the Mind’s Chew Toy

The film said by many to be the scariest film of the year: Saw.

Yeah, right…heard that one before. I think it was for one of those other “event” horror flicks like The Ring (2002) or feardotcom (2002). You know the ones - so much hype, very little to follow it up. Sure, they were popular, but scary? Nah, not really. So, is Saw the next in this line, or is there finally a new horror flick worth watching?

For a horror flick, Saw has picked up a number of recognizable names: Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Cary Elwes. Rather surprising, since big names don’t usually gravitate for this kind of film. But could they step out of their usual characters and sell the horror?

Cary Elwes, known for the kind of goofy guy of The Princess Bride and Twister (among others) really leaps into his character. He starts off the film slow, but has really slipped into the mindset of his character by the finale of the film. It’s an impressive performance from an actor we’ve come to expect less from.

After other so-so actor Bill Pullman’s performance in another recent horror flick The Grudge (2004)), there is bound to be talk about who wins the battle of the horror flick. Without question, Cary Elwes wins that, hands-down. Sorry Bill - beat again.

Danny Glover also did a decent job in Saw. Danny’s character was much more of a darker character than we are used to him playing, with a whole plethora of emotional baggage. He does give the viewer a bit of a trip down memory lane, however, as he plays another cop ala the Lethal Weapon films.

This time around, there’s no Riggs, and he proves he can play the cop all by himself. It’s a much deeper role than the Lethal Weapon films ever tried for, and he plays it with ease - the viewer will almost immediately connect with him and root for him when the going gets tough.

The other real surprise, besides Cary Elwes impressive performance, is newcomer Leigh Whannell (according to the credits, Saw is his first film). For being such a newbie to the movie biz, he does a great job in his role as the other guy in the cell, and is able to work well with Cary in each scene. Sure, there is a bit of nervousness about him, but that actually helps him in the role he has to play. If this is his first performance, I see a bright future for him - unless he gets typecast in this sort of role. It will definitely be interesting to see how that plays out.

The plot starts out simple, and gets more complex as the movie goes on. The viewers experience the first moments of the two guys newfound imprisonment as much in the dark as they are as to why they are there. Then, through the use of flashbacks and conversations, we are slowly let in to what their backgrounds are, and who has imprisoned them.

Most horror films try to give the viewer a lot more info than the characters themselves know, supposedly to help the viewer keep up - but it kills a lot of the suspense of the film, and the filmmakers have to reduce themselves to just trying to scare you with sudden motions. In Saw, you know about as much as the characters know, right up until the end - and you find out right when they do. There are a few hidden clues, but they are very discreet, and the average viewer will most likely miss them the first time through.

Saw isn’t perfect, though - one big downfall was a bit of confusion concerning the timing of the events taking place. In trying to get the viewer involved, we are introduced into the lives of quite a few characters. That’s fine, but, with the use of so many flashbacks, it’s easy for the viewer to get lost as to the actual timeline. Most of the time the viewer will be able to distinguish, but at times it does get a little bit confusing. Luckily, it sorts itself out enough before the big finale, so the viewer won’t leave the film wondering what happened when.

I’ve been known before (in previous reviews) to rant and rave about the use of gore in a film to freak someone out, saying it’s the movie business’ way of taking the easy road. It’s a lot easier to freak someone out with on-screen gore than it is to scare them with what’s taking place off-screen. It requires that all elements of the film be working well, since the viewer needs to be caught up in the story for off-screen scariness to really have any impact.

Not so with on-screen gore. Try it sometime - start watching The Silence of the Lambs halfway through - is it as scary? But now put on a Friday the 13th film halfway through - my personal recommendation is Jason Goes to Hell - and see if the gore still freaks you out. Yup.

Saw adds a little bit of on-screen gore and mixes them with gore after-images - what’s left when the victims are found by the police, for example. It works very well for this film, and scares the crap out of the viewers - because they are so into the film, they imagine what happened without having to be shown every little detail. The viewer’s mind is a much more effective tool than any moviemaking magic - it’s tapping into that’s the tough part..and Saw worms it’s way in deep enough to scare anyone.

I didn’t think I’d ever say it about a horror movie again, but Saw actually gave me the heebeejeebies (the last time a movie scared me, intentionally? That’d have to be the mini-series “V”…when I was 12 or so. And I bet it scared the crap out of any kid whose parents had contacts - you never wanted them to take out their “eyes” again, did you?).

Rent this one if you’re in the mood for a great horror film. It’s got a incredibly well-thought out plot, a great performance by Cary Elwes, the first of what will most likely be many performances from Leigh Whannell - and it will definitely keep you guessing until the very end. Forget Se7en (even if you didn’t guess the ending like I did). This movie puts it - along with most other new horror films I can remember - to shame.

Saw is a must-see for any horror fan. Period.