Two guys wake up in a dingy room, chained to the wall. They have mini audio tapes, place upon their person, saying that there is a way to escape. They quickly realize that they've been captured by The Jigsaw Killer, a man who puts people in situations that could easily kill them, but that they can escape if they're smart and put everything into it. One of the first items they find are a pair of hacksaws, too weak to cut through their chains, but strong enough to cut through their own leg, freeing them from their shackle...
Everyone I know avoided this movie because they thought it would be some kind of gore-fest. I went because I thought it would be a good psychological thriller. We were all wrong, it's a GREAT psychological thriller!
This serial killer takes people who he believes to be undervaluing their lives and forces them to make a choice: Do anything necessary to survive, or die.
Some of the best elements are the quick reviews over previous victims of The Jigsaw Killer. This setup has a lot more than the two victims in the room, there are all kinds of things hidden in the room and external forces acting upon both the prisoners. They can't move around very much, but there's still a high sense of action and the tension remains high. There are also a lot of people outside the room important to the story, most notably Danny Glover the ex-cop who is totally obsessed with catching The Jigsaw Killer.
By the end of the movie, you've gotten a couple good surprises and should be impressed with the intricate plans that have been laid.
The only disappointing thing in this movie is learning that Cary Elwes has gotten old and forgotten anything he ever knew about how to act. Very sad, quite disappointing. Luckily, all the other actors give good performances.