There is no love, or is it?

dschmeding

It wouldn't have been a surprise if this movie went for the "Saw"-Clone many reviewers categorized it as. But "Waz" luckily doesn't do so at all. Sure, there is some torture and sure the kind of game the killer could be compared to the Jigsaw idea of punishing various people carrying their share of guilt. But besides these points "Waz" rather goes for bleak nihilism in the vein of "Seven" instead of showing us close ups of sadistic torture scenes. The whole setting of a depressing town, mostly shot at night in bleak colors and with shaky cameras as well as the main plot focusing on a cynic cop desensitized by his work and trying to catch a sadistic killer who soon starts playing mind games with him too ... all this reminds me a lot of "Seven" and the nihilistic feeling showing mainly unsympathetic people in a cold and dirty environment also comes close to it. "Waz" makes you feel really bad because everything in this movie seems to support the murders hypothesis that there is no love but just egoism. All this is included in the formula the killer carves into his victims bodies after they were tortured until they kill a loved one by electrocution to end their pains. The victims all were involved in a brutal rape and soon it becomes clear that the revenge for this incident will involve the cops too... about everyone has blood on their hands in this movie. The only counterpart is the new female cop Helen following the tough cop Eddie through the mayhem and connecting the dots.

Its a lot like the experienced/inexperienced cop theme from "Seven" but here the outcome is a lot different and the final twist gives back some humanity to Helen that she seems to have abandoned before. I liked "Waz" for being very effective without showing too much blood... mostly the scenes are cut away and rather provoke the thoughts than capturing every drop of blood like most modern horror movies do. The movie strips you of all hope just to hand you some back in the end which I saw coming about halfway through the movie, yet they still got the twist to work. If you loved "Seven" like me you will sure like the modern underground version of it. And since so many people compare this movie to "Saw" you know it still has enough identity not to be considered a "Seven"-Clone.

score 8/10

dschmeding 25 May 2008

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1880491/