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Movies / Upcoming / Saw III
Saw III

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Saw III (2006)

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Reviews Counted:80

Fresh:20

Rotten:60

Average Rating:4.1/10

Consensus: Saw III does little beyond repeating its predecessor's tropes on a gorier level.

Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

US Box Office: $80,150,343

Synopsis: In 2004, a low-budget horror film about a man who put people with moral failings into grisly, murderous situations became a huge hit. In 2005, the sequel scored again, upping the body count and the... In 2004, a low-budget horror film about a man who put people with moral failings into grisly, murderous situations became a huge hit. In 2005, the sequel scored again, upping the body count and the terror. In 2006, the franchise continued, with plenty of gore as well as an emotional story line that delved into the psychological makeup of the main characters. As SAW II concluded, Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) was dying. But that doesn't mean his penchant for playing games of torture and violence is ending. In SAW III, the murders start occurring again, and Kerry (Dina Meyer) is back on the case, although she thinks this time it might be the work of a copycat. She's only partly right: Amanda (Shawnee Smith), the only victim to have survived both movies, has joined Jigsaw as his apprentice, leading the way through a terrifying game involving Lynn (Bahar Soomekh), a doctor in an unhappy marriage, and Jeff (Angus Macfadyen), a distraught man who is having trouble getting over the loss of his son (Stefan Georgiou) at the hands of a drunk driver. Amanda has captured Lynn and placed her in a neck brace that is linked to Jigsaw's heart monitor; she must keep Jigsaw alive or else the brace will explode. Meanwhile, Jeff is sent on a dangerous journey on which he faces all the people involved in the light penalty his boy's killer received--and it is up to him whether he will seek vengeance or offer forgiveness. Helmed by SAW II director Darren Lynn Bousman and written by original SAW screenwriter and star Leigh Whannell (with a story by Whannell and SAW director James Wan), SAW III is an intricately designed, gruesome thriller with a hard-driving soundtrack featuring songs by Slayer, Helmet, and All that Remains. [More]

Starring: Tobin Bell, Angus MacFadyen, Dina Meyer, Shawnee Smith

Starring: Tobin Bell, Angus MacFadyen, Dina Meyer, Shawnee Smith, Alan Van Sprang, Costas Mandylor, Barry Flatman, Lyriq Bent, Bahar Soomekh, Franky G, Donnie Wahlberg

Director: Darren Lynn Bousman

Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Screenwriter: Leigh Whannell
Story: James Wan
Producer: Gregg Hoffman, Oren Koules, Mark Burg
Composer: Charlie Clouser
Studio: Lions Gate Films

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Saw III

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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If you found Hannibal's brain cooking scene a tad too much, you will want to avoid Saw III; but if you are a fan of the gory versions of horror, this will be an iconic essential

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
11/10/06
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
11/03/06
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Witness the distortion of the series' original premise bastardized by those who believe they know better.

Full Review Source: Oscar Guy | comment Comment
10/31/09
Wesley Lovell
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

The extreme gore is gratuitous, and character development non-existent in a movie packed with the cookie-cutter visual design of the previous two films. Torturer, victim and audience become one.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
04/24/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Tom Meek
Tom Meek
Boston Phoenix

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
11/20/08
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
Hollywood.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
10/18/08
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Face your fears. A lesson worthy of praise, if the film preaching them weren't so completely full of ****.

Full Review Source: Projection Booth | comment Comment
01/17/08
Rob Humanick
Rob Humanick
Projection Booth

Nihilistic, amoral, self-congratulatory wanking.

Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | comment Comment
09/27/07
Tim Brayton
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy

Starts with an interesting premise but quickly squanders it on the usual barely-glimpsed bloodbaths.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
08/18/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

One of the most sadistic, brutal, grisly films of the current splatter-porn genre.

Full Review Source: UGO | comment Comment
03/24/07
Brian Tallerico
Brian Tallerico
UGO

The only brains on display are the ones that get drilled out of human skulls.

Full Review Source: Rue Morgue Magazine | comment 1 Comment
02/12/07
Chris Alexander
Chris Alexander
Rue Morgue Magazine

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
02/03/07
Joshua Rothkopf
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out New York

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
12/30/06
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

It requires a stretch of the imagination too far, but there's still plenty of gore and tricksy murders here.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
11/29/06
Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

If humorless torture marathons like this represent the future of American horror cinema, it's time for Hollywood to officially outsource the genre overseas, where they remember the pleasures of a good scare.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
11/13/06
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
Film Journal International

full review in Greek

Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses | comment Comment
11/13/06
Joseph Proimakis
Joseph Proimakis
Movies for the Masses

The third Saw in the franchise loses its edge.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment 1 Comment
11/11/06
David N. Butterworth
David N. Butterworth
rec.arts.movies.reviews

No one will ever be able to accuse series creators and scribes Leigh Wannell and James Wan of being stingy with the red stuff.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
11/11/06
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
all

Latest News for Saw III

October 19, 2009: See Saw with Alex, Day 3: Saw III
Set six months after Saw II, Jeff (Angus Macfayden) is bereaved with the loss of his son, killed by a drunk driver. He's kidnapped and put through a battery of tests, wandering... More...

November 09, 2007: Ending Already Written for Saw V
The biggest thrills of the Saw movies are their surprise endings, which seem to keep audiences guessing even more than M. Night Shyamalan's latest creations. That's why the... More...

November 08, 2007: Box Office Guru Preview: Fred Claus is Coming to Town
Vince Vaughn and Tom Cruise go head to head at the North American box office this weekend with their latest releases. The dodgeball champ goes for holiday laughs with Fred Claus... More...

November 07, 2007: Saw V Still On Track for 2008
Saw IV is the fourth Saw film in as many years. After reports that the Saw franchise would finally take a year off, producer Mark Burg countered that he's still aiming for... More...

See All

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