Saw **** (2004, Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, Danny Glover) – Classic Movie Review 5144

Cary Elwes stars as Dr Lawrence Gordon.

Director James Wan’s repulsive and revolting 2004 serial killer horror movie is riddled with bad karma. But it is ingenious and extremely well done – and turned out to be hugely popular and hailed as a seminal work and a classic. Certainly it is memorable. Once seen no amount of washing your brain will get rid of it. It is that powerful.

It is written by Leigh Whannell from a story by him and director James Wan.

Two strangers awaken at opposite sides of a disused bathroom, chained by their ankles to pipes, with a dead man lying between them, clutching a tape player and a handgun. They discover they are the latest players of the notorious Jigsaw Killer’s deadly game.

It stars Cary Elwes as Dr Lawrence Gordon, Leigh Whannell as Adam Faulkner-Stanheight, Danny Glover as Detective David Tapp, Ken Leung as Detective Steven Sing and Dina Meyer as Kerry, with Monica Potter as Alison Gordon, Makenzie Vega as Diana Gordon and Ned Bellamy as Jeff.

It is of course a film with strong grisly violence and strong language.

It spawned endless sequels, including Saw V (2008) and Saw: Legacy (2017), becoming one of the most enduring of horror movie franchises.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5144

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