"The terror has started immediately, and won't relent until the final frame. No, make that five minutes after the final frame." Phil Villarreal ARIZONA DAILY STAR "A cult classic waiting to happen for those who like their Horror Movies dark, smart, twisted and hard." Scott Weinberg EFILMCRITIC.COM "The gore is relentless and in your face, and if you grew up glued to the old Universal fright flicks like I did, you won’t want to miss a minute of the mayhem." Rex Reed NEW YORK OBSERVER "A gruesome blast of psychological horror that is so giddily pumped up with nasty hormones, you can't help but dissolve into laughter at the same time as you are hiding your eyes." Jan Stuart NEWSDAY "The gore is relentless and in your face, and if you grew up glued to the old Universal fright flicks like I did, you won’t want to miss a minute of the mayhem." Rex Reed NEW YORK OBSERVER

"A brilliant thriller – terrifying and relentless." Jeff Otto IGN FILMFORCE "The gripping, bloodcurdling Saw is the best serial-killer thriller since Bill Paxton's Frailty." Chuck O'Leary FANTASTICA DAILY "Nasty and smart at the same time, Saw is definitely worth seeing for those of us who have become cynical about the genre." Mervius FANTASTICA DAILY "James Wan's sadistic, Halloween-ready gore fest suggests a reality television competition like Fear Factor, carried to the nth degree of cruelty." Stephen Holden NEW YORK TIMES "Terrifying at some moments and insinuatingly creepy at many others." Carla Meyer SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

At A Glance

"...those who aren't as stringent a fan of the genre, and are only after a quick unfussy scare, should definitely find enough here to keep them awake at night." Clint Morris MOVIEHOLE

