Saw (2004) Dir: James Wan
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The first. The original. The best. James Wan's iconic horror film that started a "torture p*rn" phenomen in the genre, as well as a long film franchise of admittedly varying quality.
The film is so sadistic and clever. The twists and turns are memorable and thrilling, the violence is brutal and the ending is genuinely among the best in horror history, in my view.
One of the most impressive things about the film, is how effectively Wan uses the main setting of the film. Not just in terms of how it's used in a physical sense, but the aesthetic of it and the psychological impact of it on the characters and the audience.
Cary Elwes was someone that I didn't really like the first time I watched the film, but I appreciated him a lot more on this most recent of viewings. His performance isn't stellar by any means, it tows the line of mediocre in one or two scenes, but he balances this off by having a few other scenes that were very strong by comparison.
Leigh Whannell has the most memorable performance in the film, and probably my favourite one too. I think he portrayed the fear, panic and other escalating emotions of his character brilliantly, and the film would not be as remembered as it is, without what Whannell brought to the film.
Tobin Bell doesn't appear to do much on-screen in this franchise opener, but his vocal performance was excellent and chilling. He took advantage of a creepy character with an intriguing story, and formed himself into a hugely popular and referenced horror villain.
There was only one story arc that I didn't enjoy as much, and that was mainly due to the terrible performance of Danny Glover, who over-acted and then some. Of the remaining cast members, Monica Potter and Ken Leung deserve mentioning, for their fairly decent performances.
Overall, I love this film. I think it was truly a superb film that maximised its tools and potential. The sequels may be divisive, but this first film has remained a favourite of horror audiences for two decades, and has been hugely influential on the genre.
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