Saw DVD Review:

For everyone that is tired of the supernatural, CGI enhanced, style based horror movies which have taken over the cinema since the success of The Ring, SAW provides the perfect solution. With an emphasis on substance rather than style, and perhaps some of the most ingeniously twisted ideas ever put on film, SAW places itself on the list of great horror movies, despite its obvious flaws.

With a cast that is less than impressive, despite the celebrity involved, SAW is about a serial killer that never actually kills anyone. He simply puts them in situations in which they must make a choice, most of which end up killing them. He is called the jigsaw killer and he seems to be teaching moral lessons about life as he takes it in each bizarre and twisted way. Much of the film takes place in a dirty abandoned bathroom in which two men, played by Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell, are chained to the wall. They are given all sorts of clues and options, and we find out more about their story through flashback as the film continues.

Leigh Whannell, also the writer of the film, is actually one of the better performers in the film, both hiding his Australian accent well and providing humor for the film at the same time. The humor is slight compared to the gore, however, and even when there is no blood being shed the suspense is so incredibly intense that it makes SAW one of the most disturbing and stressful films I have ever seen.

Filmed in only eighteen days, with a minimal budget, SAW is mostly shot with hand-held camera work, which works with the chaos of the story. There are, however some technical aspects which don’t quite work as well as it might seem they would. Some of the transitions between scenes end up making the film seem more melodramatic than is fitting and the editing is somewhat sloppy at places. Those aspects added with an unfortunately bad performance by Danny Glover made for many B-film qualities. Fortunately SAW works perfectly as a B-film, and knowing that is what it is will make viewing it that much more enjoyable.

The DVD is creatively packaged, with a clear DVD case which is covered by a clear plastic slip. This way only the cover has just the title, and no art, but the actual disc can be seen through the plastic, which is designed to look like a circular saw, and also has the picture of a dead limb as well. It looks fantastic, simple and yet creative at the same time. The menu of the DVD is fittingly creepy, just showing enough to set the mood for viewing the film.

The special features are somewhat disappointing after such a well produced package, with extremely short featurettes and a bad music video. The trailer and T.V. spot section is great, with five of them to choose from, and there is also a promotional art gallery which is fantastic. The highlight of the special features is definitely the audio commentary by director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell. For everyone that wondered what kind of sick people could come up with a concept film like SAW, this audio track is perfect. They explain where all of their ideas came from and how they made them work on such a small budget.

This film is not for anyone with a weak stomach. If you think there is even a possibility you can’t handle it, chances are you won’t be able to after the first twenty minutes. If you enjoy this sort of film however, don’t even bother wasting the money renting it. Just go out and buy it right away.

Ryan Izay

Site Contents Copyright© The Z Review, unless used with permission.This site has no intention to infringe on the rights of the film owners of Saw and intellectual copyright holders of the movies mentioned herein & hold copyright over the movie, characters, merchandise & storyline.