"Saw III" a gory fun time, and worthy conclusion to the series...

Rating: 8/10 (28 November 2006)

I was a giant fan of the original "Saw" film, which I feel crosses a lot of lines when it came to genre. Most would classify it as a horror film, while others would call it a psychological-thriller, and others would merely call it a splatter-movie. I think it covered all these categories, making it fresh and original in terms of modern thrillers.
"Saw II" tried very hard to be a more psychological film, but in my opinion fell short, though it did deliver the gore it promised and was still an over all fun movie.
Now, "Saw III" is out, the third and presumably final "Saw" film. It dabbles slightly in the psychological side of the characters, but only enough to justify the film's true purpose... blood... and lots of it. It seems the filmmakers Darren Lynn Bousman (Director) and James Wan and Leigh Whannell (Writers) have embraced the gore-fest aspect of the first two films full on this time.
The story goes something like this... Jigsaw, the brutal man who tests his victim's will to survive is finally dying. His new apprentice Amanda has kidnapped a young nurse to keep him alive. If she can keep him alive long enough, she will be let go.
At the same time, a man in constant mourning after the death of his son is being tested as well. He can chose to let those indirectly responsible live or die. And each step brings him closer to the man who actually killed his son.
These parallel story lines both work as one unit, being intertwined by Amanda and Jigsaw. The nurse must keep Jigsaw alive until the man seeks his final vengeance (or forgiveness) of his son's killer.
However, I wish the storyline involving the man and his dead son was a whole movie on it's own. It works as is, but would be more powerful as it's own stand-alone film.
Overall though, the film delivers what it promises, and is a worthy conclusion to the "Saw" trilogy.