The Pioneer Times

Issue date: 11/15/06 Section: Entertainment

The third installment of the "Saw" horror film series is not only surprisingly good, but it also surpasses the first two films' quality.

"Saw III" is definitely less polished and more character-driven. The deaths are a little more grisly and traps now follow a different theme. What's new about "Saw III" is how strongly the emotional angle is played.

The main character is Jeff (Angus Macfayden), a man who became unstable after a drunk driver killed his son and must now move through a series of tests set up by Jigsaw (Tobin Bell). The subject of each test is someone who was in some way a part of not only the death of his boy, but in letting the person responsible go free after what Jeff considers a light sentence. It's up to him to either forgive them and save their lives, or let them die in several twisted and gruesome ways.

The plot is much tighter in "Saw III," and the story is stronger than in the previous two movies. A lot of flashbacks to the first two films clear up some glaring plot holes. It isn't necessary to have seen the previous films, but it would help.

The first film was clever, without being smart. The acting wasn't what it should have been, and some of the dialogue was painfully forced. What the first one did have though, was a cool, quick feel and some definite eye-opening moments. Of course, the reveal of the true Jigsaw Killer in the end was still more goofy than shocking.

The second film fell away from the preaching and the theme of torture for each specific person's shortcomings. That was all traded in for a series of booby traps from an evil version of "Home Alone." Of course, this radical departure can be tossed up to the fact that the second film's script was not originally written to be "Saw II," but another project that the studio bought and altered to fit the series, according to the movie's website.

The surprises in "Saw III" aren't as far-fetched as they were in the series' first two films, making this one not only a good sequel, but also a good standalone movie. A relatively weak ending suggests a built-in possibility of a fourth movie, (which is in the works, by the way). The ending also contradicts most of the rest of the film in some ways, leaving viewers feeling a little cheated. Until the last few minutes, though, the film is impressively well done. And who knows? Perhaps a fourth go at the series will prove to be even more impressive.

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