cinemacl🎃wn’s review published on Letterboxd:
Incorrectly labelled by many as the film that commenced the torture porn phenomenon, Saw is director James Wan's debut feature that expertly exhibits his instant grip & comfort with elements of horror. And although the film's strong cult following spawned a series that bathed in gruesome brutality, this first chapter of the franchise remains the most compact & plot-driven entry that delivers as an exciting, effective & shocking horror mystery full of twists & turns.
Filmed on a modest budget & shot mostly in a single location, the story revolves around two men who wake up chained in a dilapidated bathroom with a dead body in between them and are given instructions via a micro-cassette recorder explaining how to escape. With limited time on their hands, both men try to figure out why they were chosen for this scenario while in the meantime, police detectives try to uncover the identity of the mastermind behind these sadistic "games" by looking for clues in several other similar incidents.
Wan's direction is impressive considering the eerie vibe he was able to conjure along with the unpredictable & cleverly executed twists. The script may lack a chunk of flesh when it comes to characterisation but it still keeps the plot far more believable than its successors. The rest of the technical aspects are aptly carried out, the performances by the cast is serviceable, and Charlie Clouser's score is a bone-chilling delight that keeps elevating the tension throughout and hits its crescendo during the final moments.
Also, despite the fact that it leaves a few subplots unresolved in the end, which are dealt with in the sequels, Saw somehow still manages to work as a standalone feature for the most part and is skilfully crafted by director James Wan & screenwriter Leigh Whannell. On an overall scale, this indie horror certainly isn't the torture porn you might be expecting, for it is solidly structured, properly assembled & violently narrated, will have you guessing from start to finish, and is well-worth a viewing from every horror fanatic out there.