Top 10 Worst Decisions In Saw

“Jigsaw” (2017)
Ryan is sealed with Mitch and Anna in one of Jigsaw’s trap buildings. He tries to use an exit to get out early, and ends up catching his leg in an intricate wire setup. While trying to open a door isn’t inherently a bad idea, Ryan’s choice to open one marked “No Exit” is questionable at best. This is particularly upsetting considering that, by this point, Ryan is already well aware of how lethal Jigsaw’s games are. His failure to remind Anna about the literal nature of these traps are what ultimately seals his fate, but his failure to follow basic directions remains more frustrating. Jigsaw’s punishments are all about teaching people, and Ryan demonstrates the pitfalls of learning nothing.

“Saw II” (2005)
In this gory sequel, a group of strangers wake up in a room and soon learn that they’ve been poisoned. Understandably distraught and driven by panic, Xavier commits to using a key on the door, despite a note telling them explicitly not to. This idea is already risky considering the warning, but Gus putting his eye to the peephole simultaneously is downright stupid. All the previous mentions of noises behind the door only serve to prove how little Gus listens. Though Xavier triggers this trap, Gus’s plan to back him up is the mistake that arguably backfired worst of all.

“Saw” (2004)
Adam and Lawrence’s confinement makes up the central tension of “Saw,” with the two men struggling to find a way out. Unfortunately, armed with little more than a bonesaw and a one-way cell phone, the pair quickly find themselves devolving into panic. When Lawrence can’t reach the phone later in the film, he naively gives up without trying other options. The fact that he doesn’t extend his reach with the saw is painful to watch, especially as he uses it elsewhere only seconds later. It’s also unclear why Adam doesn’t give this advice. Even if the saw somehow slipped their minds, it’s similarly disheartening that Lawrence doesn't think to use his shirt to extend his reach before employing it as a tourniquet.

“Saw IV” (2007)
By the time Officer Rigg became a protagonist in “Saw IV” he’d already played a supporting role against Jigsaw in two previous films. Jigsaw tested him in this instalment by telling him that his need to save others went too far. Regardless of these warnings, Rigg rushed to Brenda’s aid and wouldn’t you know it… he wound up setting off otherwise avoidable timers. Given Jigsaw’s hints, you’d think he could have looked around first and discovered the trap before touching things! Rigg had already led his fellow policemen to harm in “Saw II” by being rash, and yet still ran hastily into his final test two movies later.

“Saw III” (2006)
Detective Eric Matthews’ quest to stop Jigsaw ultimately saw him trapped in the room from the original “Saw.” He surprised Amanda by escaping so quickly, but his move to fight her was poorly planned. Matthews was already at a disadvantage with his broken foot, so he shouldn’t have started a brawl. While he was lucky to be left alive to crawl home, his decision to taunt Amanda further was arguably his most self-destructive idea of all. Considering how few people have survived Jigsaw’s traps, Matthews confrontational attitude was a terrible way to approach things.

“Saw V” (2008)
Five people are tested with a series of traps in “Saw V”. Unfortunately, each person fends for themselves when they’re tethered together, rather than attempting to use one key to free everyone. They bizarrely miss the fact that another room’s safe zones can hold multiple people, which needlessly diminishes their numbers further. In the end, these thoughtless moves simply mean that their final trials - involving shocks and violent sacrifices - are all the more severe. All this stumbling is even less excusable since Jigsaw tells them from the start that they’re specifically being punished for selfish actions. The whole set of traps is surprisingly easy in retrospect - if only these victims had actually worked together on each one.

“Saw” (2004)
Right as Lawrence left the bathroom in “Saw,” we see the real Jigsaw rise in front of Adam. When Jigsaw tells Adam that the key to his chain is in the bathtub, Adam remembers having pulled the plug - meaning the key is gone. Instead of appealing to Jigsaw’s sense of fair play, or trying to shoot the chains, he decides to shoot Jigsaw. His impulsive, last-ditch effort makes no sense. Even if he had killed Jigsaw, it wouldn’t have solved anything; he’d still have been trapped. In response, Jigsaw electrocutes Adam and leaves him to die.

“Saw II” (2005)
From the start of her imprisonment in “Saw II”, Addison maintains a level-headed attitude to exploring the house. After being weakened by poison for hours, she finds a box with an antidote in it. However, she ignores a mini-cassette, then accidentally spills the liquid from the syringe. With her one hand caught in blades, it’s unclear why she doesn’t try to free herself with the other one. Her decision to put another hand into the box is foolish to the point of being fatal. We get that Addison is dazed, but her approach to one of the series’ easiest puzzles is agonizingly bad.

“Saw V” (2008)
Peter Strahm chases down Jigsaw for some time, and even survives a trap in his search for the truth. When he finds a glass coffin sitting in a room, he starts playing a tape that gives a compelling argument to get in. Peter stops the tape mid-sentence to hide, however, and forces the sinister Detective Hoffman into the case. By acting without all the information, Peter dooms himself to the closing walls of the room. The fact that he doesn’t finish the tape before using the trap is truly disappointing. Regardless of Peter’s understandable mistrust of Hoffman, he sadly loses his game because he can’t follow instructions.

“Saw III” (2006)
The vengeful Jeff is forced into a series of traps that revolve around the death of his son and the ensuing court case. He initially hesitates to help the people he blames for the outcome. While these mixed emotions make sense, his inevitable shift to help everyone renders his delays frustratingly counter-productive. Jeff’s angry shaming of each person is also stupidly wasteful given how dire their situations are already. By taking so long, most people are beyond saving by the time Jeff decides to help. All his bumbling decision-making ultimately hurts him the most, and cements his trials as being among the franchise’s most difficult to watch.