Movie Review: Saw III - Page 2

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.

Something that makes Jigsaw stand out from the pantheon of big screen killers is that he is not a killer or a murderer -- at least not directly. His torturous exercises are more morality plays. He targets people in need of a change in their lives and he provides the impetus to set them on a new track. The question throughout the series has always been about the lengths they are willing to go to make such changes.

The third entry is stronger than the second, as there is a stronger focus on what the goal is. The traps are pretty gruesome, and, in the end, that is what this is all about. While a decent story is nice, what we really want is a little bit of blood on the big screen. In these days of the watered down PG-13 horror movie, it is nice to see something that goes to the extreme and goes about it in an unapologetic manner such as this.

The acting is decent, with the strongest performances coming from Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith. Bell is bone chilling as Jigsaw, his voice and expressionless face sell the determination and evil within him. He may not see himself as evil, more of a liberator perhaps, but the voice tells us differently. Smith, on the other hand, is a ball of emotion. Watch as she gets wound up tighter and tighter the further the movie progresses. The rest of the cast is okay, even though whenever I saw Angus Macfadyen's Kevin, I kept thinking of Shaun of the Dead's Nick Frost.

Article Author: Chris Beaumont

Christopher Beaumont spends much of his time writing about music and movies when he isn't indulging in them. He is always ready to talk about his favorite form of entertainment and offer up recommendations. Follow: Twitter and Tumblr. Visit: Critical Outcast. …

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