3. Saw (2004)
Two men wake up in a basement, not not knowing how they got there. That’s all that’s needed to be said. In their first collaboration, James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell (who also plays Adam), use the incredibly low budget to their advantage, along with Whannell’s clever script to create a revolutionary classic. As the film goes on, the audience is sent through twists and turns, with an ending that no one expected coming in 2004. Whannell, writing the story in a sort of spiral, successfully throws off the viewer with each scene, making it a very enjoyable thriller.
What also sets this film apart is the infamous villain, Jigsaw, who operates on morals and reasoning, making him conflicting and somewhat relatable, rivaling the chaotic depth of only The Dark Knight’s Joker. It also needs to be said that Saw sort of set the ground for “torture porn” films, being a very gruesome film with deaths that are as gory as they are creative. Saw grossed over $100 Million on a $800,000 budget, spawning like 9 other movies. Unfortunately as they move along, they get more and more graphic losing the quality of the plot and dialogue, and most importantly, the reason that makes Jigsaw
Streaming on HBO Max.
