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"SAW" (2004) (Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Minor Extreme Extreme Extreme Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Mild Extreme None Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate Minor Moderate Mild Extreme QUICK TAKE: Suspense/Thriller: Two men have only a few hours to find clues that might allow them to escape from an elaborate trap devised by a deranged killer. PLOT: Adam (LEIGH WHANNELL) is a young man who awakens to find himself in a bathtub in a large but filthy bathroom, chained to one side of the room opposite Dr. Lawrence Gordon (CARY ELWES) who's similarly chained by the leg on the other side. Neither knows where they are or how they got there, but there's a dead man lying in a pool of blood between them with a gun in one hand and a microcassette tape recorder in the other. After just managing to pull the tape recorder over to him, Adam plays a tape he's found on himself, and then Lawrence's, both indicating that this may be the room they die in. Lawrence's however, is more ominous. The voice instructs him that if he doesn't kill Adam before six o'clock, the speaker will kill the doctor's wife, Alison, and daughter, Diana. He then adds that there are clues hidden all around them that may allow them to get out of their predicament. The two hope that means something other than the hacksaws that are useless in cutting through the chains that hold them, but could possibly be used to sever a limb if that's what it takes. Lawrence then realizes the similarities between their predicament and a case of bizarre and lethal incidents in which Detectives David Tapp (DANNY GLOVER) and Steve Sing (KEN LEUNG) briefly thought he was the prime suspect. The doctor then relates the tales of a maniac known as the Jigsaw Killer who places people in elaborate traps to test how far they'll go to save themselves when faced with certain death. Rather than him killing them, however, most of the victims end up doing that to themselves while trying to escape, save for one woman. As the cops continue to pursue the Jigsaw Killer, Adam and Lawrence try to find the clues hidden in the room before time runs out. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into grisly thrillers, they might, but unless that's the case (or they're fans of someone in the cast), this one will probably only be enticing to older teens. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For strong grisly violence and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: LEIGH WHANNELL plays a photographer who finds himself chained in a dingy bathroom with Lawrence and must try to figure out how to escape. He's understandably uptight, uses some strong profanity and briefly smokes. CARY ELWES plays a cultured doctor who must also deal with the unusual and potentially deadly predicament in which he finds himself. He also uses strong profanity and it's implied that he was cheating on his wife, although he works hard to save her and their daughter from the killer. DANNY GLOVER plays the increasingly unhinged and obsessed cop who's trying to find the unusual serial killer. He uses strong profanity. KEN LEUNG plays his partner who's also trying to stop the killer. MICHAEL EMERSON plays an orderly at the hospital where Lawrence works. MONICA POTTER plays Lawrence's wife who must deal with being kidnapped, along with their daughter played by MAKENZIE VEGA, and uses some profanity. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated suspense/thriller. Profanity consists of at least 27 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. Some brief, but sexually explicit dialogue is present, a man calls off an affair in a motel room and a man's bare butt is very briefly seen in a nonsexual context. Violence consists of lethal and bloody acts where people are killed by various means and in various fashions (shootings, a head repeatedly smashed, etc.) , others are threatened and/or severely injured, and the results of earlier, unseen violence are visible (with extremely grisly and bloody results). Those scenes and other moments (including some jump scenes) may be disturbing, suspenseful or downright scary to viewers, especially those with low tolerance levels for such material as well as younger kids if allowed to watch this. The killer who's responsible for the deaths and sick traps obviously has a bad attitude, while a married man is noted as having an affair (with some other related tense family material being present). A man smokes several times and a woman is noted as being a drug addict, but no use occurs. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, some of the footage (including spin around shots) might have that effect. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE We hear that a miscellaneous woman is a drug addict and see bruises on the inside of her arms from that. Tapp's partner says he's going to get a beer, but Tapp turns down the offer. BLOOD/GORE We see blood or dirt on the large bathroom walls. We briefly see Adam vomiting. We see a dead man lying on the floor, his head is very bloody and there's a great deal of blood around him on the floor (we see many shots of him). Lawrence has a bruise on his face. Adam has to insert his hand into a very gross and filth-covered toilet, getting its contents all over his hand and part of his arm. We see several views of a dead guy strung up in many strands of large razor wire. We also see various stills and some moving footage of his split-open skin from the many cuts he suffered. We see a body part with a piece of skin that's been cut out in the shape of a large jigsaw puzzle piece. We see several views of a charred body. To obtain a key that will ensure her survival, a woman