07-07-13 Saw III (2006)

Seen: July 7th, 2007
Format: Blu-Ray
Rating: 5

I liked the first Saw and Saw II was OK, though completely in a different vein. Saw III is yet different again.

This is a good thing and a bad thing.

First, it's a good thing because the second installment was much more about carnage that the systematic teaching that Jigsaw is really all about. It had the standard "who'll be left over" feel of so many teen horror flicks.

This film returns to form. While there are flashes of other "lessons", all of them brutal and reasonably creative, there is really only a few lessons that are the focal point of the film. This brings back the intimate nature of the first film, which was a large part of it's success.

This film also breaks the mold in that it places relative innocents in harms way. While Jigsaw is hardly squeamish about teaching someone a lesson, is not his MO to punish those who aren't habitual in they're defects. Indeed, he has a great regard for being able to forgive. Placing these people in jeopardy seems inconsistent. There are other plot holes here too, though they're not too difficult to look past.

The lesson in this film don't seem to be as creative and in past films. Maybe this is intentional, to reflect the nature of Amanda's apprenticeship. Regardless, they paces that Jigsaw's victims are put through is not as compelling as they have been in the past.

But there is one redeeming feature. The twist, when it finally comes, is well conceived and executed. I was willing to forgive much of what had gone before because of the resolution finally delivered. It was clever and artful. I didn't see it coming and was impressed at it's complexity and the way it was woven throughout the story.

I won't go into the acting or technical merits here. It's well enough produced an we'll leave it at that.

See this one if you like the franchise or can tolerate the gore (there's plenty) and like films with a twist.

The Good: There's still a decent twist

The Bad: Failing your test

The Ugly: Thoroughly in the Saw tradition