One could say that "Saw" is the product of a sick mind, but then how does one define 'sick' by the standards of society today. On the other hand, one could say that "Saw" is the product of a brilliant mind producing another edge of your seat macabre thriller in the 'serial killer' genre. The fact that "Saw" was written by a couple of boys from down under [James Wan and Leigh Whannell, and was directed by James Wan] gives weight to the later. The idea of being chained to a pipe in a room who knows where, with a hacksaw and the only apparent way out is to saw off your foot is a terrifying one indeed. The fact that the stakes are raised by knowing that you only have a limited time to gain your freedom makes the thought fiendishly sadistic indeed. It raises one question, the answer to which director and co-writer Wan provided. "I think the film allows you to imagine yourself in the situation of these characters," he said. "It constantly asks, 'If you were in their shoes, what would you do?' Would you do the unthinkable to survive?" Well I don't know about you reader, but I am a bit of a sook when it comes to pain and the mere thought of performing unqualified surgery on myself is to be blunt, out of the question. But then I guess until you're faced with a situation you never really know. Do you? And I for one don't want to put myself in the place of Adam or Dr Gordon, victims of a very evil, moralistic serial killer known only as 'Jigsaw'. "It’s the 'unknown' factor," says co-writer/actor Leigh Whannell [who also stars in the film as Adam]. "Not knowing where you are or what is going on, basically having no control, is terrifying. "Saw" is told from the victims’ point of view, not the police, as we so often see in procedural thrillers. As the film progresses, the audience is piecing together the clues in real time along with the characters. It makes it very easy to identify with." Also easy to identify with is the fact that in "Saw", the victims are playing for high stakes and the tasks 'Jigsaw' sets his victims, even if they are sick and twisted, present a huge challenge. The credit for that must go to Whannell who said, "I couldn’t have Jigsaw challenging his victims to an all-night game of Twister! The games he devised had to be pretty hardcore. So I found myself imagining all these sick little scenarios, as if I were a maniac myself." It's those sick little games from the mind of Whannell which ensure "Saw" will be a real standout in its genre. "Jigsaw’s ingenuity is what really distinguishes this film," says producer Gregg Hoffman. "The games he forces his victims to play are horrifying and dark, but more importantly, they’re utterly original. Audiences haven’t seen anything like them." The added twist in "Saw" is that Whannell and James Wan have added another dimension to the makeup of 'Jigsaw'. "Jigsaw is not driven solely by cruelty or insanity; he also wants to teach his morally deficient victims a lesson about the value of life." There are two focus points in "Saw". One is the victims and the other is the hunters. Leading the chase to find 'Jigsaw' is the man who partnered Mel Gibson in the highly popular "Lethal Weapon" films, Danny Glover who as ever, produces a highly professional performance. Glover agrees with the analogy that the serial killer 'Jigsaw', is a moralist. "Even the antagonist, the guy who we most hate in this movie, is someone who philosophically has something to say about the way in which we respect life," Glover said. "Jigsaw makes his victims appreciate how precious life is by threatening to take it away," says Cary Elwes [who plays Dr. Lawrence Gordon]. "He’s saying, Don’t take life for granted, and don’t wait till it’s too late." Wan knowingly added, "Jigsaw’s intentions are good, but his methods are not. I wanted to take real people and put them into an alien, Lynchian universe inhabited by the macabre freakishness of Argento. From the outset I wanted "Saw" to be a vicious film of ferocious intensity where none of the characters or situations are safe." Hoffman agrees, "If you’re going to do a genre film, I always think you have to twist it, shake it up, surprise people. Elevate it in some way. "Saw" is a classic Hitchcock film if Hitchcock watched too many Nine Inch Nails videos." While the film will surprise many viewers, what is more surprising is how the film got up in the first place. The history behind Wan and Whannell, and how "Saw" came to be made makes for very interesting reading." Whannell recalls those early days at film school. "We went to a really arty film school with lots of black nail polish and berets and guys making films about sand. James would get up and show his films, and they’d be about zombies. I knew he was going to become something big." When it came to writing a script together, they chose "a simple premise: two men are trapped in a bathroom; one man has to kill the other. From this compellingly simple scenario, a story grew and broadened, encompassing flashbacks and a host of other characters." The finished script impressed their manager. He urged them to take a chance and head for Los Angeles. But the boys saw that as "an expensive handshake." Instead they chose to scrape together more funds, shoot one scene from the film, burn it to DVD and then send copies of it and the script to LA producers. Then their lucky break came. In Los Angeles, producer Greg Hoffman was waiting for a meeting to start when an agent friend pulled him into an office and showed him Wan’s and Whannell’s DVD. "About two or three minutes into it, my jaw hit the floor," he said. "I ran back to my office with the DVD and the script and showed it to my partners." The rest is history. "By the time Wan and Whannell had stepped off the plane onto Los Angeles soil, Hoffman and his partners had already made an offer to finance the movie with Wan directing and Whannell starring in the role of Adam." On the idea of punting on the DVD, Whannell simply says, "It was one of those few things in life that did exactly what it was meant to do." Three months later, Wan and Whannell were shooting "Saw". Cleverly, the boys left the ending ripe for a sequel. A sequel, I am sure will be made on a lot bigger budget than the original. "Saw" has already made a big impression in the USA, and, even though there are some 'laughable' moments in it, the film is destined for 'cult' status and when finished in theatres will pull big money on the DVD market. Crew Bytes "SAW" was .......
directed by James Wan ["Negative", "The Anthem Of Marcus Wright", "Stygian" and "Radius"]; screenplay by James Wan and Leigh Whannell; costume design by Jennifer L Soulages ["Pledge of Allegiance", "Dude... We're Going to Rio" and "Iowa"]; production design by Julie Berghoff ["Underground" and "Mystery Woman"]; edited by Kevin Greutert ["The Shot", "Donnie Darko", "Normal Joe", "Love For Love" and "Corky Romano"]; director of photograhpy David A Armstrong ["Friday Night Blues", "My Dinner with André the Giant", "Footprints" and "Seventh Veil"]; original music by Charlie Clouser ["End of Days"] produced by Gregg Hoffman ["Only You" and "George of the Jungle 2"]. Mark Burg ["Bull Durham", "Diary of a Sex Addict", "John Q" and "Love Don't Cost a Thing"] and Oren Koules ["Black and White", "Good Advice", "Run Ronnie Run!" and "Love Don't Cost a Thing"]. Casting About "SAW" stars .......
NACCP Image and ACE Awards winner Danny Glover ["Silverado", "The Color Purple", "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Grand Canyon"]; Leigh Whannell ["Static", "The Demise of Fallon Thomas", "One Perfect Day" and "The Matrix Reloaded"]; Cary Elwes ["The Cat's Meow", "Shadow Of The Vampire", "Kiss The Girls" and "Ella Enchanted"]; Monica Potter ["I'm With Lucy", "Along Came A Spider", "Patch Adams" and "Bulletproof"]; Ken Leung ["Rush Hour", "Spy Game", "Vanilla Sky" and "Red Dragon"]; Dina Meyer ["Johnny Mnemonic", "Dragonheart", "Starship Troopers" and "Deadly Little Secrets"]; Mike Butters ["Dante's Peak", "Senseless", "Lockdown" and "Shteps"]; Benito Martinez ["Outbreak", "Ballistic", "Romeo and Juliet" and "Million Dollar Baby"]; Shawnee Smith ["Leaving Las Vegas", "Every Dog Has Its Day", "Armageddon", "Carnival of Souls" and "Breakfast of Champions"] and Tobin Bell ["Mississippi Burning", "Goodfellows", "The Firm", "The Quick and the Dead" and "Serial Killer"] as Jigsaw. The Story

