Well, it’s sad that a promising trilogy is now being announced as having almost five more installments added soon. Lions Gate has made no lies or double talk about this decision. The creators Whanel and Wan have proclaimed they’re dropping out of the further installments, but the studio and Tobin Bell are intent on continuing this franchise. Soon we’ll have “Saw: in Space”! Since the studio is intent on raping this series until it bleeds, “Saw III” is possibly the last good entry in an otherwise quality franchise.
This film series has been riding with a string of storylines that have escalated in pure quality, ending with a shocker of “Saw II” that was more frenetic and chaotic in the long run. “Saw III” is intent on not only severing ties with previous continuity, but it also explores how the people in the puzzle all play a part. And this time it’s down to the wire as Jigsaw finds himself at death’s door and finagles himself a brain surgeon. Jigsaw wants the surgeon to work on him and extend his life, and warns her that if he flat lines, the collar around her neck explodes, and the poor sap on the monitor dies. Said sap is a man who hasn’t properly grieved his son’s death, and is given the chance to survive, and confront the man who took his child away.
Bousman’s second sequel is much of a toned down entry, aside from “Saw II” which was essentially an all out gore fest. “Saw III” is not only a quieter sequel, but also an unofficial closer to the series, before we begin with the endless stock of rehashed “Saw” films. Amanda, once a victim, then a cohort, is now Jigsaw’s loyal apprentice ranting at their new victim and loyally aiding in the intimidation games. The irony behind Amanda and Jigsaw is that they waste the last years of their life in a dark room torturing those who waste their life, but the irony is never noted by them, because the writer never shies away from their intelligence that helps them inflict pain, but not common sense. Bahar Soomekh is a different kind of heroine from all the previous “Saw” films.
She’s a gifted surgeon who convinced me her character Lynn knew what she was doing. In a series of screaming, whimpering, and hysterical women, Lynn is basically a calmer and much more level-headed character who seems to know she has no escape and is willing to do whatever is possible to survive the ordeal of being trapped by these two insane geniuses. She argues, and insists, and barely ever pleads for her life, it’s the interesting sentiment of a surgeon who is mostly calm in peril on her day job, and Soomekh’s performance is both restrained, and top-notch. The duo of Amanda and Jigsaw make for some of the best scenes comprising the most fascinating horror villains in years.
“Saw III” explores the initiation of Amanda into Jigsaw’s trust, her education of mechanics, and her basic passion for the man in a sick romance very reminiscent of the Joker and Harley Quinn in “Mad Love.” Amanda looks to Jigsaw as a mentor, and a father figure, but is also utterly in love with him, while he teaches her and takes her into his confidence. With it are also some fascinating twists and turns answering many questions and putting to rest many of the theories viewers built through the films, and with it come a rather compelling relationship of brilliant master, and his assistant who submits to his molding. The power of “Saw III” lies not in the gore, torture, or tension, but in the relationship between Amanda and Jigsaw.
It makes the film a very worthy entry. Perhaps it’s because of the fact that the actors may not opt to appear later on, but “Saw III” is intent on cutting out former characters, rather than developing them, and that’s a shame. A recurring character truly gets what they have been awaiting, and it sadly feels more like an abrupt cop-out than the death of a recurring character. Meanwhile, Bousman is so obsessed with topping the previous openers for the “Saw” films that he packs the first events of the film with torture sequences. The first twenty minutes feel like nothing more than a sequence of torture scenes that play in a string just to please the gore loving audience, instead of focusing on story, and when we finally do, we don’t receive much.
Particularly in the sub-plot with Angus MacFayden which is not only one of the most uninteresting plots of the series, but also misfired. Any undertones of redemption and the taste for vengeance this character is hell bent on is lost on McFayden’s character who just feels like padding. In fact the entire sub-plot feels like a distraction from the central plot which is infinitely more interesting. Instead of watching this girl deal with these two lunatics, instead we meander back and forth and it feels scattered. The third entry of “Saw” is your typical sequel. While “Saw” was very good, and “Saw II” was great, “Saw III” is the weakest. The sub-plots feel like padding in a usually strong story, but because of the relationship between Amanda and Jigsaw, and the surprising climax, it survives.