Saw: The John Kramer Years

John's just an old cancer stricken man with a strong sense of right and wrong. His hobbies include puppetry, mentoring the younger generation, and capturing civilians and forcing them to fight for their lives. He's like an especially sadistic version of the grumpy old dude who rants about "kids these days" and the moral decline of modern civilization (aka "Damn hippies!"). Thanks to a particularly calm, collected, and conniving portrayal by actor Tobin Bell, Jigsaw's presence dominated the first three Saw films. He was a elderly badass who wore D&D-esque robes and gave grand raspy voiced proclamations about appreciating the value of life ("Those who do not appreciate life do not deserve life.")

Tragically, for reasons beyond my comprehension, the people behind the Saw mythos decided to kill Jigsaw off in the third installment in the series. To be fair the ending of Saw III is a pretty spectacular spectacle of over-blown emotions and bloodshed, but you still don't kill off the bread and bloody butter of your series only three movies in. That's like slapping Johnny Kramer in the face. Yeah, Jigsaw still gets to remain a big part of the subsequent Saw sequels thanks to their excessive use of flashbacks. It's still not the same.

Don't let my geeky bitching give you the wrong impression. I only complain because I care. I think Jigsaw's a cool guy and a horror icon for the ages. Last weekend I was reminiscing to myself about the coolness that is John Kramer when I decided to revisit Saw I-III on DVD. Follow me, if you will, down memory lane as I revisit the first three films in the Saw franchise.

Saw (2004)
The first Saw is, from my point of view, a pretty rock solid low-budget horror pic. It's not totally unique. The complex, themed kills that the plot of Saw revolves around felt reminiscent of those in films such as Seven, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, and Cube (all three of which were released years or even decades before Saw). That's not to say that I think Saw is derivative, but merely that it's not going to bowl anyone over with its overarching premise. What Saw does contain, however, is a great setting (a grungy old bathroom, which one character describes as "an actual shithole"), some iconic imagery (see the "reverse bear trap" headgear on the poster), and the establishment of a spectacular villain. Though John Kramer doesn't get much screen time in this initial installment, we do get a quick, but thorough intro to what he's all about. Namely we learn about his eccentric brand of morality and his love of puppetry (Billy the puppet makes his own screen debut, via tricycle, in this film). This first Saw also contains some of the most sympathetic and interesting victims in the series. It is in this film that we are introduced to Amanda, the lone survivor of Jigsaw's traps who will become a reoccurring character in the series. The two main victims of the film, a doctor and a punk kid, spend most of their time locked in a room together. Their banter is humorous and entertaining, and their back stories intersect in a rather clever way. Saw's no horror masterpiece, but it is still highly entertaining and clever movie.

Saw II (2005)
Saw II totally falls into that disappointing sequel camp. It's not awful, but it's astonishingly mediocre. Whereas the victims in Saw #1 had a bit of sass and soul about them, the majority of the characters in Saw II are bottom of the barrel cliches (the macho meathead, the hysterical woman, the troubled teen, etc.) There are two things that save Saw II from being a boring waste of time: 1. more Jigsaw screen time and 2. the pit o' syringes trap. Jigsaw's on fire in this movie. He sips water daintily from a straw, delivers a lame reference to Last House on the Left, wears the aforementioned D&D robes, and still somehow manages to convey a sense of menace and intimidation on screen. As previously stated I credit actor Tobin Bell for the greatness that is Jigsaw. According to an interview with Saw II director Darren Lynn Bousman in The New Horror Handbook, Tobin Bell improvised the majority of his lines and kept a notebook detailing the philosophy of Jigsaw. Awesome. Regarding the giant pit filled with syringes, I just think its a brilliant image. Somebody flailing about in a hole filled with needles equals a cool visual moment in my book.

Saw III (2006)
Saw III ups the epic level of the series. Everything in this film is done on a grander scale than anything in the two previous films. This isn't necessarily a good thing. Occasionally the story of Saw III felt a bit too ambitious for its own good and the pacing sometimes suffered as a result. Still, the twisted, conflicting storylines and hyped up emotion of Saw III matched well with the film's excessive bloodshed. And the ending, when all the characters come together, is pretty spectacular. They just shouldn't have killed off Jigsaw. Seriously.