Saw III

  • Review Date: January 22, 2007
  • R
  • Genre: Horror
  • 2006
 Review

Common Sense Media says

More bloody mayhem from Jigsaw; not for kids.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this horror sequel isn't for kids, though plenty of gore-loving teens will probably want to see it. Like its predecessors, it follows a series of characters trapped in terrible, torturous situations. Characters meet gruesome, bloody ends: suffocation, freezing, being shot through the neck, being pulled apart while attached to hooks and chains, neck and limbs being twisted and broken, and even a head exploding. One character performs graphic brain surgery, and another -- who's emotionally tormented -- cuts her own thigh. Repeated references to a 6-year-old boy who was hit and killed by a drunk driver. A woman appears getting out of bed (post-sex) with a man; another is shown hanging by her arms, completely naked (full frontal). A doctor pops anti-depressants and appears dazed while working on a little boy in the ER. Profanity includes 35+ uses of "f--k."

  • Devious death designer Jigsaw (John) preaches against vengance, insisting that he teaches "lessons," but he's a murderer, no matter what he says.
  • Incessant torture, pain, and blood. Torture implements include saws (circular and hack), mechanical devices, hooks, chains, guns, knives, explosives, freezer, a limb/neck-breaking machine; victims are bound and gagged, ripped apart by machines, exploded, sliced, frozen, suffocated by plastic bag, shot, impaled, and nearly drowned in pulverized pig (gloppy, disgusting substance); Amanda cuts herself on her thigh (and in a flashback, you see that she cut herself habitually); a doctor performs brain surgery (graphic, using drill and saw); victims are abruptly grabbed by hooded/masked figure; flashbacks to a little boy on his bike hit by car (still photos); flashback shows Eric (from Saw II) sawing/slamming off his own foot, then attacking Amanda (punching, slamming with board) and calling her names.
  • Kerry appears in the tub (body visible from the shoulders up); brief scene of adulterers in the same bedroom; woman victim hangs by her arms, chained to a freezer ceiling: she's nude, and you see several full-frontal shots (everything is visible).
  • Repeated uses of "f--k" (35+), in addition to other profanity (one use of "c--t," a few instances of "s--t," "damn," and "hell").
  • Not applicable.
  • Lynn pops anti-depressant pills; in a flashback, Eric calls Amanda a "junkie bitch" (though you don't see instances of her addiction in this installment).

What's the story?

The insidious, ever-vengeful John Kramer/Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) returns for more blood and gore in SAW III. John's still up to his same old tricks-- selecting "subjects" who need to be morally reeducated and putting them in situations in which they must sacrifice some precious idea or body part in order to escape. This time, John/Jigsaw is bedridden with his cancerous brain tumor, so his protégé Amanda (Shawnee Smith) goes forth to bring a primary victim to his video-monitored warehouse. Amanda reels in Jeff (Angus Macfadyen), a man haunted by the death of his young son. Jeff must decide the fates of three other victims, all tied to his son's tragic death. He's forced to weigh his long-professed desire for revenge against the urge to do the "right" thing by forgiving those he blames for his pain. Meanwhile, Amanda's other snare, drug-addicted brain surgeon Lynn (Bahar Soomekh), is locked in a collar that will blow her head off if she doesn't operate on Jigsaw John. Lynn makes a series of decisions that John admires and says he wants to reward. But despite his assurances, Lynn isn't in control of her own fate. She's only part of a larger scheme -- which is how you might be feeling by the end of this third installment.


Is it any good?

 

The judgmental/instructional killer was introduced in the very low-budget Saw, in which Jigsaw's victims were locked in a basement for 90 minutes, the limits of space and time showing the ingenuity of young Australian filmmakers James Wan and Leigh Wannell. Since then, the murderous schemes and devices have been elaborated upon, and Jigsaw granted more history (this time he even gets a lost love, sunny and blond). For fans of the franchise, the expansion is both good (more of the same) and bad (obscuring the initial, strangely elegant simplicity).

