This is definitely the best movie in the "Saw" series. However, that does not mean that this is a great movie by any means, but it is not terrible like many of its sequels. "Saw" benefits a lot by having a small budget, which meant that it had to focus more on plot rather that gore. Much of the gore is implied rather than shown. Cary Elwes isn't a great actor, per se, but he does carry much of the load on this movie and does give a convincing performance. Leigh Whannell's acting is mediocre and sometimes terrible, but he does get credit for writing this movie and developing the story with director, James Wan. Whannell definitely shows in this movie that he does have some writing talent. Wan does a lot of interesting camera tricks and does well for a directorial debut. The characters in this movie are the most fleshed out characters in the series. Elwes' Dr. Lawrence Gordon is a nihilistic doctor suffering with the temptation to cheat on his wife. Whannell plays a photographer paid to follow Gordon on the orders of an officer played by Danny Glover. They are confined in an old bathroom and slowly uncover each other's secrets. The plot has several moving parts, and they all move fairly fluid. There is not much story, this movie is going a lot more for shock value than actually telling a meaningful story. That's where this film falls short for me, it's story is that corrupt people get put in a life-or-death situation and have to learn the value of life. Sounds interesting, but really it doesn't hit home or have any meaningful values to be taught other than maybe be a good person, which is not too profound all things considered. What Wan and Whannell were able to do on such a small budget is remarkable. This is a fun movie, and the sequels all lose the fun and suspense that this film had. The music tops off this movie, it is interesting music and will definitely get stuck in your head, and I feel that it really elevates this movie. Overall I give this movie a 7.5/10.