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

The directorial debut from filmmaker James Wan, this psychological thriller comes from the first screenplay by actor Leigh Whannell, who also stars. Whannell plays Adam, one of two men chained up in a... read more read more... mysterious chamber. The other, Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes), like Adam, has no idea how either of them got there. Neither of them are led to feel optimistic by the man lying between them dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Together, Adam and Dr. Gordon attempt to piece together what has happened to them and who the sadistic madman behind their imprisonment is. Also starring Danny Glover and Monica Potter, Saw premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

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86% liked it

766,585 ratings

Critics

48% liked it

165 critics

R, 1 hr. 40 min.

Directed by: James Wan

Release Date: October 29, 2004

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DVD Release Date: February 15, 2005

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Stats: 55,226 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (55,226)

  • jmanard52
    July 22, 2008
    jmanard52
    not a fan of the gore fest horror films that this movie started generating but this was a decent movie. The twist to me was slightly unrealistic as how could a man alive lay there that long and not move once or show breathing . . .
  • spielberg00
    March 3, 2012
    spielberg00
    SAW is in no way your average serial killer horror movie. In a certain sense, it is a unique blend of the crime and horror genres, with an added pinch of what could easily pass for a twisted reality TV program. This film may be grisly more often than not, but it should never be c... read moreonsidered a mere slasher. (There is a decent plot here, after all.)

    What brings SAW down to being just fine is the fact that it canâ(TM)t help but to unintentionally elicit laughter from its audience. Hmm, that looks like a spooky place they woke up in. Wait a momentâ"why did Adam just plunge his hand into the toilet? Whyâ(TM)s there a toilet there to begin with? And that puppetâ¦whyâ(TM)s he riding a tricycle? Some scenes just leave no question as to why the people behind the SCARY MOVIE series decided to spoof this.
  • fb100000040220993
    November 2, 2011
    fb100000040220993
    Contrary to the eventual saturation of the series, Saw's early chapters are quite entertaining. Saw came out of the gate swinging. The introduction to the series is a sadistic and vile innovation to the horror genre. The film is contrived at times with occasionally awkward dialog... read moreue. That said, the traps, gore, and ending make up for the weaknesses. If you can block out the most recent sequels, this movie is good enough to recommend.
  • fb100002090596996
    September 24, 2011
    fb100002090596996
    A very smart tale of five men who are involved with Jigsaw's game (Adam, Dr. Gordon, Tapp, Pigman, and Jigsaw himself. The ending is sad, insane, and fantastic, but a little bit unrealistic, dido with the intro. How could a man lay motionless for nearly 2 hours, and how can a guy... read more hold his breath so long while underwater? The ending really lives up to the name of the movie, with the famous lines "He doesn't want us to saw through the chains... he wants us to saw through our feet!" The plot is extremely emotional, and the acting is good, but the thing that people say is the "main theme" to this movie, is the gore. Gore this and gore that, this movie is a gore galore... not. There is hardly any gore (believe it or not, but blood, too!) in the whole movie! Most of the violence is off-screen, and, although realistic and plays along with gruesome sound effects, it the violence in this movie is a 7-8/10 with it. People just think the Saw series is all about the gore, they just don't know what there missing. But the one thing that really makes me angry is the fact that critics hate this movie JUST because they say it's "too" violent. What about movies like Saving Private Ryan, The Thing, Se7en, Silence of the Lambs, or... most movies? They get so much applause from critics, despite the fact that they're extremely gory. Please, I could probably watch this movie while eating a burrito. Great movie, though a bit unrealistic. There are some plot holes, but it all ties up in the other movies. Can't wait to see Saw ll. This is a series that hardcore horror fans WILL love!
  • DreamExtractor
    September 7, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    Saw was a classic horror movie, and I can honestly say I Ioved it. The plot is an incredible thrill and was honestly one of the best horror plots I have ever seen. The cast has its ups and downs, but overall they creeped the hell out of me and they played great performances. T... read morehis movie had everything it takes to make a great horror movie, and even the the second viewing is not as enjoyable, that is the main flaw in a otherwise perfect horror movie, and I respect the negativity, but in all honest I have fun watching this and its one of my favorite horror movies.
  • theoneandonlybg
    August 28, 2011
    theoneandonlybg
    Having heard many things about the Saw series, but never having actually seen one, I thought it was about time I take a look at it to stop people from telling me more mixed reviews about it with no idea who to believe. Seeing the 18 rating on the front and having seen various tra... read moreps from latter films, I expected a hands down gore fest that would fall quite flat in my expectations of a good film. Luckily, however, this film did not fall flat at all and came in as a nice start to the septology it would soon become.

    The introduction was creepy and introduced everything oh so well. Unfortunately I found that having most of the film based on memories alone rather than what was happening to the two people at the time rather different to what I had been expecting and disappointed me a little, but not enough to make me hate or even dislike this film.

