Saw III

As we inch closer and closer to Halloween, we enter the part of the movie season where horror films dominate the box office. The last two weeks offer film makers their last chance to premiere anything before the Oscar run. And per usual, the horror fans are fed their usual plate of gore in the third and seemingly final chapter of the Jigsaw trilogy, SAW III.

In this chapter of the trilogy, our diabolical, sadistic gamester is dying of cancer. In his final moments, he kidnaps a doctor, and places a collar around her neck. Linked directly to his heart rate, if he is to die, the color will detonate 6 shotgun cartridges and kill her. Her game: keep him alive to keep herself alive. In a dual plot, a man is put to the test of forgiveness. As he wanders through the hallways of Jigsaw’s layer, he comes across several people in some way responsible for the death of his son. Will he save them, or will he let them die by horrible means simply to satisfy his thirst for revenge? And finally, we learn more history as to Amanda’s involvement in the Jigsaw legacy.

After reading some reviews, I found the perfect description of this film: Hardcore SAW fans will love every moment. This film satisfies the horror fans with its rather graphic depiction of revenge, and human torture. We are fed images of a man drowning in ground up pig bodies, a naked woman being frozen to death, and various other sadistic acts. When it comes to acting, we can’t really expect much. But something strange comes from this film: we actually see one of the main characters experiencing bursts of emotion. I can’t go into plot, and why this emotion plays out, as it will reveal things I’d rather not mention; just believe me when I say that it was refreshing to see that we aren’t just expected to take in cardboard characters and whatever motives they may harbor.

What makes this one of the better SAW films: it ties all three together. If you’ve not seen the first, don’t see the second. If you’ve not seen the second, don’t see the third. They all play a role in the third chapter, and without seeing the first two, its fair to say that you will be lost.

The problem with this is that, though it does build on previous films, it doesn’t have a lot of stand alone power as a horror flick. The original SAW is entirely stand alone, and could survive completely without the history of the second or third. This gives it the edge over the newer ones. I have to hand it to writer Leigh Whannell, who has played a role in the creation of all three, and has been a key role to the writing process. Director Darren Lynn Bousman (SAW 2) continued the legacy, recreating perfectly the atmosphere and urgency from all three films.

If you’re not a blood and gore fan, I’m willing to bet you haven’t seen any of these films. But if you are, and you enjoyed the first two chapters, I’m willing to guess you’ll enjoy the third chapter. It had all the elements from the first two films, and even gives background as to the real fate of Adam (SAW.) It’s a decent horror film, but if you’ve got something else on queue, it’s easily one of those films that could wait for the rental. 6 of 10.