film be sure to add it to your watch list and prepare for a wild ride of binge watching the rest of the franchise.

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