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Last updated: 09 Jun 2026 at 15:02 UTC

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Review of by Stephen E — 18 Sep 2013

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Borrowing its aesthetics from David Fincher's 'Se7en,' 'Saw' employs a gritty style that I'm kind of glad James Wan abandoned with his recent films. It's not that the shaky cam and quick cuts are annoying, which they kind of are; it's that they pull the audience's attention away from the action.

It's a distracting approach, but thankfully it's used sparsely. Other than that, 'Saw' is actually quite an effective horror film that delivers some well-executed thrills. The gore is kept to a minimum, which is a step in the right direction, and the narrative is surprisingly functional, offering an interesting backstory for the morally-determined Jigsaw killer.

Surely the acting could have been better, but 'Saw' is serviceable entertainment.

This review of Saw (2003) was written by on 18 Sep 2013.

Saw has generally received positive reviews.

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