Saw III

The concept is simple—present not-so-good people with a horrifyingly painful test, and when (or if) they pass, they might walk out with a greater appreciation for life. It’s bloody, it’s gutsy, and it has a great twist at the end. At least the first two did. This third Saw tries to unify all three installments (with snippets from the first two, including explanations not given before) while at the same time very quickly wrapping up loose ends from Saw II. Here, Jigsaw, aka John (Tobin Bell), is still alive (barely), and he has just a few more tests to administer. To help him in this effort is Amanda (Shawnee Smith), his young prodigy. Together, John and Amanda kidnap a bright, beautiful doctor (Bahar Soomekh) and bring her to their lair to keep John, who is dying of cancer, alive while the latest game is being played. Where the first two films were shocking and gory and, actually, quite clever, this one is missing a few pieces—and it can probably be blamed on Amanda. She’s too loose a cannon and John, whose meticulous approach made the other films work beautifully, is constantly forced to calm her down.