Surprisingly, I have not yet become ‘Saw’-ed out as quickly as I tired when watching the Nightmare on Elm Street series. With another quick turnaround of a year from the release of the previous film, Saw III manages to further expand both the backstories of Jigsaw and his accomplice Amanda but also to delve further into human actions and emotions to be put on trial in a maniacal kind of way.
After beginning with a quick check-in of Donnie Wahlberg from the end of the second, part three moves onto Jeff’s test to exact revenge (or not) on those involved with his son’s tragic death. If you recall, one of my chief complaints with part two was the lack of characterization of the house inmates, likely due to their number but also the other story line with Wahlberg. As the sad, bitter Jeff is the central part of his portion of the movie, we are treated to not only a wonderful performance by Angus Macfadyen but also to a character that we grow to understand even if his blind thirst for revenge shapes him into a dick.
In the other half of the movie we have Jigsaw (knocking on death’s door), Amanda (still hot in a batshit crazy kind of way), and Lynn, a seemingly random doctor the previous two abducted to keep Jigsaw alive during Jeff’s game. As we did not know until the end of the last film of Amanda’s involvement, this side of the story allows us to see (both in flashbacks and realtime) the twisted but still genuine relationship that she has with her mentor. In a twist, we learn that these three are ultimately just as important as Jeff as the two sides come crashing together in an overlong and drawn out showdown between all four complete with flashbacks that should have been excised to keep things moving. In fact, while it was interesting to be able to see how the games from the first film were physically executed, the over-reliance on previous events that have little bearing on the current story drag things down considerably.
Very few people could describe the first two installments of this series fun but in comparison to Darren Lynn Bousman’s bleak and mean-spirited tone of this film, they were like visits to the fair. The plot explains why the victims are stuck in unbeatable situations but some of these killings (especially of one of the returning cast) only seem to appeal to those interested in the graphic violence aspect of the films. Fortunately though, Jeff’s story of tragedy, redemption, and tragedy again are far more in depth than what has been alluded to in the previous films. But for as much as returning writer Leigh Whannell gets right, the entire basis of the story is incredibly coincidental and by now we are wondering how Jigsaw can stimulate his local economy through bulk chain orders and purchasing abandoned warehouses aplenty without arising further questions.
The returning duo of Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith have good chemistry in their shaky partnership but Bahar Soomekh‘s character did not feel right even before her own stake in the narrative is revealed as her role is largely transactional and more of a catalyst for the other characters. Also returning composer Charlie Clouser‘s haunting score, complete with perfect placement of the series’ theme, matches the sometimes exhilarating, often somber pace of the movie.
This is largely a good follow up to Saw II, even as it incorporates events from both the first and second. I cannot help but still consider part two the best though because while this is largely original, some of the concepts are starting to feel a bit tired at this point. On second though, maybe I am getting exhausted of the games.
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