DVD details for
Saw III (2006) More at IMDbPro »

Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) has disappeared (apparently) but his apprentice (Shawnee Smith) continues the sadistic fun and games, with Bahar Soomekh and Angus Macfadyen as the latest victims in the horror movie franchise. Dina Meyer co-stars as the exasperated cop still trying to catch the cruel puppetmaster and Darren Lynn Bousman directs. Available in separate R and unrated editions, and separate widescreen and full screen editions, as well as an unrated Blu-ray release.

The first Saw picture actually had an idea behind it, to say nothing of the ingenuity of its low-budget production; making a silk purse out of a bloody, maggot-ridden human ear, as it were. With Saw III, the franchise pretty much settles into gore for gore's sake, as it explores newer and better ways to traumatize the body--and the audience. Events from Saw II are sewn up at the beginning of the film, and a detective on the trail of mad killer Jigsaw is quickly trussed up and subjected to one of the villain's sadistic games (this one has escape possible only by means of a key sitting in the bottom of a beaker of acid). Then we catch up with Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) himself, as he awaits death from his debilitating illness; once again he's tended by helper Shawnee Smith. The movie follows parallel plots: Jigsaw blackmails a doctor (Bahar Soomekh) into keeping him alive, and tortures a vengeful soul (Angus Macfayden) into recognizing the futility of revenge. Original Saw creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell worked on the script of this one, and it fully buys into the series mythology, referring backwards to previous events and, for all we know, preparing us for future installments. But if future installments are as pointlessly repugnant as this one, there's not much to look forward to.