The Unabatedly Stupid Film Project - 28: Saw (2004)

You probably already know this film. It's violent and bloody and rather twisty and turny. I mean, up until the final ten minutes of this film I wasn't a fan. Big twist. There, I ruined it. Or did I?

I did. But DID I?

Two men are trapped in a room. They're both chained up and they must uncover a series of clues in order to escape. Shit gets real. The end.

This film was made on a shoestring budget by some ex-melbourne university film students. The story is fairly basic and the special effects and make-up are pretty standard for every horror film. The story was pretty simple: hurt yourself or someone else to save your life. Things aren't what you think they are - everybody learns, grows and bleeds.

What gave me hope about this film was that it was adequate and it was made by someone who could've possibly been me. That's a little exciting to think that what you're watching was made by someone like you. It fools you into thinking you have potential and unique ideas. Then you remember you have to make rent somehow and that the only thing people will actually pay you for is waiting tables. I may have gotten sidetracked.

Some of the script could've been tidied up. Though the story ends well some of the dialogue was a bit strained and wooden - and for once I don't blame the actors. The characters simply arrived at conclusions far too soon. They had no time to digest all the information but they came up with the most intensely deliberate and rational answers almost straight away. Much like a writer whose spent hours analysing the situation from every possible angle. When you're in a state of shock and fear, sometimes you don't always do what's rational. Sometimes you just sit there are cry until you pass out. It's for this exact reason that studio's 'punch up' a script before they put it to production. It's passed over and tweaked by someone totally unrelated to the project in oder to get some fresh perspective on the idea. This makes for good (or at least better, probably) scripts. This is the disadvantage to a film that's made independently and the picked up by a studio after the fact.

I liked it. The story was good and original. I wouldn't bother with the six (that's right, six) sequels because I imagine it'll be much of the same but with far less finesse and intelligence behind it. There was so much violence and gore that I was kind of turned off by the whole thing, though. I mean, it's clear at this stage that I'm not into that sort of stuff, but I thought it was worth mentioning. 7/10.