How would you react if you were put in a situation that gave you the choice to decide your fate? In the new film, “Saw,” characters wake up in situations where they must decide whether to live or die by performing some kind of task.The film opens with the central characters, Adam and Dr. Gordon, chained to pipes in a room with a body between them and instructions for Dr. Gordon to kill Adam or his family will die. It quickly becomes evident to the men that this is the work of a serial killer by the name of Jigsaw, though he never actually kills any of his victims but finds a way for them to kill themselves.
We get to see and meet some of the other victims, and the lone survivor from Jigsaw?s games. However, the film breezes over them too quickly as they are told in flashbacks. Though the squeam factor is still evident, it is too quick to definitely show the depth of madness that Jigsaw has.
Maybe in part to the quickness of how some of the scenes play out, the film seems to have a stop-and-go feel to it. There are only two speeds that the film travels: super speed and a screeching halt. The film needed to find its own pace, but it doesn?t actually ever come to one.
Part of what holds the film down are secondary characters like Danny Glover?s cop who is obsessed with Jigsaw. For most of the film he is played off merely as he is or isn?t the Jigsaw. Other characters are meant to lead you into thinking the might be the culprit too, but you won?t be able to guess who is behind everything until the end.
The obvious comparison for “Saw” are movies like “Seven,” but some of the previous movies have sometimes suffered from a lack of character development.
While trapped in the room, Dr. Gordon and Adam must talk to each other and get to know each other in ways are usually wouldn?t when faced with death.
Coming out the weekend of Halloween will bring people into the theater. Its merit is what will bring them back. The gore and the threats made against Gordon?s daughter might deter some people from coming, but it is a movie that should be checked out – maybe not alone though.