Saw

Saw is nothing by very well and effectively filmed bloodbath. James Wan is definitely not a bad director, he is original, inventive, and dynamic, and for the most part, he manages to maintain an almost lethal pace throughout the entire film. The atmosphere and excellent screenplay save a lot, but I still can't help feeling that it is just cleverly written and effectively filmed ordinary nonsense. (16/02/2005)

I didn't need the epileptic camera none-sense and the metallic soundtrack, but I admit that Saw is a good horror film, certainly above average by current standards. But I only realized this because of the great, great, great ending - until then I thought I was watching a rip-off of Seven, in which the characters occasionally do horribly stupid things (blinding illumination, by lightning, for example). (11/01/2013)

This basic premise gave me not the slightest clue of what I was getting into, and without the knowledge that I would see it countless times in future installments, it was really perfect back then. The despair, the unknown, and people in a strongly oppressive environment and situation still function today. It's a shame that with Jigsaw came the tormented cliché of "I'm aiming at you, but I'll wait until you take the weapon from me", because without it, James Wan would have aimed really high. What the script loses here, it gains with the reveal. It may be problematic, full of holes, and perhaps even impossible, but it can't be taken away from it that it is truly unforgettable. It may not have been the new Se7en, but with a decade of hindsight and the presence of unbalanced sequels, the first Saw has matured into very favorable colors. (03/02/2006)

A delight. The triumph is not so much the story itself, but rather its imaginative compositional structure – the uncompromising way it throws us into the plot, the brilliantly constructed atmosphere of hopelessness and physical danger, and the gradual uncovering of the past, which allows us to patiently, bit by bit, look deeper and deeper into the whole plot scheme and absorb its depressing atmosphere with an ever-increasing heart rate. The action-packed ending almost brings down the seriousness of the whole thing to the level of a furiously edited teenage murder mystery (comparisons with Se7en are therefore inappropriate in this respect and others), but the murderous, unpredictable twist puts a crown on a great script, which despite its exaggerated effect impressed me massively. An innovative and extremely entertaining game with proven genre elements and, among others, absolutely (for most of the runtime) amazing editing and awesome soundtrack... Content-wise, it has its flaws, but formally it’s 5* without any doubt. 85% (09/04/2012)

An atmospheric slaughter movie that I found surprising thanks to some of the twists. Great ideas put into practice well. Wan certainly knows his stuff. It was pleasant to see many well-known and quality actors alongside some unknown ones. But it isn’t so brutal and doesn’t make you jump, so don’t be afraid. ;) (01/02/2013)