Instead of making us wait until the release of the fourth film for the unrated cut of "Saw III", Lionsgate unleashes it after the first of the year to help horror fans get through the dreary winter months. The third movie has the diabolically brillant Jigsaw dying, being cared for by his demented apprentice Amanda. But while he's down, Jigsaw is not out just yet; Amanda abducts an unlucky Dr. Lynn Denlon and brings her to their warehouse home. With the police combing the city to locate him, Dr. Denlon is held captive and forced to keep Jigsaw alive as he plays possibly his final sadistic game. Usually a film series begins to weaken by the third act, fortunately "Saw III" is an exception to the rule. Strong acting by the cast, especially by Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith as Jigsaw and Amanda, add to the film's intensity and a well written script by Leigh Whannell keep this from being just another churned out horror sequel. Darren Lynn Bousman's taut directing amp up the suspense and tension, although it can occasionally get a bit overwhelming. ******

Image & Sound:

We're given an option of either Dolby 5.1 or Dolby Digital 2.1, both perform equally well. At times too well in fact, as the audio emphasizes the gory action taking place onscreen. That not withstanding, both tracks are well balanced, allowing for the film's score and audio to coexist effectively. The visual presentation is fairly good; although the movie was filmed in a stark, bleaked look, the 16x9 widescreen presentation makes it look as good as it ever is going to. *******

Apparently, plenty of people involved in the film wanted to share their opinions with the general public. The dvd features three commentaries, with director Darren Lynn Bousman, writer Leigh Whannell, executive producers Peter Block and Jason Constantine, editor Kevin Greunet, director of photography David Armstrong, and producers Oren Koules and Mark Burg. While some of this commentary is insightful into the making of the film, it eventually gets a bit repetative. The three featurettes on the film's props, Jigsaw's traps, and the film's director are well done, but there's only so much you want to learn about these movies; they're best enjoyed by die hard horror fans. The several deleted scenes are also a nice addition, and seem to have been taken straight from the editor's Avid workstation. That actually is a plus, with the running timecode giving the footage the forbidden air of something that was snuck out of the studio. The theatrical teaser and trailer are also included, although they really aren't a necessary feature to view.

Final Words: