Respectable sequel is better than subsequent sequels but not as good as previous films

Rating: 5/10 (1 April 2018)

The first "Saw" film was an excellent grizzly thriller and the first two sequels were surprisingly good even though they were taken over by another director, Darren Lynn Bousman. I think what I liked most about these sequels is that the director was willing to kill off many main characters from the earlier films. This sequel also benefits from James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the writers of the original film, returning to write the film. This time Jigsaw, Tobin Bell, dying in a hospital bed, but with the help of Shawnee Smith is still able to carry out his games, kidnapping a doctor who's son was killed in a hit-and-run accident and putting him through a series of games/choices/situations where he can exact his revenge on those responsible. The first "Saw" film was unfairly written off as torture porn, when it's really a terrific suspense thriller that happens to be excruciatingly gory. However, the subsequent sequels, this one included, are the typification of the torture porn genre, which is either a good or bad thing depending upon your feelings of the horror sub genre. As films of this disreputable genre go, "Saw III" is nowhere close to being as good as "Martyrs" or "Hostel," but is far better than the worst of the genre (i.e. "Turistas" or the "I Spit on Your Grave" remake). Donnie Wahlberg, Dina Meyer, and Betsy Russell also appear in the film, and composer Charlie Clouser returns to provide another effectively unsettling score.