"Saw III" - Third time's a charm, isn't it?

Rating: 8/10 (23 January 2007)

It was a few weeks before Halloween 2006 that I was able to get my hands on the uncut edition of "Saw II" (2005) and, boy, was that a nasty entry in this horror series. But the third film, "Saw III" is probably the best yet, following the first "Saw" (2004).
"Saw II" is probably the series low point, with part III bringing it (presumably) to a breathtaking close. James Wan directed the first "Saw," and Darren Lynn Bousman has been behind the camera for part II and part III. Leigh Whannell (Adam in the first "Saw") wrote the screenplay for this third entry.
Again like "Saw II," the infamous Jigsaw Killer (the ever-creepy Tobin Bell) is out in the open, and so is his young apprentice Amanda (Shawnee Smith, who survived a reverse bear-trap device in "Saw" and whose true identity was revealed in "Saw II"). This time, the terminally ill Jigsaw Killer has Amanda kidnap Doctor Lynn Denlon (Bahar Soomekh) to operate on the ailing killer. The twist is, Lynn has a bomb strapped to her head and in the event Jigsaw flat-lines or she's out of range, well, she won't be having anymore headaches.
Lynn's horror story is paralleled with the plight of the vengeance-stricken Jeff (Angus MacFayden), whose young son was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. Jigsaw has set up a tricks & traps funhouse that Jeff must make his way out of in two hours and in the process, face the demons of his vengeance. And thus, let the games begin.
Of all the "Saw" movies, "Saw III" is the most reflective, often drawing on the past two films to advance its plot and wrap up shoddy details from those films. What I have always admired about the "Saw" films is the excellent writing. If at all, I would just like to praise Whannell for one heck of a story. But the only thing that detracts from the "Saw" movies is some of the haunted house elements and occasionally uneven writing.
Like "Saw" and "Saw II," "Saw III" benefits from its tripped-out editing, trippy score, and cinematography. The tricks & traps scenarios the filmmakers present us with get nastier and more grisly with each movie. Tobin Bell has been the central figure of the last two movies and his creepy performance is likely to rank as some of the best work of a screen serial killer.
It will be amazing if a fourth film is ever made.
8/10