Suitably Gory - Weak Storyline...

Rating: 7/10 (30 January 2007)

This third entry in the SAW series amps up the gore over the other two entries, and dumbs down the plot a bit. Seems like this series is having a bit of an internal conflict with itself, as it can't seem to decide whether it wants to be a thriller, or a balls-out gore-fest. I like the way that the deaths are getting more graphic, but it's definitely at the expense of a solid storyline.
This one has "Jigsaw" on his death-bed, and he and his apprentice kidnap a surgeon to sustain Jigsaw's life until his final guinea-pig either succeeds or fails in his trap-challenge. The "competitor" is a father whose son was killed by a driver who got off after only six months of jail-time, and Jigsaw's "game" is to promise vengeance for the father - if he makes it through a series of obstacles...
SAW III started off great - two rough scenes in the first 15 minutes or so, then it starts to slow down a bit. The story about Jeff (the father), while providing some decent gore-gags, didn't do much for me story-wise. I honestly felt no kind of connection to him, his plight, and really didn't care whether he lived or died. I think if it weren't for the elaborate death set-ups, I probably wouldn't have cared for this one at all. Luckily, the kills and traps are inventive enough to be entertaining, and there are some tense moments as you wait to find out the fate of each person who comes into the picture. The ending was a bit uninspired and I found it a bit confusing and implausible. Of the three - I enjoyed this the original the least (two slow, not enough pay-off), the second the best (good mix of decent storyline and cool traps), and this third one is in the middle. I really dug the gore, but the story-line just didn't work for me. Either way, I'd recommend it for gore fans, or fans of the series. The uncut version of SAW III shows that there may be hope for gory, Hollywood-made horror afterall...7.5/10