"A sick, twisted, deliriously entertaining horror thriller that rivals The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for sheer, relentless intensity." Jeff Shannon SEATTLE TIMES

Adam wakes to find himself chained by the ankle, to a pipe, in a decrepit, brightly lit room. But he is not alone. He has company. In the middle of the room there's the body of a man with his brains blown out, a .38 revolver in one hand and a tape in the other. On the opposite side of the room a bewildered physician Dr Lawrence Gordon is also chained to the wall. Neither understand why they are being held captive but Dr Gordon believes they have been kidnapped by a serial killer known as 'Jigsaw' who has been taking captive people he thinks are morally wayward and making them play out a terrifying game of survival. The first task in Jigsaw's gruesome game of survival for Adam and Dr Gordon is to retrieve the tape from the dead mans hand. With perseverance they accomplish it. The clues on the tape lead them to discover hidden packages near to where they are chained. Along with other items pertinent to each mans survival is a hacksaw. It appears they have a way out. Frantically both men try sawing through the chains. But the sick and twisted 'Jigsaw' has ensured the chains are hardened and can't be cut. Dr Gordon immediately realizes the gravity of their predicament. 'Jigsaw' doesn't want them to cut the chains. No, 'Jigsaw' wants them to cut their foot off. Meanwhile across town Detectives Tapp and Sing are closing in on the killer. The Verdict "Considering the budget they had to work with Wan and Whanell have produced a gritty, terrifying film that will make its mark in a genre which of late has been dominated by big budget production. Cleverly twisted, crude and definately 'sick', "Saw" terrorizes it's audience right from the opening scenes. In the main, the cast put in good performances, but it is Glover's who stands out. Watch for a sequel. Recommended to those who love the genre and those who are curious." The Cast

Leigh Whannell Cary Elwes Danny Glover Ken Leung Dina Meyer Mike Butters Paul Gutrecht Michael Emerson Benito Martinez Shawnee Smith Makenzie Vega Monica Potter Ned Bellamy Alexandra Chun Avner Garbi Tobin Bell

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Adam Dr Lawrence Gordon Detective David Tapp Detective Steven Sing Kerry Paul Mark Zep Hindle Brett Amanda Diana Gordon Alison Gordon Jeff Carla Father Jigsaw

The Crew Directed by James Wan Story by James Wan & Leigh Whannell Screenplay by Leigh Whannell Produced by Mark Burg/Gregg Hoffman/Oren Koules Original Music by Charlie Clouser Cinematography by David A Armstrong Film Editing by Kevin Greutert Casting by Amy Lippens Production Design by Julie Berghoff Art Direction by Nanet Harty Costume Design by Jennifer L Soulages Run Time 100 minutes Rated M15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2004 - Lions Gate Films - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2004 - Impact Internet Services & The Movie Pages - All Rights Reserved