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Saw
2004 103 min United States of America R 18+
★7.0
Horror, Mystery, Crime
Director: James Wan
Trailers
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EN
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EN
Teaser
Description
Two men wake up to find themselves shackled in a grimy, abandoned bathroom. As they struggle to comprehend their predicament, they discover a disturbing tape left behind by the sadistic mastermind known as Jigsaw. With a chilling voice and cryptic instructions, Jigsaw informs them that they must partake in a gruesome game in order to secure their freedom.
Budget:
$1.2M
US Gross:
$56M
Worldwide:
$104.05M
Starring
Cary Elwes
Actor
Leigh Whannell
Actor
Danny Glover
Actor
Awards
Saturn Awards 2006
— Best Special DVD Edition
Saturn Awards 2005
— Best Horror Film
MTV Movie & TV Awards 2005
— Best Performance in a Horror/Thriller
Key opinion
Saw is widely regarded as a seminal, high-concept horror thriller that redefined the genre through its ingenuity despite a shoestring budget. While the film is praised for its masterful tension, psychological depth, and iconic twist ending, reactions to its graphic nature and pacing remain divided.
| Acting | Tobin Bell’s portrayal of Jigsaw provides a chilling and memorable anchor for the franchise's logic. | |
| Production | The film succeeds in creating an iconic, high-stakes atmosphere within the claustrophobic confines of a single room. | |
| Theme | The narrative cleverly weaves existential moral questions into a suspenseful survival-game structure. | |
| Ending | The shocking final twist is consistently cited as a masterclass in genre storytelling that retroactively recontextualizes the entire film. | |
| Emotion | The film's heavy reliance on graphic gore and physical suffering is a polarizing stylistic choice that some find essential to the tension and others find repulsive. | |
| Pacing | Viewers are split on the film's structure: some praise the relentless, rapid pace, while others find the scenes outside the primary bathroom location to be dull or sluggish. |