Saw III (2006)

June 26, 2024 5:52 PM

[TRAILER] Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) has disappeared. Along with his new apprentice, the puppet-master behind the cruel, intricate games that have terrified a community and baffled police has once again eluded capture and vanished. While city detective scrambles to locate him, Doctor Lynn Denlon (Bahar Soomekh) and Jeff Reinhart (Angus Macfadyen) are unaware that they are about to become the latest pawns on his vicious chessboard.

Also starring Shawnee Smith, Donnie Wahlberg, Dina Meyer, Leigh Whannell, Mpho Koaho, Barry Flatman.

Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. Screenplay by Leigh Whannell. Story by Leigh Whannell, James Wan. Produced by Gregg Hoffman, Oren Koules, Mark Burg for Twisted Pictures. Cinematography by David A. Armstrong. Edited by Kevin Greutert. Music by Charlie Clouser. Distributed by Lionsgate.

29% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes (71% audience score).

Currently streaming in the US on Hulu. JustWatch listing.

posted by DirtyOldTown (2 comments total)

In light of Saw X, this aged well. While it does not do so as convincingly or well as that film, this film prefigures that film's attempt to make Jigsaw a highly damaged antihero. He's really trying to work by a consistent moral code here, more than in the previous films. The film may be clumsy and hamfisted about it, but it is legitimately trying to explore the distinction between Jigsaw's bent moral framework and simple psychopathy.

This does have some of the weaker kills in the series overall, and the mystery aspect is not as prominent, if you're a fan of how the series brings in wild and unexpected twists.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:56 PM on June 26

I've seen every film in the Saw franchise. And yet I can only distinctly remember the first two. Everything else? Not so much.
posted by miss-lapin at 8:08 PM on June 26