Saw III offers more of the torture and suffering audiences have come to expect from the bloody series. Though its script is slightly more sophisticated than either of its predecessors -- Saw and Saw II -- its concept is the same. Darren Lynn Bousman's film is bursting with graphic, sometimes stomach-turning images of gore and suffering. But it also threads through a series of plot twists that pay off -- sometimes cleverly, usually predictably.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about John/Jigsaw's seeming "lesson" -- that revenge doesn't stop pain or guilt, but only prolongs it. How does Jigsaw judge his victims in order to rationalize his cruelty? How can you apply his lesson to other, less sensationally violent situations? What are other options besides "getting even" with someone who wronged you? How do you see Amanda's devotion to John? Is it possible for her to "love" him? How does her inability to learn John's "lesson" mark her inability to forgive or love anyone?


This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
Kid, 11 years old
April 2, 2010
 
Saw III
Rated R For Strong Grisly Violence And Gore,Sequences Of Terror And Torture,Nudity And Language

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Teen, 17 years old
March 19, 2010
 
Pretty good series
There is some gore in this film and scenes of torture. There's some strong language and a scene where a woman is completely nude. Too violent for young kids.

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Teen, 14 years old
June 23, 2010
 
Not good for any kids under 14
This might be the worst Saw movie ive seen. It is very confusing. One part there was a naked woman being hung by chains. I had to skip through that part. When I heared the C word I knew I had to turn it off. This movie is not for kids. Too much cussing and sex related stuff. The torture is bloodier that the first and second one.

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Teen, 16 years old
June 5, 2010
 
Not even suitable for some adults!
Ok, this mmovie took me 3 yeers to watch because i just couldnt get past some of it, A GIRL GETS HER RIBCAGE RIPPED OUT, N A GY GETS HIS ARMS, LEGS N HEAD TWISTED AL THE WAY AROUND!!!!!!!! INSANITY!!!!

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Teen, 13 years old
November 28, 2011
 
FD with this with Chucky- WTF
Lol believe or not if I tell u this,but it's true I never lie and that's not a lie too I promise you Lololololol I took my lil brother( hes 10)to see it bcuz my parents Wouldn't allow him to stay home my dad and me and his friend with his friends son were going and my mum was meeting up so he had to go..lol and he cried and we had to go out of the cinema ..then we bought the directors cut and the uncut and watched it again on DVD..lololololol

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Teen, 14 years old
October 29, 2011
 
Possibly the best of the series.
Best of the series, I enjoy how the Idea is about saving the people who hurt the character, as apose to saving the people who helped the character like in part six and seven. The movie is violent, but if you could handle the first two, you are probably good for this one. Language is heavy, but they are just words, they cannot harm you. There is a scene of nudity, but it is presented on a non-sexual manner. Overall, this is a good movie, Much better than the second and equal to if not better than the first.

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Teen, 15 years old
May 31, 2011
 
i love this movie
best movie ever. very very violent but really cool :)

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Teen, 18 years old
September 1, 2010
 
A Record
Hopefully im not cursing myself but this is great also. The 1st time ive seen a series of movies were the 1st three are great. The violence is a lot bloodier in this, although not to bad. The most disgusting part was the brain surgery (not for weak stomachs). there is full frontal female nudity. but overall the twist in this was one of the best sofar. so if ur a fan of the 1st 2 ull like this one 2.

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Teen, 14 years old
January 1, 2011
 
Gross
I threw up during this movie. Very Gory..

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Adult
September 17, 2010
 
now the series gets a huge downfall
Saw 1-3 i dared to watch but this movie goes beyond limits of humanity the scenes are gross and gory also the bad language is at limits aswell. unless u dont want to see a man twisting his body or woman getting freezed then get it otherwise stay clear off.

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This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
Studio:Lionsgate
Director:Darren Lynn Bousman
Cast:Angus Macfadyen, Shawnee Smith, Tobin Bell
Genre:Horror
Run time:107 minutes
Theatrical release date:October 27, 2006
DVD release date:October 23, 2007
MPAA rating:R
MPAA explanation:strong grisly violence and gore, sequences of terror and torture, nudity and language.

This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
 

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ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
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