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Saw

  • 2004
  • R
  • 1h 43m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
490K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
838
63
Saw (2004)
Watch the 10th Anniversary trailer for Saw.
Play trailer1:07
5 Videos
99+ Photos
B-HorrorSplatter HorrorHorrorMysteryThriller

Two men awaken to find themselves on the opposite sides of a dead body, each with specific instructions to kill the other, escape or face the consequences. These two are the latest contestan... Read allTwo men awaken to find themselves on the opposite sides of a dead body, each with specific instructions to kill the other, escape or face the consequences. These two are the latest contestants in Jigsaw's games.Two men awaken to find themselves on the opposite sides of a dead body, each with specific instructions to kill the other, escape or face the consequences. These two are the latest contestants in Jigsaw's games.

  • Director
    • James Wan
  • Writers
    • Leigh Whannell
    • James Wan
  • Stars
    • Cary Elwes
    • Leigh Whannell
    • Danny Glover
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    490K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    838
    63
    • Director
      • James Wan
    • Writers
      • Leigh Whannell
      • James Wan
    • Stars
      • Cary Elwes
      • Leigh Whannell
      • Danny Glover
    • 1.8KUser reviews
    • 189Critic reviews
    • 46Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 9 wins & 10 nominations total

    Videos5

    10th Anniversary Trailer
    Trailer 1:07
    10th Anniversary Trailer
    Saw
    Trailer 0:31
    Saw
    Saw
    Trailer 0:31
    Saw
    Saw
    Trailer 1:35
    Saw
    'Saw X' Slays IMDb at Midsummer Scream
    Clip 1:30
    'Saw X' Slays IMDb at Midsummer Scream
    A Guide to the Films of James Wan
    Clip 1:37
    A Guide to the Films of James Wan

    Photos211

    View Poster
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    + 205
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    Top cast18

    Edit
    Cary Elwes
    Cary Elwes
    • Dr. Lawrence Gordon
    Leigh Whannell
    Leigh Whannell
    • Adam
    Danny Glover
    Danny Glover
    • Detective David Tapp
    Ken Leung
    Ken Leung
    • Detective Steven Sing
    Dina Meyer
    Dina Meyer
    • Kerry
    Mike Butters
    Mike Butters
    • Paul
    Paul Gutrecht
    Paul Gutrecht
    • Mark
    Michael Emerson
    Michael Emerson
    • Zep Hindle
    Benito Martinez
    Benito Martinez
    • Brett
    Shawnee Smith
    Shawnee Smith
    • Amanda
    Makenzie Vega
    Makenzie Vega
    • Diana Gordon
    Monica Potter
    Monica Potter
    • Alison Gordon
    Ned Bellamy
    Ned Bellamy
    • Jeff
    Alexandra Bokyun Chun
    Alexandra Bokyun Chun
    • Carla
    • (as Alexandra Chun)
    Avner Garbi
    • Father
    Tobin Bell
    Tobin Bell
    • Jigsaw
    Oren Koules
    • Dead Cellmate
    • (uncredited)
    Hans Raith
    Hans Raith
    • Detective
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • James Wan
    • Writers
      • Leigh Whannell
      • James Wan
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews1.8K

    7.6489.9K
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    Featured reviews

    7shadowdreadblade

    The first, the best!

    Okay, i have seen a lot of horror films. Saw was another one that i liked much. Saw 2,3,4...and so on were movies i disliked. The splatter was increasing for no apparent reason, the atmosphere and the whole set up and the feeling, that made the first a success, were all missing from the rest.

    So here we are. I review the first one that is the best in my opinion. I liked it. A friend of mine, a co-student at College, told me to watch the movie together. She couldn't remember how many times she had seen it. It was her favorite so she wanted to share it with me.

    I liked the flow of the movie. And then the movie ended. And i found my jaw fallen on the floor. Incredible movie. No i wont spoil you anything!!! Go and watch it!

    Warning though, it has extreme violence. I was about to eat something, while i was watching Saw. I reconsidered. I paused... i ate... then i watched the film.
    9MaxBorg89

    The game begins

    Not since Se7en's John Doe has there been a serial killer with such a bizarre philosophy behind his actions (not that Jigsaw actually kills anyone; more on that later). Sure, in light of the increasingly deteriorating sequels it's hard to think of Saw as little more than a franchise- starter (something the writer and director never planned), but viewed on its own, astonishing merits, it's a good, nasty thriller, filled with solid scares and (especially compared to the follow-ups) quite well written.

    According to the film's notorious back-story, it took only 28 days to shoot it. Not that strange, given most of the action takes place in just two locations: one is a bathroom where Adam (Leigh Whannell) and Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) fins themselves with their feet chained to the wall, with no recollection whatsoever of how the hell they got there; the other is the lair of the mysterious Jigsaw, a serial killer whom Detectives Sing (Ken Leung) and Trapp (Danny Glover) have been tracking down for weeks.

    The two facts are linked in a most ingenious way: Jigsaw doesn't really kill anyone, but "plays a game" with his victims. In the case of Adam and Dr. Gordon, as the tape recorder found in a dead man's hand tells them, each of them has two hours to free himself and kill the other, or they will both die. Problem is, the only way to get rid of the chains is to saw your foot off. And so, while the two unfortunate cell-mates have to choose who gets to live (that's Jigsaw's perverse logic: he offers you a choice), the police close in on the elusive psycho, whose previous deeds and MO are shown in flashbacks.

