Saw

A scrappy, ingenious thriller that proves great horror comes from great ideas, not big budgets

2004 • 103 min • James Wan

🍅 Tomato Score: 50% | 🍟 Our Score: 74%

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Director: James Wan

Cast: Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, Danny Glover, Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith

Runtime: 1h 43min

Released: October 29, 2004

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About the Film

Two strangers wake up chained at opposite ends of a filthy, dilapidated bathroom. Between them lies a dead man holding a revolver and a micro-cassette recorder. As they receive instructions from the mysterious Jigsaw Killer, they must piece together clues and make impossible choices to survive.

Made on a shoestring budget of just over $1 million, Saw launched the careers of director James Wan and writer/actor Leigh Whannell, and spawned one of the most successful horror franchises in cinema history. The film draws more from psychological thriller traditions than the torture porn label that would later be applied to its sequels.