Saw III is the Third
Installment of the Saw Franchise
Saw III has the largest budget
of any in the series by
far (at an estimated $12.5 Mil). This means more gross-out and more
yell-out-loud, but thankfully the look and feel of the original remains.
Release:
2006 Directed by: Darren Lynn Bousman Written
by: James Wan & Leigh Whannell
Starring: Tobin Bell as Jigsaw/John Shawnee
Smith as Amanda Angus Macfadyen
as Jeff Bahar Soomekh as Lynn
Once in a blue moon a highly original horror movie, well done with
minimum budget takes the world by storm to become a smashing success.
Sometimes the level of demand for more warrants sequels, often with more
money to spend. The
Blair Witch Project
is a stunning example of how this can go terribly wrong as the sequels
are so terrible that they actually detract from the
original’s
good name – and the early sequels to The
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
didn’t fare much better. George A. Romero, on the other hand,
showed Horror Freaks that a continuation of an excellent theme, in the
right hands, can continue the franchise and become a series
of classics.
The Saw franchise can,
with the release of Saw
III, join the latter as a successful multi-episode franchise that
didn’t lose its way as the money poured in.
Saw III begins in now-familiar style, as an unknown
stranger
awakens in a dark and dirty room chained to a post, or wearing a
contraption of some sort, or in another deadly predicament.
Through a series of flashes we know that Jigsaw is up to his old tricks
again.
This time, however, there is something
wrong. The scenes of carnage do
not follow the same pattern of previous Jigsaw death scenes, because
the police notice that whether the victim passes the test or not there
is still no means of escape…they were still going
to die. Is there actually a copy-cat of Jigsaw lurking around
and doing what Jigsaw himself finds reprehensible: Committing murder?
While all this is going on there is
another subplot – Jigsaw is
finally succumbing to his brain tumor and is near death. His trusty
sidekick Amanda kidnaps the beautiful Lynn, an emergency trauma
physician, to keep Jigsaw alive through the completion of one final
test being performed on Jeff. Jeff’s test is on video and
being
watched as he completes one grueling life-choice
after another, and Jigsaw’s heart must not stop until Jeff is
finished. To make things interesting Lynn is fitted with a device that
is tied to Jigsaw’s heart rate monitor that will literally blow
her head off if the monitor displays a flat-line.
Saw III contains the
ideal elements of a classic horror
franchise. The villain, in Jigsaw, is brilliant and formidable. The
characters are developed well and provide excellent context for the
“tests” that Jigsaw puts them through to rediscover
their
will to live. The story elements are original and intriguing from the
original Saw on through Saw III.
The look and feel of
the film is raw and gritty, and yet just slick enough to not be a
distraction. The use of music and lighting, along with sheer soundtrack
volume contribute to Saw III becoming an experiential
trek through the violent mind of a genius.
Throughout
the Saw
trilogy there is one constant – screenplay writer Leigh
Whannell.
This bit of continuity is undoubtedly a key factor in the success of
the franchise. Darren Bousman also returns as Director of Saw
III
(Bousman also directed and co-wrote number two) and James Wan returns
as a story writer (Wan co-wrote and directed number one). Tobin Bell
and Shawnee Smith do a fantastic job in their
recurring roles as Jigsaw and Amanda.
Although the Saw franchise has not yet stood the
test of time, there is no doubt in my mind that we are witnessing
classic-horror-to-be. When Saw III arrives on DVD
the trilogy will be proudly displayed on my “classic horror
shelf”. Comments
or questions about Saw III? Contact us!
Hey! Check out this video of contributor Wayne G.
giving his impression of Saw III, just as he left
the theater!
This is the first video on Best-Horror-Movies.com,
so have faith that they will get better with time...
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Throughout
the Saw
trilogy there is one constant – screenplay writer Leigh
Whannell.
This bit of continuity is undoubtedly a key factor in the success of
the franchise. Darren Bousman also returns as Director of Saw
III
(Bousman also directed and co-wrote number two) and James Wan returns
as a story writer (Wan co-wrote and directed number one). Tobin Bell
and Shawnee Smith do a fantastic job in their
recurring roles as Jigsaw and Amanda.
