"Most people are so ungrateful to be alive. But not you. Not anymore."
Cementing itself in cinema history with its iconic twist ending and single-handedly triggering the "torture porn" explosion of the 2000s (as well as its own string of increasingly convoluted sequels), "Saw" has a reputation that precedes it. Almost inevitably, it cannot quite live up to its reputation or even quite justify its immense influence, but it's a pretty good movie all the same. It begins with Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) and photographer Adam Stanheight (Leigh Whannell) waking up in a scuzzy bathroom with nothing but a corpse and a couple of handsaws for company, with the pair soon learning that they are part of a deadly game being orchestrated by a serial killer once thought to be Dr. Gordon himself. Meanwhile, a mentally scarred detective (Danny Glover) continues to work on the Jigsaw Killer case while a man holds Dr. Gordon's wife and daughter at gunpoint in a pair of interlocking subplots. More of a thriller than its gorier sequels, "Saw" banks on its ability to misdirect both its characters and audiences while inserting dabs of bloodshed and action here and there. With the possible exception of Amanda Young's (Shawnee Smith) headtrap, none of the Jigsaw devices employed here really hint at what the future would hold for John Kramer (Tobin Bell) and his victims, reflecting the film's more modest budget and prioritisation of plot. But while the overall movie isn't nearly as crowd-pleasing as it might have been, there's no denying the impact of that twist ending, during which the Jigsaw killer reveals himself to a shell-shocked Adam and wanders out into the darkness beyond the bathroom, seemingly satisfied with all the screaming, fighting and foot amputation his brilliant scheme has resulted in. It's a great end to a good movie.
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