    Whereas the subsequent Saw films use the messy chronology just for the hell of it (though they do get away with some neat narrative tweaks thanks to it), the first installment takes advantage of its non-linear storytelling to increase the suspense and provide some valuable clues to how everything fits together. It is to James Wan and co-writer Whannell's eternal credit that they, like Se7en writer Andrew Kevin Walker, went beyond slasher clichés and came up with something more. Okay, so Saw's philosophical undertones aren't entirely original, but what the heck, they do manage to keep the audience interested in what's going on. In addition, adding a little more depth to the killer ensures that the movie's more gruesome parts (and there are a lot of them) don't come off as gratuitous bloodletting (for an example of the latter, look no further than the countless sequels to A Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday 13th).

    Furthermore, the intelligence behind the film's structure might also have had a positive effect on the performances, given the acting is more convincing here than in most post-2000 shockers: Elwes and Whannell's desperation is conveyed with an intensity that's almost too painful to behold, Glover plays the aging cop role resisting the temptation to do a Lethal Weapon in-joke (you know, the "too old for this sh*t" gag) and when Jigsaw himself appears... well, it's the horror equivalent of Keyser Soze - chilling and impossible to forget (and, for once, not played by Kevin Spacey). Just like the movie.
    8AngelHonesty

    Tastefully done

    I was always terrified to watch this movie because I thought it would be over the top blood and gore. I finally found the nerve and was extremely surprised. Unlike other horror movies this one takes in the entire scene of the detectives trying to catch the murder while you're trying to figure out what is going on. Even though the movie keeps flashing back it helps take some intensity off of what's going on and adds a nice story to it. Instead of a meaningless film with blood and gore, this one had a well thought out storyline and a killer with rules. It reminded me a little of Silence of the lambs, they both have that edge that anything brutal and gory can happen any moment keeping up the intensity of the film. Don't get me wrong there is blood and gore in the film, but it's done in a tasteful way unlike some of the final destination movies.
    9EVON1TY

    I wasn't expecting this!

    I watched some of the next movies before this. I wasn't expecting this one can be this good!

    There was some minor flaws in it but the story was really good overall with it's effective twist and all. Amazing editing, scores and sound by the way.

    I believe this is not just an ordinary horror movie, it's also a really great crime movie.

    Even if the movie wasn't that good at most, the ending would save it, the ending is so perfect with that "Hello Zepp" score. That music makes the scene two times better.

    If I had to mention the minor flaws, here is one example. I don't know why the car parking and all the other areas so dark and feels abandoned? I know, It's because this is a horror movie and the movie tries to scare you. But it's a bit much actually.
    9lizabeth666

    Well made horror/thriller, two thumbs up

    When two men, wake up and find themselves chained to a bathroom pipe, with a dead body lying in between them, they soon realize that they are prisoners, in the secure lair of a serial killer, nicknamed 'Jigsaw'.

    This film was, in my opinion, exciting, thrilling, and an overall entertaining film to watch. It delivered the necessary chills, to keep its audiences fully awake, and engaged. This was an enormous achievement for Aussie newcomers – James Wan, and Leigh Wannell. The two have created a well-deserved horror/thriller, without the necessary clichés.The film is not too scary that it becomes unwatchable, so the full potential of its enormity will not be missed. definitely two thumbs uo for me.

    More like this

    Saw II
    6.6
    Saw II
    Saw III
    6.2
    Saw III
    Saw IV
    5.9
    Saw IV
    Saw VI
    6.0
    Saw VI
    Saw V
    5.8
    Saw V
    Saw X
    6.6
    Saw X
    Saw 3D
    5.5
    Saw 3D
    Jigsaw
    5.7
    Jigsaw
    Scream
    7.4
    Scream
    Saw
    7.4
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    It
    7.3
    It
    The Ring
    7.1
    The Ring

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In order to make the actors feel what the characters were going through, all of the bathroom scenes were shot in chronological order.
    • Goofs
      (at around 59 mins) After Lawrence and Adam find the box with the cellphone and cigarettes, Lawrence tries to call 911. Three different tones can be heard and he says that the cellphone has been blocked from making calls. However, FCC rules require every telephone that can access the network to be able to dial 911, regardless of any reason that normal service may have been disconnected (including deactivated or blocked phones).
    • Quotes

      John: [to Amanda] Congratulations. You are still alive. Most people are so ungrateful to be alive. But not you. Not anymore.

    • Crazy credits
      The opening title ripples as if it was underwater.
    • Alternate versions
      The song "Bite The Hand That Bleeds" by Fear Factory that originally played over the end credits was replaced on the uncut version of the film by an original piece of music by Charlie Clouser entitled "Zepp Overture".
    • Connections
      Edited into Saw II (2005)
    • Soundtracks
      You Make Me Feel So Dead
      Performed by Pitbull Daycare

      Written by Stephen Ladd Bishop, Charles Todd Conally and Don Van Stavern

      Published by Dimension Gate Music (BMI)/FEC Music (ASCAP)

      Courtesy of Cleopatra Records

    Top picks

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    FAQ33

    • How long is Saw?Powered by Alexa
    • How did Jigsaw ever meet Adam? Clearly, Jigsaw's victims are people he once met and felt they are not taking life seriously or are ungrateful, such as Dr. Gordon or Zep. How did Jigsaw ever meet Adam if they met off screen?
    • How does Jigsaw plan his traps?
    • Was saw based on real events?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 29, 2004 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Juego macabro
    • Filming locations
      • Lacy Street Production Center - 2630 Lacy Street, Los Angeles, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Twisted Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,200,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $56,000,369
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $18,276,468
      • Oct 31, 2004
    • Gross worldwide
      • $104,004,218
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 43 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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