    What it offered was NOT an all out gore fest, but a clever film with a famous actor (before the film had been released) and very clever twists that left me wanting to see more. Which is probably why I then went on to watch Saw 2 at the same time!
  • theunknownhobo
    August 25, 2011
    theunknownhobo
    I think had I reviewed this movie before I saw the other six then maybe its rating would have been higher. Unfortunatley I saw this movie after I saw the second one (confusing?) and I must say the deaths, although gruesome, are not nearly as poetic and thought out as the movies t... read morehat follow. However, I do think that this movie set a standard that other horror movies can only dream to replicate, but never fully will.
  • fb729949618
    August 5, 2011
    fb729949618
    Kept me on the edge of my seat, a favorite of mine in the horror genre for sure.
  • fb100000257973100
    July 29, 2011
    fb100000257973100
    With horror, as of now, there is next to nothing original to do other then make the films more grotesque, more diabolical, and just plain sickening. Horror as transformed into the genre known as Torture Porn which are nothing but films that have next to no plot and consist of a s... read moreimple formula that involves brutally killing and slaughtering people. Now, one of the things about this film that makes it stand out is that, while it is grade 'A' Torture Porn, it is different in that it is original in terms of the plot and killer. The plot, you may ask? A man wants to teach people to value the life that they have and to stop trashing and making waste of that life. Now, we all know that to do this, this man named Jigsaw puts his victims through these terrible tasks that involves hacking off limbs, spewing gallons of blood, and a lot of screaming and fast cut camera tricks in rooms that are tinted either blue or green. Now, I arrived into this film rather early when it first came out. Originally I saw the film after seeing the trailer for the second film and being curious. When I first saw SAW, I will admit that while the gore did not effect me, the pacing did. This film takes next to forever to tell it's story, and I will admit that it did get a little tedious at first. But, going back and re-watching the film, I now know that it is not really the pacing that is the problem. It is how the film was written and directed that is the problem. But, looking back on it, I do see that this film was on to something that was beyond special and original and could have been a landmark film. But, like most films, it only got worse with the sequels that had followed. Now, for the details. First off, the directing by James Wan. While this film was based off of a short film that he made (which is a MUCH better film), Wan does not really do that much of a great job. I mean, yeah he does try to make this into something of an art house film with the styles he uses and how it is all styled, but adding in the traps and the gore, it just does not mix all that well. He had potential, but it did not do much of anything. Acting, a tad bit better then one expects, but that is not saying much. Being made up of mostly unknowns (with the exception of The Princess Bride actor Cary Elwes), they are decent with them trying to make sense of the situation that they have been given. But, I would of liked to see more sides to the characters and more development. But, for some of the characters, the sequels give aid to that. So, I will cut some slack on that. But not much. For the script, this seemed like to me that it was written with only one draft and that was that. This script should have been rewritten, but add some development to the characters, fleshed them out, and give them better dialogue. Now, the best part of this entire film the score to the film. Written and composed by Charles Clouser, he does a fantastic job with the score, but the best piece is the one called 'Hello Zepp'. Only thing I have to say is that that piece is beyond fantastic and worth a listening to. Overall, this film could have been better, but it is not all that much. Watch only if you want to see what a Torture Porn film is like.
  • murphmann93
    June 23, 2011
    murphmann93
    It's no doubt scary, but the plot of the films are confusing at times and you find yourself lost. The only thing that really keeps you intrigued is the gore and horror that it brings. Expect to be shocked, but nothing more.

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Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones
November 15, 2011
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

[Its] sadism is topped only by its absurdity. Full Review

Richard Roeper
November 1, 2004
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

Saw has art-house ambitions, but it's nothing but a glorified snuff film. I despised this movie. Full Review

Mike Clark
October 29, 2004
Mike Clark, USA Today

So over the top that even the recruited audience of non-critics at my screening began to howl. Full Review

Geoff Pevere
October 29, 2004
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

A strenuously morbid assembly of deranged-genius- serial-killer movie conventions cribbed from just about every popular post-Hannibal Lecter movie imaginable. Full Review

Desson Thomson
October 29, 2004
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

The Internet film geeks are salivating over this one. But humans who live above ground, including horror fans, will find themselves only fitfully entertained and more consistently appalled. Full Review

David Edelstein
October 29, 2004
David Edelstein, Slate

An ingenious machine for inducing terror, rage, and paralyzing unease. Full Review

Carla Meyer
October 29, 2004
Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle

Terrifying at some moments and insinuatingly creepy at many others. Full Review

Jay Boyar
October 29, 2004
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

Neither a deep, psychological thriller nor a mindless slasher flick, this is one skillfully made, if admittedly superficial, creepout. Full Review

Lisa Rose
October 29, 2004
Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger

Saw is a lesson in the redemptive power of a clever ending, how five minutes of inspiration can compensate for an hour and a half of mediocrity. Full Review

V.A. Musetto
October 29, 2004
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

There are a few cheap thrills, but not enough to make sitting through the senseless plot even remotely worthwhile.

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Facts

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    • Zep Hindle: [after finding Adam dead] Too late pulls out a gun at Dr. Gordon]
    • Dr. Lawrence Gordon: Why?
    • Zep Hindle: IT'S THE RULES!
    • Dr. Lawrence Gordon: He's not a cop! He's a bottom-feeder-Just like you.
    • Adam: Why do you care what I think? I don't care if you covered yourself in peanut butter and had a fifth-teen hooker gang-bang.
    • John/Jigsaw: Most people are so ungrateful to be alive, but not you, not any more...
    • Dr. Lawrence Gordon: He doesn't want us to cut through our chains. He wants us to cut through our feet!
    • John/Jigsaw: Live or die, make your choice.
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