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How much is
love really worth? When you say that you'd
die for someone, what exactly lies in those words?
Would you sit in a chair and get tortured for several
hours just to save the one you love? A serial killer
has decided to make a little experiment on the subject
to put love to the test. Meanwhile, detectives Eddie
and Helen have to try to crack the case before anyone
else turns up dead.
I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has reacted to
the fact that Waz spelled backwards is Zaw. They clearly
weren't going for originality with this one. However,
for those of you expecting a torture-porn flick in the
vein of Saw and Hostel, you may be a bit disappointed
because Waz is just barely a horror flick. If anything
I would have to say that it's a crime-thriller, and a
pretty mediocre one at that. The topic of the movie has
been popular for so long now that it's not even that
interesting anymore. I'm sure that the script for the
movie was terrific though as the movie definitely has
a lot of potential - the thing that hurts it is the
half-assed acting, the awful directing and the serious
pacing problems that this movie has.
Waz revolves around two detectives, Eddie Argo (played
by Stellan Skarsgård) and Helen Westcott (Melissa
George). We get to follow them around as they try to
crack a case where bodies are turning up every here
and there with the word WAZ carved into them (it doesn't
really make sense why the killer would carve this into
them though). It turns out that a serial killer is
putting love to the test and is forcing people to
go through torture for the one that they love the most.
BUT, everyone has a choice; they can either put up
with the torture or push a button which will kill their
beloved one. So in other words, it's basically like Saw
only with a slightly different approach. Unlike most
torture porn flicks, Waz is actually very emotional
and will probably cause your eyes to tear up a few times
but it should have been even more emotional, and it
could have been if only the actors had been more
convincing. Sure, Stellan Skarsgård gives us a stellar
performance but his character is dull and mumbles out
most of his dialogues.
However, Melissa George, who I usually love, looks like
she's just bitten down on a really sour lemon before
each take. Fine, I get it, her character is supposed
to be insecure and on edge but come on, tone it down
Melissa. This is some serious over-acting if you ask me.
Selma Blair was pretty amusing though (she wasn't
supposed to be) and here we also have some serious
over-acting but for Selma it kind of works because you
can just tell that she's having such a good time with
it. Obviously not the part we're used to seeing Selma
in. I was surprised. So now to another issue; the
directing. What the heck is up with the poor camerawork?
They actually wanted this movie to look like a news item
on TV? It's like they wanted to do it Cloverfield style
but didn't dare to go all the way with it. Annoying
and made the movie look really cheap.
Finally for the con's we have the slow pace. Oh the
slow pace. I tell ya, getting through the first hour
was a challenge. After that however, things finally
start to happen. Unfortunately it wasn't quite enough
for me. Waz is ultimately a decent thriller though,
if very forgettable. I'm certainly happy that I skipped
going to the cinema for this one as it just screams
DTV to my ears but maybe that's just me. Either way,
it's got some good stuff in it and some really emotional
scenes but it's too slow and depressing to really
work as a popcorn movie. Clearly not the Saw rip-off
that it wanted to be. Now, I wonder what's next... hmm
maybe Letsoh? Oh let's hope that there's a Letsoh!
Nothing too graphic, a slit throat, a castration and
some more. Nothing huge.
Rather gloomy but we didn't get a lot of music in here.
Forgettable and generic DTV-thriller that somehow managed
to creep its way into cinemas in some countries (I doubt
it will get a theatrical treatment in the US though).
If you're in the mood for an okay crime thriller, check
it out, just don't expect a lot of gore and violence.
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