Its unfair to claim that Saw initiated the trend for so-called torture porn that dubious honour rests with Michael Bays equally dubious Texas Chainsaw reboot, which also treated us to the sight of Jessica Biel in a wet t-shirt. In contrast, Saw was a movie for the head, a well thought-out psycho-thriller that didnt skimp on character. This first film isnt really about the traps or about Jigsaw when it opens, it seems like its going to be another of those boring two-guys-in-a-room indie thrillers. Then Leigh Whannells script whisks us out of the room and straight into the story of a killer who offers his targets a choice confront your worst fears, or die. His preferred method of rehabilitation for drug addicts is the reverse bear trap, which, unlike in the sequels, is never deployed and actually helps its target. Someone give that man a franchise and a cool-sounding name something like Jigsaw ought to do it.
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'