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Saw III
Lionsgate

Saw III reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 48 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
6.0 out of 10
based on 16 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 132 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: R for strong grisly violence and gore, sequences of terror and torture, nudity and language

Starring Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Angus Macfadyen, Bahar Soomekh, Dina Meyer, J. LaRose, and Debra McCabe

With his new apprentice Amanda (Smith), Jigsaw, the puppet-master behind the cruel, intricate games that have terrified a community and baffled police, has once again eluded capture and vanished. While two city detectives scramble to locate him, they are unaware that they are about to become the latest pawns on his vicious chessboard. (Lionsgate)


GENRE(S): Crime  |  Horror  |  Suspense/Thriller  
WRITTEN BY: Leigh Whannell (also story)
James Wan (story)
 
DIRECTED BY: Darren Lynn Bousman  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: January 23, 2007 
Theatrical: October 27, 2006 
RUNNING TIME: 107 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

80
LA Weekly Scott Foundas
That may not exactly thrill those who admire the Saw films only for their splatter quotient, but all told, this is a more affecting study in grief, guilt and human frailty than "Babel."
Read Full Review
75
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Admit it: It's not every horror film that can make you feel preached at and slimed at the same time.
Read Full Review
70
The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck
While Saw III provides a decent number of new twists, psychological as well as torture-wise, it necessarily lacks the originality of its predecessors.
Read Full Review
63
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
An improvement over the tedious "Saw II" (2005), this second sequel to the surprise 2004 hit still features the series' trademark gruesome "games" but shifts the focus to the relationships among the characters.
Read Full Review
63
Philadelphia Inquirer Tirdad Derakhshani
The question for moviegoers: Would you rather get your dose of existenz-philosophie from Dostoyevsky or a slasher flick?
Read Full Review
60
Variety Robert Koehler
Unlike the disturbingly mysterious original, Saw III is a neatly wrapped-up package that explains everything -- including Jigsaw's evil contraptions and the background of his crazed female assistant.
Read Full Review
60
Los Angeles Times Michael Ordona
Bottom line, those in the "Saw" factory know their audience and have brought along the appropriate buckets and bibs. Even devotees, however, may note pacing problems and tire of Jigsaw's selective omnipotence.
Read Full Review
50
The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
Saw III may be the best of the trilogy; hopefully, it'll encourage its makers to wrap the franchise on a relatively high note.
Read Full Review
50
Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
Pop psychology has never been as visceral as it is in Saw III.
Read Full Review
50
Film Threat Stina Chyn
As much as you'd like the characters to become better people and beat Jigsaw's game, there is also a strong desire simply to watch violent spectacle. And somehow, there just isn't enough of the latter.
Read Full Review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jason Anderson
The presence of some genuine feeling distinguishes Saw III from its predecessors. That said, it has plenty of the blood, torture and dismemberment that moviegoers demand from their Halloween weekend entertainment.
Read Full Review
40
The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis
The most depressing thing about this series is not the creativity of the bloodletting but the bleak view of human nature.
Read Full Review
38
New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
Just like its increasingly wan antihero, this blood-soaked series is on its last legs.
Read Full Review
30
Village Voice Rob Nelson
This is laughably absurd, but unlike the first "Saw," the third installment gives no indication that its humor is intentional.
Read Full Review
25
San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub
While "Saw" and "Saw II" were pretty good splatter films hampered by spectacularly unbelievable endings, Saw III is annoying for almost the duration of the movie.
Read Full Review
25
Boston Globe Wesley Morris
Television is a state of mind. And the makers of Saw III have delivered the most despicable episode of "One Life to Live" ever.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 6.0 (out of 10) based on 132 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Job A. gave it a5:
Very disappointed.I liked Saw and loved Saw II but this one was terrible.

[Anonymous] gave it a0:
If you think this movie is actually good, then your an idiot. The fourth one is out this weekend and who knows why

Jason S. gave it a6:
Not quite as good as saw 1 but better then saw 2.

lkhoiuh A. gave it a5:
The second was better.. it was more disturbing than the second and it was not as intriguing

Balzac Balzac gave it a0:
Morally repugnant, sadistic and pointless unless you kick your kicks watching people being tortured physically and mentally. If you do then you should probably join Al-Queda.

Matthew T. gave it a10:
It's Amanda's story and is really pretty brilliant and heartbreaking. It's the best of the three.

AB gave it a9:
Although "Saw III" is even less scary than its prequels, it retains the unique mood and attitude of the series while boasting the best story yet. The level of gore has been raised considerably, which is actually a positive characteristic - it maintains a series trademark in a film that otherwise could have easily been shown on the Lifetime channel. For its ability to mix an important message with an extreme level of gore and a surprising ending, "Saw III" is the best "Saw" by far.

Read more user comments...

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