Bodies start turning up in the dark streets, some with a strange equation carved into their skin. Two detectives take the case and are drawn further and further into a dangerous game and end up having to make the ultimate decision...
At first sight, I thought this was merely going to be another entry into the “torture porn” sub-genre along with the likes of Saw and Hostel, and this got me slightly worried as I believe that this particular sub-genre has run out of steam; take Captivity for example. However, the film surprised me on many levels when it turned out to be a far more involving and engrossing thriller than the one I was expecting.
Firstly, it stands out from the rest as it boasts a stellar cast in the likes of Stellen Skarsgård, Melissa George and Selma Blair amongst others. Each actor handles their role deftly, with no over-acting from anyone, even considering some of the extreme places and situations that the film takes them. I particularly enjoyed Ashley Walters performance, who English viewers will recognise as once being a part of UK Garage music act So Solid Crew, since then he has proved himself a very convincing actor, and the material that he had to deal with in this film was very challenging, however he handled it with a believable edge.
 
Even though this film is a horror film, it also works very well as a detective thriller with many clues and red-herrings coming at the audience left right and centre, the final outcome and ending is totally not to be expected and I was totally surprised by the direction the film went in the last quarter. The twists don't seem stuck on for the sake of it, unlike in some of the later Saw films, they all add to the intricate story without seeming pointless.
The reason that I related this film to the "torture porn" genre was because it does feature a great many ingenious torture scenes and the violence is unflinchingly realistic. It is by no means a gore-fest, but when the violence is on screen, it does its job in that it really is peek-through-your-fingers gruesome. This adds to the overall dirty, gritty feeling that the film projects. This world is a grimy and uncompromising mix of dark streets and darker characters, which is emphasised by the cinematography and hand-held direction, which really make use of a grainy, unclean filter to emphasise the gloomy aspects of the film.
There isn't much else I can say about the film without revealing plot points that would ruin the journey on which the film takes you, for the script is littered with so many interesting twists and turns that surprise the audience further while drawing them deeper into the world that Waz creates.
Waz was a pleasant surprise in that it takes what may seem a familiar premise in new directions and results as an intelligent, thought-provoking and brutal horror-thriller that keeps the audience on the edge of the seat until the gripping conclusion.
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ALTERNATIVE TITLE:
MOVIE YEAR: 2007
DIRECTOR: Tom Shankland
WRITING CREDITS: Clive Bradley
GENRE: Horror, Thriller
CAST: Stellan Skarsgard, Melissa George, Selma Blair
COUNTRY: UK, USA
RUNTIME: 105 min
RATING: 8/10
Waz Website/IMDB Click here
Waz Trailer
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