repeatedly stabs into a drugged man's gut with a knife (no impact, but some blood on her face). We then see a lot of blood on her hand as well as the man's stomach that she now holds. We see a victim with some bloody cuts around her mouth. The killer slices Tapp's neck, resulting in a lot of blood coming out. A cop's leg hits a trip wire, setting off several guns above him. We don't see the impact, but do see the blood splatter and then blood on the dead cop. Lawrence puts a little supposedly poisoned blood on the end of a cigarette. A man prepares to cut off his own leg and we then see the beginning of the sawing (with some blood) with the rest occurring just off camera. Two men struggle over a gun with one being shot and mortally wounded (he's bloody). A man grabs another man, struggles with him and then punches him in the face. He then grabs a toilet cover and repeatedly smashes it on his head. We don't see the actual impact, but do see a lot of resultant blood on the first man's face. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE The killer/kidnapper obviously has extreme cases of both types of attitudes. Lawrence states he was seeing someone in the past (cheating on his wife). Later, we see a flashback of Lawrence meeting a woman in a motel room. She shows cleavage and starts to undo her top, but he stops her and nothing else sexual happens. There's brief talk of a dentist being a pedophile. Tapp and his partner enter a place without a search warrant (but do so to try to catch the killer). FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. The overall situation (of the men being chained into the bathroom and facing an unknown and uncertain situation) is filled with tension and suspense. We see several views of a dead guy strung up in many strands of large razor wire. We also see various stills and some moving footage of his split-open skin from the many cuts he suffered. We then see a flashback of him trying to get out of a room filled with such wire before a trap door above him closes and seals him inside forever. We see another victim who has a flammable gel on their body and must step in broken glass on the floor with their bare feet. We see a somewhat creepy looking mask on a TV playback. We see a woman with a large, iron mask on her head that has the equivalent of a bear trap built into it. She's informed that if she doesn't retrieve a key from a dead man's stomach (to unlock the mask) before a timer goes off, the mask will rip off part of her face (and a demo on some large fruit shows the force of the trap slamming shut). She then discovers that the man is not dead (but drugged into a stupor), but repeatedly stabs into his gut with a knife (no impact, but some blood on her face). We then see a lot of blood on her hand as well as the man's stomach that she now holds. She just manages to unlock the mask and remove it before it slams shut. The killer rides into a room on a very small bike, wearing a spooky looking mask. We see Lawrence's daughter staring at something we don't see, which is somewhat creepy due to the unknown factor. She then walks into her parents' bedroom and tells them that there's a man there who talked to her. Diana is in bed as her closet door squeaks as it opens enough to reveal an eye looking out. The doors then burst open and a person covered in a sheet comes out and is near her. We see that both Diana and Alison are bound and gagged. The killer then holds a stethoscope to the girl's chest while holding a gun to her mother's head. Tapp and his partner enter a building with a shotgun and handgun drawn. After slowly poking around, they hear the killer returning and thus hide. After a violent encounter, they try to find the killer who's now hiding from them. Drills on either side of a person's head move in closer to them. A cop's leg hits a trip wire, setting off several guns above him. We don't see the impact, but do see the blood splatter and then blood on the dead cop. In a flashback, we see Lawrence going to his car at night in a deserted garage. In a mirror reflection, we then see a masked figure crawling across the floor toward him and then attacking him. In a flashback, Adam finds the lights off in his place. He then hears noises and walks around, using the flash from his camera to illuminate parts of the room, but only briefly. We see a person holding a gun to Alison's head. The guys realize that the killer's deadline has arrived. At the same time, Alison tries to free herself as we see a man prepping his gun to use on her. Alison and a man struggle over a gun when she suddenly grabs him, and she gets control. Her daughter, however, distracts her, allowing the man to grab her and they struggle some more with the gun being fired several times (no one is hit). Alison then stabs the man in the leg with some scissors. Tapp and a man exchange gunfire. Tapp then runs and dives into the man and the two struggle. The man, however, hits Tapp over the head with some glass, stunning him. We see a car chase (done in an artsy fashion with sped-up film). Tapp chases a man into a warehouse where the two exchange gunfire. He then slams the man back into a fence and hits him in the back many times. A man prepares to cut off his own leg and we then see the beginning of the sawing (with some blood) with the rest occurring just off camera. Two men struggle over a gun with one being shot and mortally wounded (he's bloody). A man grabs another man, struggles with him and then punches him in the face. He then grabs a toilet cover and repeatedly smashes it on his head. We don't see the actual impact, but do see a lot of resultant blood on the first man's face. