Coming in yearly intervals, the Saw franchise has built its reputation on the two things it does extraordinarily well — shocking twist endings and a keen sense for how much brutality audiences can stand. This third and possibly final entry in the series stands up to its predecessors in both categories, though maybe not in the follow through.

Saw III feels smaller than the first sequel, without a large cast or multiple settings. For most of the film’s main story, the focus is on a slowly dying Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), the madman responsible for some of the goriest deaths in mainstream cinema history. With a tumor slowly causing his death, his game is hatched with a grieving father and female surgeon as the players.

Crazed follower Amanda (Shawnee Smith) carries out many of Jigsaw’s plans given his grave condition. Smith performs admirably, particularly as things break down and her mental state becomes questionable (or at least more so than previously). The death traps are as ingenious as ever, and the end result becomes consistently more brutal as the franchise moves on. A few gore sequences go on for an extended period, especially a rather pointless brain surgery that has no purpose other than to show brain surgery on screen.

As a possible finale, Saw III makes an attempt to clear up questions about the previous movies. A nice flashback to the original offers an excellent glimpse into what it took to craft the setting for its victims. A few characters' stories are closed as well. This cannot be viewed as an individual effort. It requires both of its prequels to come together.

When that happens, the series takes a spill. Jigsaw’s ultimate plan is riddled with holes as he explains it to his assistant. He would have to assume countless things would take place in order for everything to come together as he envisioned it. Not only was it unfeasible, it would nearly be impossible even in a film where a man has every limb snapped in half by a complex machine that few industrial engineers could build.

Still, if you’re looking for this brand of dark side entertainment, Saw III sticks to its horror roots and provides enough of a story to keep the viewer hooked. While the finale may come off as a dead end, the ride to get there is worthwhile. This is one for fans looking to get some questions answered and some closure.