Saw (2004 film)

The promotion for “Saw” made it out to be one of the most unsettling experiences one could ever hope to have with a film. Ha. I wish this had either leaned harder into its grimdank ultraviolence (gore discretion shots? puh-leeeze) or been funny on purpose more often as, while the filmmaking is respectable throughout, it mostly settles on being too dark for wit and too lightweight for the intensity it projects. I’m a sucker for a strong finale, though, and “Saw” ends well, so this gets a light thumbs up. Not sure it justified two decades of torture porn, though.

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