2008 Woodie Awards
Are you trying to re-see what you saw, too?
Shanice Williams
Issue date: 11/9/05 Section: Opinion
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The first "Saw" introduced audiences to the concept of "the serial killer." Hold it. Sorry. The first "Saw" was the 59,000th film to deal with the concept of the serial killer. Its plot involved two men imprisoned in a filthy men's room forced to play endless guessing games and perform occasional acts of self-mutilation thanks to their tormentor, a bad, nameless "Jigsaw," for the puzzle-piece carvings he traditionally leaves in his victims' skin. Instead of there being two people struggling to complete the games, this time there are eight strangers who are trapped trying to figure out what got them in the state they're in now.
Yes, the villain is human, not some possessed demon or monster from the grave. In fact, the villain is so frail that it seems that his end is near. You see, Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) has cancer and is hooked up to his IV and blood pressure machine and basically bound to his wheelchair. Although his body is failing, his mind is still strong and can outwit his victims.
Since the audience now knows the identity of Jigsaw, the director (Darren Lynn Bousman) decided to have him captured early in the movie, but not before what may be his final "game" is set into motion.
Detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) is drawn into the investigation and is asked by Jigsaw to just sit and talk. In these conversations, Jigsaw reveals his motivations and gives us a clearer picture of what is actually going through his mind. It reminds me a bit of the Hannibal Lector scenes in "Silence of the Lambs."
All along, Detective Matthews is just trying to get information about eight people who are trapped in a house who have less than two hours to live because of a deadly nerve agent they are breathing in. One of those eight people is Detective Matthews' son, Daniel (Erik Knudsen).