John Kramer. This name is not heard unless the most distant from the cinema person. It inspires awe, makes the skin goosebumps, and the hair on the head - to move, as if from a small draft. What is so terrible in this name and why movie fans created a real cult of personality, inspired by this character?
The iconic character of the landmark franchise
The fact is that John Kramer is the main character of the cult Saw franchise, known as a very cruel, but sometimes quite fair maniac with an extremely sophisticated imagination. At the mere sound of his name, guilt wakes up by itself, and the brain begins to helpfully recall the last time we neglected the gifts of life. Despite his crazy methods and not too healthy motivation, the antihero achieves his noble goal: he teaches the viewer that you need to value life every minute, every second, regardless of social status or, even less important, mood.
How John Kramer Works
It is difficult to accurately calculate how many lost sheep Kramer set on the right path, because the Saw franchise has as many as 7 parts, and the creators do not plan to stop there. The character represents Justice in its true form, though a little subjective. He judges all who squander the precious days of his life and do not understand the value of every lost minute.
For his unfortunate victims, the intellectual maniac invents the most unusual traps that work according to the principle of the clock bomb mechanism . If you manage to fulfill the necessary conditions, then you survive by losing something: legs, arms, a serious piece of skin or hair. If you do not have the courage to play according to the rules of the Saw, then the test will inevitably end with your death. You can’t bypass traps, and outwit Saw, too. If John Kramer decided to “play a game with you”, then be sure that he will bring it to the end. But will you bring it to the end?
Infernal John and the scared victim
It is impossible to overestimate the cultural and psychological impact that John Kramer had on the contemporary viewer. Character quotes roam the world, his photos look menacingly at visitors to thematic websites, and the original soundtrack to the film “Saw” is recognized even by those who watched the franchise only briefly. Cramer’s most famous words sound mysterious and very frightening: “Hello. I want to play one game with you. " He does not mention that this game is completely unhappy, and the player is unlikely to ever want to play it.
“Those who do not value life are not worthy of life,” Kramer says before the trap slams. And you meet your end. The principle of the trap is slightly reminiscent of the principle of the death penalty: you understand that very soon you will depart to the forefathers, but you just can’t believe it. Adrenaline, which disperses blood throughout the body, helps to think, but sometimes this is not enough to defeat the protagonist's deadly game.
The Second Self of John Cramer
Interestingly, according to the plot in ordinary life, John Kramer ("Saw") is a very quiet and intelligent person who, it would seem, will not offend a fly. He thoroughly studied all the subtleties of human psychology, so it is not difficult for him to predict the actions of a potential victim in a dangerous situation. He knows all the stages that a person goes through in a state of shock: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. And John Kramer understands exactly how the victim will experience all these stages.
Although in everyday life it seems that a feeble gray-haired old man with watery blue eyes will not be able to raise his hand against a dog that has bitten him, he has enough audacity and intelligence to come up with unique traps for his flies in human form. However, Kramer is a kind person, so he always gives the victim a chance to escape. He just says: “To live or die is the choice for you”, thus dumping the entire burden of responsibility on the shoulders of the “player”.
"Saw" in real life
The actor who got this role is one hundred percent suitable for the declared type. Tobin Bell is who John Kramer really is. The actor gained fame precisely thanks to this brutal role and more especially did not shine in any project. Perhaps it was simply difficult for him to play less deep characters, or maybe he was just no one as interested as John "Saw" Kramer.
Be that as it may, Tobin Bell often played serial killers and maniacs. His ability to speak in a grave voice and to look at the camera completely dispassionately captivates many viewers. The actor several times received a prize for the title of best villain, and I must say that absolutely deserved. It's hard to imagine Tobin Bell in a romantic comedy or even in an average thriller.
Hope dies last, and Kramer never
It is difficult to predict what the next role of Tobin Bell will be, because it is unlikely that he will succeed as well as John Kramer. The photo of the actor in the image of a cult character became almost a symbol of films of a similar genre, and his cold gaze probably came to the most impressive viewers in his dreams. It remains only to hope that the next part of the Saw franchise will indeed come out and will be censored in the CIS countries so that you can enjoy it on the big screen and with high-quality sound. Indeed, even in dubbing, the voice of John Kramer, thanks to the talented work of Viktor Bohon, Nikita Prozorovsky, Dalvin Shcherbakov and Alexander Novikov, does not lose its murderous charisma.