SAW

Two men, who seemingly have nothing to do with each other, find themselves chained to opposite ends of a room: between them, a corpse with a smashed head, a large pool of blood, a gun, and two envelopes with a series of clues and instructions to play a sadistic game devised by a madman wanted by the police whom the media have dubbed "The Enigmist". The two have only a few hours before they are both killed, unless one kills his companion to save his own life... The remarkable debut of young director James Wan, "Saw", has made headlines worldwide, receiving both criticism (from the well-meaning) and praise (from genre critics and most of the audience), as well as an inevitable box office success. From the plot, one can recognize some affinity with the science fiction thriller "Cube" (the two men locked in a room, unaware of who put them there and why) and naturally with the thriller that, for the past 10 years, counts a considerable number of clones after revolutionizing the rules of the genre, that is, "Seven" (the moralistic killer who elaborately tortures his victims until death). But "Saw", starting from one to flow into the other, diverges from both, creating an original and tense work that enjoys playing with the viewer's nerves. The locations are effective, the film is almost entirely shot indoors that, thanks to a dirty photography, give a sense of discomfort, claustrophobia, and dirt. The actors are quite convincing, especially Cary Elwes seems particularly suited to the role of Dr. Lawrence, a successful but bored and frustrated man by a monotonous life; a demerit note, however, for Danny Glover, whose character of the policeman seeking revenge seems little functional to the story and too caricatured. As for the direction/script profile, some poor choices can be found, in fact in some points James Wan accelerates the sequences creating a bothersome sense similar to a music video and the script, although effective with the interlocking game that gradually acquires meaning, is not without some holes. As for the gore aspect, the film does not disappoint, thanks to sequences of rare violence and discomfort that remain imprinted in the viewer's mind: above all, the torture inflicted on the woman with the jaw trap and the hysterical crying of the doctor's little daughter (even now the choked and suffering-filled words of the child echo in my mind... chilling!). In conclusion, "Saw" is an excellent tense thriller and of rare meanness, certainly not without flaws, but that manages to place itself above the average of genre films. Given the great success at home, James Wan is preparing to direct a sequel. Curiosity: the film's poster, which depicts on a white background a hand or a foot, both severed, was the subject of the ire of the Codacons, which requested, even before the film was released in theaters, the removal of the advertising posters from the walls of the cities and from the websites. But it doesn't end here.. the film, released with the censorship rating "film for all", has been the subject of a campaign, by various committees for the protection of the youngest, for the removal from theaters or the application of a ban to minors.