When two complete strangers wake up with no recollection of where they are or how they got there, they find themselves immersed in a dangerous game of life and death. Adam Faulkner-Stanheight (Leigh Whannell) and Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) must find a way to outsmart the infamous Jigsaw Killer and a way out of the single room in which they are currently trapped. Are they mentally prepared to challenge the psychopath, and do they have what it takes to survive?
Cary Elwes is best known for his roles in The Princess Bride (1987) and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), and is one of the few well-known actors to play a role in this film. Elwes has been efficient in the past and has typically done an above average job at portraying each of his roles. This film, however, was an entirely different story. He and Whannell’s performances were some of the worst I had seen to date. The two actors lacked any and all emotion, and every word out of their mouths sounded as if they had been reading from a teleprompter. From the very first time they opened their mouths, until their last breaths, their performances were anything but believable. As the story progressed and the stakes were raised, it seemed that the characters were taking their predicament lightly and believed it to be somewhat of a joke. Their laughable performances made the dark scenarios difficult to believe and ripped the story to shreds. Their performances were so bad that the heavy and demented story was drowned, and, at times, forgotten.
With their impeccably bad performances, they dreadfully overshadowed the plot and the appealing psychological aspect of the film. That aspect of the film is what drove it forward and is what attracted audiences. Writers James Wan and Leigh Whannell posed questions that forced audiences to evaluate the decisions they have made throughout their lives. Making viewers question themselves and make connections between themselves and the twisted story allowed for potential success, and, yet, it was difficult to appreciate what was on the screen in front of them.
Wan and Whannell had great success with their script (and Wan’s directing), yet, Whannell himself, with the help of Elwes, ruined the film and made parts truly unbearable. The story was there, however, the execution fell flat.
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