Grade: C+ (for the ending) | Genre: Horror Summary: I'll admit that the ending did surprise the heck out of me and will even say that it almost makes up for where the film lacks.

Starring: Leigh Whannell, Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Ken Leung
Director: James Wan

I think the first time I "Saw" this film, it was called "Seven." An unidentified killer preying on those whom he deems as morally corrupt...sounds a bit hypocritical, doesn't it? However, the Brad Pitt/Morgan Freeman thriller left me seriously disturbed while losing much sleep for days afterwards. I just couldn't believe that a story like that could come from anyone other than the Devil. "Saw," however, left no psychological marks, and I had no problems drifting into sleep.

"Saw" begins with Adam (Whannell), a photographer, who wakes up in a bathtub full of water just short of drowning. He realizes that he is chained to a pipe and not alone. Lawrence (Elwes), a doctor, finds himself also chained but beaten and bruised. Both are on opposite sides of the room and once they flip on the light switch, they discover they are in a filthy restroom, and between them, is a dead body with a bullet hole through its head.

Now, left to wonder just how they wound up together and chained, both find recorded messages in their pockets of a mysterious voice. For effect, the tape player is in the dead guy's hands just barely in reach. After some effort, they retrieve the player and hear simple instructions, "Do [this] and you survive. Refuse and you die."

We soon find out that the voice on the tape is the "Jig-saw Killer," known for various murders by torture in the local area. In a previous case, one survivor awoke in a cell with a contraption wrapped around her head attached to her jaw. It's on a short timer, and if too much passes, it will snap open, like a reverse bear trap, ripping her mouth in half. In order to survive, she must find the key to unlock the device. What's the twist? The key is in her cellmate's stomach lining! What does she do? Well, simply put, she survives.

Detectives Tapp (Glover) and Sing (Leung) are on the case, though they can't help us solve the jumbled chronology of the film as present and past become confused.

"Saw" definitely grabs your attention initially, but begins to lose its grip half way through the film. Too many holes begin to open and aren't patched up by the time the credits start rolling.

Interestingly, Whannel is the film's screenwriter, who borrows too much from favorite thrillers like "Seven" and "Silence of the Lambs." He and director, James Wan, do their best but just can't make this forgettable movie more memorable. Elwes and Glover aren't at their best but at least give the film more credibility than it deserves.

I'll admit that the ending did surprise the heck out of me and will even say that it almost makes up for where the film lacks. A good ending is key.