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Saw

  • 2004
  • R
  • 1h 43m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
490K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
904
66
Saw (2004)
Watch the 10th Anniversary trailer for Saw.
Play trailer1:07
5 Videos
99+ Photos
B-HorrorSplatter HorrorWhodunnitHorrorMysteryThriller

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
    904
    66
    • 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
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
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    + 205
    View Poster

    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

    7.6490.2K
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    Featured reviews

    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.
    9jack_o_hasanov_imdb

    Game Over !

    One of the best movies I've watched. I didn't get any spoilers while watching this movie and the ending was devastating.

    The tension was perfect and you are looking forward to the end.

    Soundtrack is one of the best. I always watch it, even if the series gets worse as it goes.
    9gavin6942

    The First Great Franchise of the Twenty-First Century

    Two seemingly unrelated people (Cary Elwes and Leigh Whinnell) wake up in a secluded, dingy bathroom, chained to the wall. With nothing but their wits, a few clues, and a hacksaw, they must figure out who put them in their predicament and how to get out. Well, assuming they're able to get out. For an added bonus, one of the men has a kidnapped family on the outside.

    Falsely categorized as "torture porn" (the violence and gore here are more in line with "Seven" than "Hostel"), this film was the first smart horror film of the 2000s. Intelligent horror fans not only got the blood they wanted, but a clever villain and a mystery to solve. Later sequels would get more complicated than episodes of "Lost", and the series loses something as it goes (all franchises do), but this original stands as one of the modern greats. And, luckily, you can watch it without any of the sequels and it makes sense.

    There has been an effort in recent years to academically analyze "Saw", injecting a false connotation on to the film. One scholarly article points to the "militarization" of Jigsaw in a post-9/11 world. Jigsaw, like the military, carries out violent acts, but has found ways to rationalize them with moral justifications (saving the worthy, letting the undeserving die). The author makes various other parallels about a "military" setting, mentioning IEDs and the industrial setting of Jigsaw's workshop. I find this to be largely silly, and not at all the creators' intention. I see a much more obvious line of progression from "Silence of the Lambs" to "Seven" to "Saw" with the advent of the brilliant, self-moralizing serial killer. Even Hitchcock's "Rope" offered a justification for murder, albeit a poor one. Terrorism or not, the horror film will go on.

    You can make complaints, sure. But for young writers and directors, this was a blockbuster and deserved the massive success it got. As someone who pays close attention to a film's writing and plot, I was stunned. My only real concern is at the very end, when the key's location is revealed. I can't discuss this in a review, but let's just say I found that to be uncharacteristic and unfair of the killer.

    If you haven't seen "Saw" yet, see it. And see the second film. After that, they start to go downhill. But the first two are quite good and must-see viewing for all horror fans.
    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.
    jade_fine

    Sicko movie, Go!

    A sicko movie whose nastiness is almost topped by its weirdness...so obviously any true horror fan worth their salt needs to seek it out! The story is about a surgeon and a photographer who wake up and to find themselves shackled at opposite ends of a nasty-looking toilet. Don't want to say too much but plenty of ugliness ensues. This movie has the perfect mix of scares and a really bizarre plot. The movie's got a decent budget for an indie horror (a little over a million, i think) but it's pretty small for a film that got such a big release. I hear it made a "killing" at the box office, so TAKE NOTICE Hollywood! People want to see this stuff. Go!

    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
    It
    7.3
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    7.4
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    Scream
    7.4
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    Insidious
    6.8
    Insidious

    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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