The influential film established James Wan and Leigh Whannell as masters of their craft and led to one of the most successful horror franchises in history.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 29, 2024

The filmmakers try desperately to concoct a puzzle with a grand design, but there’s none to be found. Just a lot of flashbacks and puzzle pieces that don’t form a full picture.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Oct 11, 2023

From filming style to a twisty narrative structure, Saw is a film that not only bore a franchise but has retained itself as a true horror classic.

| Sep 30, 2023

Most definitely not for the faint-hearted, Saw comes with an additional, vital warning: Whatever you do, do not watch any of the far inferior sequels that it sparked.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Jan 18, 2023

I don't think this is a good movie and the performances in this were very uneven. It didn't seem as groundbreaking as it's known for.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 24, 2022

There was nothing remotely entertaining about this film for me. Jigsaw's logic is completely insane and when you consider how much time it took for him to plan these schemes...it gets wonky very quickly.

| Original Score: 1/5 | Oct 24, 2022

It’s a far cry from the ridiculous gore-soaked torturefest the franchise has since become, but it still isn’t particularly good horror.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 25, 2022

While the torture porn moniker is more appropriate for the sequels that follow, Saw is a nasty piece of work with a compelling mystery at its center and an ending to die for.

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 25, 2021

Critically derided and unfairly slapped with the Torture Porn moniker, Saw is a reflection of post 9/11 anxieties, a bastion of low budget horror filmmaking and one of the few truly iconic franchises of the 00s. Get Jiggy with it

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 21, 2021

The original Saw may be rough round the edges, but that unvarnished quality has a sure charm that its more cynical successors lack.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 20, 2021

Saw remains a beloved genre staple.

| Apr 17, 2021

A twist ending for the ages always helps a genre shine up good for the camera.

| Nov 6, 2020

Say what you want about the acting or even the franchise as a whole, but Saw includes one of the most unforgettable endings that you won't see coming.

| Jun 20, 2019

Never terribly clever, but always intestinally challenging, this successful and discomfiting collection of films shows art in extremis-a real-time effort to take mainstream entertainment to its most brutal end point.

| Jan 29, 2019

The sound of Jigsaw's gravely voice pouring out of the tape recorder is still as ominous a sound as one could imagine, and the big reveals still come as a genuine shock.

| Oct 27, 2017

It may not be one of the horror greats that many people seem to make it out to be, but Saw is crafty and ambitious enough to warrant a horror buff's time.

| Aug 31, 2017

The horror flick Saw started a chain-Saw of sequels and that is now one of the most successful of the chop-and-slash variety. It's not a bad way to spend a Halloween evening.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 31, 2014

How such a cruelly empty and infantile movie got made is mystery enough. More puzzling is why Cary Elwes, Danny Glover and Monica Potter would sign on as co-stars.

| Oct 27, 2014

James Wan's horror film Saw is full of demented twists and guilty-looking actors, but the scenario is cruel enough to make you squirm.

| Oct 27, 2014

Saw is a sub-Se7en B-movie serial killer chiller with more high concepts stuffed into its 100 minutes than it can handle.

| Oct 27, 2014