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Movies / On DVD / Saw
Saw

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Saw (2004)

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Reviews Counted:158

Fresh:74

Rotten:84

Average Rating:5.4/10

Consensus: A twisted and gory horror film that's not for the squeamish.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong grisly violence and language

Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:Oct 29, 2004 Wide

Box Office: $55,153,403

Synopsis: How far would you go to save your own life? Prepare yourself for a gut-wrenching trip into the heart of terror with SAW, Lions Gate Films’ gripping horror film starring Cary Elwes, Danny Glover,... How far would you go to save your own life? Prepare yourself for a gut-wrenching trip into the heart of terror with SAW, Lions Gate Films’ gripping horror film starring Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter and Leigh Whannell. Obsessed with teaching his victims the value of life, a deranged, sadistic serial killer is abducting morally wayward people and forcing them to play macabre games for their own survival. Faced with impossible choices, each victim must struggle to win back his/her life, or else die trying… A young man named Adam (LEIGH WHANNELL) wakes to find himself chained to a rusty pipe inside a decrepit subterranean chamber. Chained to the opposite side of the room is another bewildered captive, Dr. Lawrence Gordon (CARY ELWES). Between them is a dead man lying in a pool of blood, holding a .38 in his hand. Neither man knows why he has been abducted, but instructions left on a microcassette order Dr. Gordon to kill Adam within eight hours. If he fails to do so, then both men will die; Dr. Gordon’s wife, Alison (MONICA POTTER), and his daughter will also be killed. Recalling a recent murder investigation by a police detective named Tapp (DANNY GLOVER), Dr. Gordon realizes he and Adam are the next victims of a psychopathic genius known only as “Jigsaw.” With only a few hours left to spare, they must unravel the elaborate puzzle of their fate in the midst of mounting terror. The killer has provided them with only a few clues and two handsaws - too weak to break their steel shackles, but strong enough to cut through flesh and bone… Gritty and terrifying, SAW is a taut, squirm-inducing film packed with moments of indelible horror. Director James Wan expertly spins this intricate tale, creating a chilling landscape of dread where nothing is quite as it seems. An edge-of-your-seat ride bristling with emotional intensity, SAW will keep you guessing until the very end. Keep the lights on; you won't sleep easily tonight. [More]

Starring: Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, Monica Potter, Danny Glover

Starring: Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, Monica Potter, Danny Glover, Dina Meyer, Ken Leung, Shawnee Smith, Ned Bellamy

Director: James Wan

Director: James Wan
Screenwriter: Leigh Whannell
Producer: Mark Burg, Oren Koules
Composer: Charlie Clouser
Studio: Lions Gate Films

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Release:

Feb 15, 2005

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Reviews for Saw

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41 - 60 (sorted by date)
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Be prepared for plenty of grisly doings, including the performance of Cary Elwes in one of the most classically awful performances since the advent of the talking picture.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
11/03/04
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Wan struggles to bring this hallow hedonistic horror show to its full potential. Sadly, this Saw doesn’t quite cut through the tumultuous malarkey

Full Review Source: Movie Eye | comment Comment
11/03/04
Frank Ochieng
Frank Ochieng
Movie Eye

A pointless exercise in shock value.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
11/03/04
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

This one does its bloody job fairly well, but it'll be interesting to see what Wan and Whannell are able to achieve when they get a bigger budget.

Full Review Source: MTV | comment Comment
11/02/04
Kurt Loder
Kurt Loder
MTV

A constantly surprising and extraordinarily tense Halloween treat.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
11/02/04
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

... the cross-bred horror-thriller you’ve been waiting for since Seven.

Full Review Source: MovieCrypt.com | comment Comment
11/02/04
Kevin A. Ranson
Kevin A. Ranson
MovieCrypt.com

James Wan's feature directorial debut is chock full of narrative holes and gratuitous gore.**

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment Comment
11/02/04
Angela Baldassarre
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca

It is a more intelligent entry than most blood and gore flicks. But it has too much blood and killing for my taste.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Spectrum | comment 1 Comment
11/02/04
Vince Koehler
Vince Koehler
Entertainment Spectrum

Saw falls apart under reflection, but serves an efficient 2-hours for hardcore horror-junkies.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
11/02/04
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Sawdances close to the edge of cliche, but doesn’t fall into the pit too often. It sets up some excellent red herrings, and I was satisfied with the ending.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
11/02/04
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

Saw is all gristle and no meaty scares

Full Review Source: Washington Times | comment Comment
11/01/04
Christian Toto
Christian Toto
Washington Times

Serial-killer chiller isn't jaw-droppingly terrifying, but it's not terrifyingly bad, either.

Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
11/01/04
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Netflix

Chooses gore for the sake of gore, and cuts its own throat.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
11/01/04
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

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

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment 7 Comments
11/01/04
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...delves a bit too giddily into the cruel and torturous techniques of its villain.

Full Review Source: Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) | comment Comment
11/01/04
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL)

Some misguided critics are praising the film for its originality. Instead, it ought to be condemned as nothing less than Nazi filmmaking.

Full Review Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette | comment Comment
11/01/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

While a tad derivative, Saw shows promise of better things to come from Whannell’s imagination and Wan’s composition.

Full Review Source: Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) | comment Comment
11/01/04
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

See SAW . . . see SAW start to suck . . . See SAW suck away 2 hours

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
10/31/04
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

Saw has its moments, and most of them are brutal in the extreme, but ultimately it's one tremendous misfire that will either leave you laughing or, possibly, gagging.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
10/31/04
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

Sick, demented, wrong, and just the sort of movie we deserve at Halloween time.

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
10/31/04
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for Saw

October 15, 2009: See Saw with Alex, Day 1: Saw
Click. Stop. Movie's over. Just saw Saw and, you know what, I'm actually looking forward to these movies supposedly becoming terrible because Saw the first remains an involving,... More...

October 12, 2009: Get Ready to See Saw with Alex
If it's Halloween, then it must be time for a new Saw. And if it's a new Saw, then it must be time to start up another Rotten Tomatoes trademark watching series. Come, join me... More...

May 08, 2008: Saw Director Cutting into Hellraiser Franchise? Opens in new window
Even though the director of SAW II-IV claims to have nothing to do with the project, insiders tell us the Weinsteins WANT HIM on the project ASAP. More...

March 13, 2008: Charlie Sheen Getting Twisted in Next Film
When you see the words "Charlie Sheen" and "torture" in the same sentence, you probably assume you're reading about Sheen career achievements like Terminal Velocity or The... More...

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