‘Saw’ is a nail biting Indie thriller set in a single room with just 2 principle characters. One of the sleeper hits of 2004, this Australian film helmed by 27 year old debutant director James Wan, manages to keep you guessing with its riveting screenplay.

Written as an ultra low budget flick ($22,000) it got the attention of Hollywood thanks to it script. Luckily Lion’s Gate films, unlike ‘Ring’, didn’t muddle it with Hollywood ‘touches’ and unnecessary special effects. They let the film makers make the film as they intended.

As an implied terror film (much of the violence happens off-camera) it makes you more nervous. The script is very simple but has enough twists to keep your heart rate up and more importantly it plays well with your pre-conceived notions and stereotypes, then manages to outsmart you in the end. The climax is so well shot that it reminded me of Se7en (1995) and Usual Suspects (1995) but not anywhere near Se7en’s complexity nor Usual Suspects’ suavity, its still a tribute to be compared favorably with those films.

Story: Two principle characters are chained to the wall in a industrial complex bathroom with a definite purpose - they need to kill the other one to survive!. They are ordinary men, so they find it impossible to kill each other off, instead they form an alliance and try to outsmart their captor. Unlike the thrillers where we see the movie from the detectives point of view, here we see it from the victim’s point of view. It does have some sillyness usually not associated with mainstream movies - like stupid puzzles, confusing continutity and forced characterization (why does the cop go bananas?)

Technically the film is adequate. Camera is almost exclusively handheld, no expansive establishing shots, no fancy cranes/trollys. But sometimes circular camera movements are overused. The white balance seemed a bit off as the film consistently had a green cast (maybe due to fluorescent overhead lighting). Car chase scenes are shot in a static car with camera shaking (indie!) - but is effective. There is no recognizable faces except Danny Glover. One of the principle actors is one of the writers of the movie. The villain has done a good job in ‘looking’ like a villain. So no great shakes here. Music compliments the onscreen tension very well.

Direction: Debutant student director James Wan shows a lot of promise. He shows mastery in underplaying terror. He shows a natural penchant for timed terror, much like M Night, where you know something is about to happen, and you wait and wait for it, thereby heightening your anxiety. Its not a horror movie per se, as it is widely publicized - its a decent serial killer thriller.

Watch it.

**** 4/5