Saw
III brings the series full circle. Or does it? I'll never tell. At least not in
this review. I will say that this latest entry in the gorefest franchise is graphic,
and if you're a fan of blood and guts, you won't be disappointed. Is it as strong
as the likes of Hostel and The Descent? I'd say no, but it does top Saw II both
in terms of gore and story structure.
In
Saw III, Jigsaw's back for another round of grisly games, and in a nifty bit of
plot development, most of the major characters are connected in some way or another.
The main plot thread revolves around Jeff (Angus Mcfayden of Braveheart fame),
a deeply depressed, extremely vengeful individual who gets caught up in Jigsaw's
newest sinister plot. I won't go beyond this, but to say that the film makers
do have a few inevitable twists up their sleeves, and for the most part, these
twists feel like an organic part of the plot.
As
for the perverse, sadistic torture methods? Well, they're here too (the sequence
in which a man must detach hooks and chains from his flesh is an absolute charmer),
but the novelty has pretty much worn off, so instead of just creating disturbing
new methods to off a person, writers James Wan and Leigh Whannell, and director
Darren Lynn Bousman have opted to focus more on the characters. Believe it or
not, there is a certain level of – dare I say this – emotional weight
added to the proceedings so that when a person is about to get . . . eliminated,
you may find yourself caring about the individual.
The
screenplay is downright clever in the way that it links itself to the past two
films. In fact, Saw III sort of plays like the Back to the Future II of the series.
We get lots of sequences where the film makers double back to scenes from the
previous films, and show us moments that lead to and or follow various moments
in Saw and Saw II. I could, however, have done without the occasional heavy-handed
mechanics of the script. There are several moments where Whannell and Wan seem
compelled to drill it into the audience's head that taking revenge can never bring
back the life of a deceased loved one. We'll try to bear that in mind, thanks.
While
the torture aspect of the film is very much in keeping with the previous installments,
the film makers have found a way to cleverly move the story forward. There is
a certain level of growth (and diminishment) in some of the returning characters.
You wouldn't expect a Saw film to feature character arcs, but it actually does.
Unlike the characters in the past two films, most of the folks in Saw III actually
feel like real people rather than gimmicky puppets merely there to shift suspicion
from one character to the next.
Saw
III is also a crowd pleaser of sorts, most notably if you're a big fan of gore.
The "drilling" sequence in particular will, no doubt, win the fans over.
I squirmed in me seat on more than one occasion, but that's what I want from a
movie like this.
The
performances are surprisingly strong save for an inconsistent Shawnee Smith who
only seems to come alive when she's inflicting a bit of pain on someone. Her scenes
of emotional anguish don't play well at all but her bond with Jigsaw is an interesting
one. The supporting cast is uncharacteristically effective for this kind of film.
Tobin Bell is devilishly sinister as the mysterious Jigsaw. His true nature was
revealed in the last film, but in Part III, he still has plenty of game left in
him. Angus Macfayden appears as Jeff, the chief lab rat in Jigsaw's master scheme,
and he lends equal parts pain and emotion to the proceedings. Bahar Soomekh is
solid as a doctor who is yet another unsuspecting pawn in Jigsaw's elaborate game.
Visually,
Saw III is decent enough. I could have done without the music video style editing
that plagued every torture scene. That kind of flashy, visual razzle dazzle really
annoys the hell out of me. Thankfully though, the makeup effects and sound work
are top notch adding tension to the numerous uncomfortable moments that make up
the majority of the film.
Saw
III delivers the goods. I was never bored, and I was always somewhat curious where
it was headed. My biggest problems with it (aside from the aforementioned editing)
is the clumsy fashion in which the flashbacks occur, and the ending of the picture.
In fact, I'm convinced that the film makers shot multiple endings and decided
to go with the most cynical of the lot. I'm all for cynical, hell, I don't even
mind the occasional dark and brooding ending (Seven is brilliant, and had it ended
any other way, it really would have pissed me off), but somehow, the ending of
Saw III didn't work for me. I felt like it betrayed who these characters are and
what they've become. Still, the film as a whole works and it always follows its
own rules.
Will
this be the last in the series? I'm not going to reveal that either. I will say,
the game ain't over ‘til it's over.
