Every thriller contains red herrings. They are the cornerstone
of the genre and have been cliché and transparent
since pre-Agatha Christie days. Therefore it takes a sly
director to confuse the audience deceiving them into mistaking
a red herring for a sloppy misdirection. If your director
is really clever, he'll hide the truth in plain sight while
convincing the audience that they have all the answers and
are smarter than the director. This craftiness M. Night Shyamalan
a star with "Sixth Sense." This same guile caught me off
guard in "Saw," a grisly serial killer flick out for Halloween
that seemed so obvious, I cursed the simplicity of the criminals
identity only to be completely off-base. I love being tricked
and for that, in hindsight, I enjoyed the film.
Two strangers awake in a dank basement fortress chained to
piping. Within moments, they discover they are the latest
victims of a serial killer who forces complacent people to
risk mutilation in order to survive. The first victim, Adam
(the film's screenwriter, Leigh Whannell), has been judged
by the killer for sitting back and watching others. The other,
Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes, "Princess Bride"), a typical
workaholic, has been deemed unworthy for neglecting his wife
(Monica Potter, "Along Came a Spider") and daughter. The
killer monitors their actions and finally tells the men their
mission. Gordon must free himself from the chains by the
only way necessary, by sawing off his foot, grab a gun from
the middle of the room, and shoot Adam dead. All by 6 pm.
Newcomer director James Wan creates a visceral project, one
that may gross out some audience members - however with CSI
and ER on the public airwaves, I've even become desensitized
to "Friday the 13th" flicks. The main setting: the cold,
damp cellar, filled with blaring fluorescent lights, dripping
plumbing, dead bodies and excrement, appear so realistic,
I found myself holding my breath from the imagined stench.
Wan utilizes both darkness and flooded lighting to give an
ethereal mood. The dreamlike quality continues with a climatic
car chase between our killer and detective Danny Glover filmed
at a fast speed.
Whannell's script is partially responsible for the zinger
at the end but also contains some slapdash inconsistencies
and slack transitions that are common with first-time writers.
His flashback transitions are as such, "I remember the last
words I said to my daughter," which would lead to a cut to
an evening with his daughter. All that was needed is the
blurring line like in dream sequences on "Brady Bunch" for
the full effect. Also the final moment in the film felt unfulfilling.
I don't mind "Twilight Zone" endings, but prefer some finality.
It was as if we were watching a romantic comedy and our star
decided two days before his wedding that he would not marry
our ingénue. End of film. He still hasn't told her;
the wedding is still two days away, many things could still
occur. That is not an ending; it's a season finale at best.
"Saw" suffers from a similar fate.
The cast is fine, particularly Whannell who portrays a weasel
quality without losing likeability. Elwes, however, is not
a leading man; we needed a more compelling actor for that
role. Potter as his wife has been underutilized. Any actress
could have played the role to no consequence. I enjoy Potter
on "Boston Legal" on ABC and would have appreciated more
time invested with her.
If you want to twitch and cringe this Halloween, catch "Saw"
at your local theater. Also out for Old Hollow's eve, "Shaun
of the Dead" is the most intentionally hilarious horror film
ever. Imagine "Absolutely Fabulous" directed by George Romero
or "28 Days Later" directed by Mel Brooks and you'll have
this loopy comedy in your head. A crew of British slacker
barflies must save the world from an inexplicable wave of
zombie-ism and never has death and violence been handled
so riotously. Grade: "Saw": B; "Shaun of the Dead": A |
