Saw (2004)

This movie could have been great if it had some balls. By that, I don't mean what most horror aficionados refer to as 'balls' -- the film has plenty of gore that it doesn't shy away from showing, and it doesn't resort to a Hollywood-happy ending. So I guess it's brave and all in that respect. But if it had real balls, the kind that meant the filmmakers had enough confidence to tell the story properly -- in short, if there had been enough talent involved to realize the inherent drama in the setup (two guys trapped in a room, with one receiving instructions to kill the other) didn't need to be tricked up with flashbacks and exposition and lame-ass motives and last-minute plot twists that seem clever when you're writing them but really just open up massive plot questions. Just two guys, locked in a room, trying to get out before a crazy guy comes to kill them. That movie would have been awesome, probably. This one's just stupid. (And it's got some of the worst acting you've ever seen -- Cary Elwes's extravagantly whiny performance is already notorious, but I'm amazed nobody's pointed out that costar Leigh Whannell is even worse than him.)

Grade: C-