As soon as the first Saw was declared a hit, a sequel was fast tracked. A year later, the sequel opened and was an even bigger hit, and a third was immediately set into motion. Here we are, three years, three Saw movies later. These films are arguably the father of the current trend of torture flicks like Hostel (and its upcoming sequel) and Wolf Creek.

The Saw movies are a pretty interesting beast. They offer visceral excitement, but they also try to take a step beyond into something a little more thought provoking. Just how successful any of these films are at stimulating anything above the visceral level is up for debate, but it is nice to see the attempt being made. They sort of remind me of the Nightmare on Elm Street films, the one long running series I thought at least made the attempt at having a story.

Before going any further, I must get a little something off of my chest. There is something that has bugged me about each of the movies in the series: the modus operandi of our ringleader of torture. I was never all that happy about the way his methods changed from person to person. I completely understand and like the way he would change his little mechanical contraptions to suit the victim; they always had the device in commo. The problem is why do some victims have the quick decision, while others have the long winded test? Why the change? It works for the movie, giving us some early tension and blood prior to getting into the story proper, but it was a little difficult to reconcile logically. With that off my chest, I can let it go and just enjoy the movies for what they are.

The first Saw introduced us to Jigsaw and his twisted games, the second had Jigsaw escalating the scope of his games and bringing along an apprentice. Now, in the third film, the apprentice is on her way to becoming a gamemaster, especially now with Jigsaw on his deathbed. These are difficult films to review without giving away the secrets. This is a film that works best when you go in without any prior knowledge outside of the first two films.

One of the surprising things about Saw III is just how satisfying the story ended up being. I don't like Jigsaw or Amanda, and I do not want to sympathize with them for any perceived hardships, yet I am intrigued by the choices they make and the twisted relationship they've developed between them. Everything about the film is window dressing for the Jigsaw/Amanda relationship. Sure, there are traps and other, presumably innocent, people put in harm's way, but they serve as a magnifying glass for the primary baddies. He has a well-thought out plan of what he wants to do and how he wants to go about achieving that end. She may believe she cares for him, but she has a distorted version of his vision and the two are at odds with each other.