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Rifles/Shotguns: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "What the f*ck /is going on/is this?" "Very f*cking confused," "We f*cking got him," "F*ck him," "No f*cking way," "Put your f*cking hands in the air," "I'll kill you, you m*therf*cker," "For f*ck's sake," "F*ck this sh*t," "Sh*thole," "This is complete bullsh*t," "Sh*t-bag," "What the hell /is this/are you doing?" "Bastard," "G*ddman you," "You son of a bitch," "You're full of it," "Pissed off," "I don't give a crap," "Shut up" and "You sick asshole." It's possible the film could inspire some kids to try to set up similarly elaborate (and potentially deadly or harmful) traps for others. A woman has a tattoo on her shoulder. Lawrence puts a little supposedly poisoned blood on the end of a cigarette. A man prepares to cut off his own leg and we then see the beginning of the sawing (with some blood) with the rest occurring just off camera. JUMP SCENES Diana is in bed as her closet door squeaks as it opens enough to reveal an eye looking out. The doors then burst open and a person covered in a sheet comes out and is near her. There's sudden movement under a blanket in a tense scene. Sudden canned laughter in a quiet scene might startle some viewers. A sudden image illuminated by a brief camera flash might startle some viewers. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of suspenseful and ominous music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 27 "f" words (1 used sexually and 1 used with "mother"), 15 "s" words, 4 asses (all used with "hole"), 4 hells, 2 S.O.B.s, 1 crap, 1 damn, 2 uses each of "Jesus Christ" and "Oh my God" and 1 use each of "G-damn," "God" and "Jesus." SEX/NUDITY We see what looks like a victim's bare butt from a distance in sped up film as the victim runs around and tries to get out of a room. Adam sarcastically tells the killer (via a video camera) that this is the most fun he's had without a lubricant. We see various nude mannequins in the killer's lair. Adam states that he's a photographer who's paid to follow rich guys who go to seedy hotels to "f*ck their secretaries." We see a flashback of Lawrence meeting a woman in a motel room. She shows cleavage and starts to undo her top, but he stops her and nothing else sexual happens. Adam comments about Lawrence's potential affair by saying he doesn't care if Lawrence covered himself in peanut butter and had a 15-hooker "gang bang." SMOKING Adam smokes twice. When a cigarette is discovered, it makes a person state that something else (which had just been ranked as the most beautiful invention in the world) is now ranked number two. TENSE FAMILY SCENES After Lawrence's pager goes off, Diana states that she hates that thing (meaning it leads to moments when her dad is not home). She then asks him (about her and her mother), "You're not going to leave us, are you?" Alison then asks how he can say he's happy and then won't let him kiss her as he leaves. Lawrence worries about his family, especially after he learns that they've been kidnapped. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The notion of how far people would go to save themselves or others. The comment that most people are ungrateful to be alive. VIOLENCE We see the deadly and bloody results of earlier violence (where people ended up unintentionally killing themselves by trying to get out of the killer's traps, such as a boy strung up on razor wire and an unrelated charred corpse). To obtain a key that will ensure her survival, a woman repeatedly stabs into a drugged man's gut with a knife (no impact, but some blood on her face). We then see a lot of blood on her hand as well as the man's stomach that she now holds. Adam throws something to break some glass and reveal a 2-way mirror. We see that both Diana and Alison are bound and gagged. The killer then holds a stethoscope to the girl's chest while holding a gun to her mother's head. The killer slices Tapp's neck, resulting in a lot of blood coming out. Tapp's partner shoots the killer in the leg. Moments later, he shoots the killer (who's in a robe) in the back with a shotgun blast, dropping him to the floor. Later, however, that person gets up and walks away. A cop's leg hits a trip wire, setting off several guns above him. We don't see the impact, but do see the blood splatter and then blood on the dead cop. Adam suddenly receives an electric shock via the chain on his leg. Adam smashes a doll (with a baseball bat) left by the killer. We see a person holding a gun to Alison's head. Alison and a man struggle over a gun when she suddenly grabs him, and she gets control. Her daughter, however, distracts her, allowing the man to grab her and they struggle some more with the gun being fired several times (no one is hit). Alison then stabs the man in the leg with some scissors. Tapp and a man exchange gunfire. Tapp then runs and dives into the man and the two struggle. The man, however, hits Tapp over the head with some glass, stunning him. Lawrence is shocked by the chain attached to his leg, rendering him unconscious. Tapp chases a man into a warehouse where the two exchange gunfire. He then slams the man back into a fence and hits him in the back many times. A man prepares to cut off his own leg and we then see the beginning of the sawing (with some blood) with the rest occurring just off camera. Two men struggle over a gun with one being shot and mortally wounded (he's bloody). A man shoots another man. A man grabs another man, struggles with him and then punches him in the face. He then grabs a toilet cover and repeatedly smashes it on his head. We don't see the actual impact, but do see a lot of resultant blood on the first man's face. A man is zapped by the chain attached to his leg. Reviewed September 30, 2004 / Posted October 29, 2004

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