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Saw
R1 - America - Lionsgate Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon (18th June 2005). |
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The Film
 Oh great, just what the world needs: another happy cheery life-affirming movie! Oh my god is this movie ever scary. From the first frame to the last this thriller keeps your eyes glued to the screen. Like its killer playing with puzzles, this movie gives you tiny piece by tiny piece and the whole thing looks amazing when it’s done. It’s a finely written and tightly directed little movie that is a must for genre fans. The movie poses some really interesting moral questions. I think many people that didn’t like the movie didn’t like it because they saw its shock value and nothing else. Indeed, its R rated and it’s plenty easy to see where the footage in the unrated cut can be found. What they fail to realize, I believe, is what’s going through these people’s heads. What you’d do in the same situation is the same or not? The problem is that you have to act. You need to act. Even if you don’t act, something goes wrong. If you do nothing, people die. If you do something, people die. It’s a visceral ride. I am so torn writing this review. I want to talk about it but I want you to know nothing about the movie if you decide to watch it. It’s one of those movies that are great to watch if you’re completely ignorant of the plot. So - if you haven’t seen the movie please stop here and go see it. Otherwise, read on. Well, I suppose if you’re busy you can go do something else, but if you want to read, go ahead. The movie has an interesting way of developing its characters - or rather, one particular character, Leigh Whannell‘s character Adam is just there. You see Cary Elwes‘s life and his family and everything that led up to him being in that place but Mr. Whannell’s character, for the bigger chunk of the movie stays unknown. It’s an interesting way of letting people fall for Mr. Elwes’ predicament, and feeling less inclined to care for Mr. Whannell’s outcome. When you do learn things about Mr. Whannell’s character, it’s nothing too flattering. The rest of the psychology the movie wrings you through is pretty unflattering as well. People just live, not really caring about other things. That’s not seen as bad, mind you, just look at the city in front of your house. How many people do you stop to talk to? Most of us just walk around doing what we do; never quite thinking about the people we pass by. The characters are like that. I mean, the two people trapped in that place can be anybody. The movie basically has two random guys stuck in a room and have to get themselves out of the predicament they’re in. The movie’s claustrophobic setting is a microcosm for the world we live in. There are two kinds of people: introverts and extroverts. Everybody might lie; you might not believe the person talking to you. The only thing you can do is trust them, but then again, there’s still a nagging feeling in the back of your mind. While you’re living your lives, trusting and questioning people, you also have your own demons inside. Can you trust yourself? What do you see when you look in the mirror? What if it’s a two-way mirror? In the end, nothing matters because none of the questions I asked are answered. Either people solve their problems or they don’t, but sometimes you don’t see the answers. The movie isn’t completely new. The roots are there: Seven, Cube and even One Hour Photo, as well as some giallo movies have more than probably influenced this film - but the style is simply incredible. Yoyo-ing between past and present, first time director James Wan creates amazing atmosphere that’s sure you leave you impressed and drooling for his next movie. Especially if you’re a fan of psychological horror, with some blood on the side, you have to see this movie. You need to see this movie.
Video
1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. There are some specks, which might seem strange, but it adds to the movie’s atmosphere. The small grain and slight softness to the picture do so as well. It’s not a perfect print, but everything’s nice. Colours are perfect and they don’t flicker. Skin tones are nice and all the grungy palette of the room comes out well. In the beginning in the dark, the contrast could have been slightly better but you could see what you had to well enough. The transfer is a good one but not a great one. It’s probably the way the director intended the movie to look.
Audio
You can choose a Dolby EX 5.1 or DTS-ES track. Okay, so I only have a 5.1 capable system but on the DTS-ES track I heard that voice in the beginning coming from behind my head. The movie’s dynamic range is good enough, so when there’s only one person talking, there’s only one person in your living room. When things get rougher, you can hear that just as well. The rears are used at times, but to be perfectly honest, I was so engrossed in the movie I didn’t notice much of anything other than the movie. The score pumps out loudly from everywhere, and the directions and positions of the other sound elements - voices, doors, people, and creepy sounds - are very good. This is perfect for the movie.
Extras
Audio commentary by director James Wan and writer/actor Leigh Whannell. I think Mr. Wan is proud that his movie was done in only 18 days. This is the pair’s first commentary (which makes sense, given it’s their first movie), and they seem to be a bit nervous. It’s just the way they tell jokes that makes me think that. They do a nice job, though providing very nice information about the cast and production. One thing they surprised me was that they shot everything in one place. He had one building and they shot everything there. You also learn some tricks they used. Most of the security camera footage was actually real footage from the shoot they just manipulated - rub in dirt, add in some fake grain - to look like security camera footage. It’s a good track with a lot of humour. Even though the movie is serious and intense, they have fun with it pointing out the problems and faults with it. It’s well worth listening to and easily the best extra of the DVD. Sawed Off: Inside Sneak Peek at the Making of Saw featurette, this is not a sneak peek, this is not anything. It is 2½ minutes long. It’s tiny and you don’t get to see much. It’s a pure promo piece with a few bits of interview with the writer and the director and some behind the scenes footage. It’s nothing impressive, trust me. The trailers section is almost 3 times longer than this. Trailers & TV Spots, there are five things, numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Number 1 is 92 seconds long and it’s my favorite trailer. It’s creepy and sets up the movie very well. Two and Three are awful, awful trailers. They’re both about 2 minutes long and in the hopes of selling the movie they give away the entire movie. The second one looks nice but the voiceover ruins the movie. The third one is basically the same as the second one, but it gives away more. Number 4 and 5 are 30-second TV spots and they’re nice. They don’t give away too much but then again they’re only 30 seconds. Bite the Hand That Bleeds You Music Video by Fear Factory, you get the choice of the 3-minute rated version or the 4-minute unrated version. What’s the difference beside the running time? Well, both videos are pretty harsh and feature a lot of red gooey liquid. Both videos also have plenty of movie footage. The main difference is that the unrated video has a sort of shortened version of the movie going on with Fear Factory’s members. I don’t really know why the unrated version is unrated because there’s actually more blood in the rated one (but only barely, I believe). In any case, they’re nice music videos, if a bit on the low budget side. Making of the Unrated Video, what does it say when a music video’s making-of is longer than the one for the movie? This is 4 minutes and 46 seconds long. It plays like an EPK but is actually better than the ‘inside look’ of the movie. A few people get interviewed, a few behind the scenes clips are shown, a few video clips are shown and lots of music is heard. Okay. Poster Gallery, this is an animated gallery and is about 3 minutes and 15 seconds long. The music playing is really nice. The design of the gallery might annoy some people, but it’s passable. It’s a bunch of vague close-ups of a poster, then it pulls back to show you the poster. Then it repeats for the next poster. It is okay and the poster designers were very good.
Overall
Saw is a well made psychological horror from a first time filmmaker, it succeeds by creating a creepy atmosphere that’s sure you leave you disturbed, it’s truly a scary film that comes highly recommended. Lion’s Gate DVD includes a very good transfer and audio mix, plus a decent collection of extras. Note that this Region 1 DVD is of the R-Rated theatrical cut, an unrated version does exist in other regions.
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