I realize that most people in this world do not like the Saw movies. Yes, they are very gory, sick and twisted, but even my co-worker who loves that kind of stuff is sick of these movies. The reason I really like the Saw franchise is that they are really damn clever. The story that they keep telling with each new installment just keeps getting better and better. Even when the particular movie you're watching isn't the best in the series, it still has something to add to the overall story. For someone like me who is a writer, that's really fun.
Another thing I really like about the Saw movies is the villian Jigsaw. This villian will go down in history as one of the best. Much like the Ed Harris character from The Rock, Jigsaw has good intentions. Yes, he sets up these horrific "games" which are little more than glorified torture devices and forces his unwilling players to torture themselves in order to play. But there is one thing in common that all of Jigsaw's victims have in common: they are bad people. Jigsaw picks people who need to learn lessons about life - usually lessons about the values of life. As a man dying of cancer, John Kramer has learned to value life and by putting his victims in these horrible situations, he is trying to teach them to value theres. Or they die trying.
As they say repeatedly in the Saw movies, John Kramer (aka Jigsaw) never once kills anybody. He offers them a choice: live or die.
This first Saw movie finds two man (Dr. Lawrence Gordon and Adam) chained to pipes in a grungy bathroom. They soon learn that they must trust each other to figure out how to survive this game that has been thrust upon them. Through flashbacks, more information is given about Jigsaw, the man who is forcing them to play. Also, information is given about the two men and the lives they lead. We soon find out exactly why Jigsaw has chosen them to play his morbid game.
Soon into the game they find hacksaws and they figure they are to use them to cut through the chains. They realize, however, that the idea isn't to cut through the chains, but rather their feet. People assume that the hacksaws are what gave the movie its name. More accurately, I think the title Saw refers to the fact that the victims are always being watched. Jigsaw is always watching the game.
This is one sick movie, but if you can look past the gore, there's a really cool story being told. There is one hell of a twist that had everyone in the theater gasping once it was revealed. I still get excited when I get to that point in the movie. All the movies in the franchise have a "twist" to the plot revealed at the end, but few of them have had the impact as that first one.
I am re-watching all of these Saw movies this week because on Friday Saw 7 (yes, Saw #7) is hitting theaters in the 3D format. They actually filmed it in 3D, too... they didn't film it and then reformat it later - a trend that I find more disgusting than the gore in the Saw movies. I can't wait to see Saw 7 and my excitement grows with each Saw movie that I rewatch!
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