By FAR the best movie of 2006...

I know that I'm not going to be in the majority, because I don't think that the majority are truly going to take this movie for what it is. Most people are going to look at this as just another excuse for Hollywood to kill a bunch of people needlessly in order to get the publicity needed to draw huge crowds, all around Halloween... but this movie is far from that. Saw III is probably one of the most complex horror movies that we have seen in a very long time, if not EVER. There is far more detail considered in the movie, far less predictability, and a lot more suprises than anyone could have ever imagined.

I went to see this movie with a group of about 8 people, all of us pretty close friends. We figured that there was no better movie to see on Halloween than Saw III. We had all seen the previous two movies and knew what we were getting ourselves into and expected only the best out of this sequel.

The Cast

Tobin Bell .... Jigsaw/John

Shawnee Smith .... Amanda

Angus Macfadyen .... Jeff

Bahar Soomekh .... Lynn
Mpho Koaho .... Tim

Dina Meyer .... Kerry

Barry Flatman .... Judge Halden

Lyriq Bent .... Rigg

J. LaRose .... Troy
Costas Mandylor .... Forensic Hoffman
Debra McCabe .... Danica (as Debra Lynne McCabe)
Betsy Russell .... Jill

Jane Luk .... Nurse (Emergency Room)
Stefan Georgiou .... Dylan

Niamh Wilson .... Corbett

The Plot
This movie is going to be damn near impossible to explain without giving away key plot points, so I'm going to keep this fairly brief, as I'm sure you already have a concept of the movie as it is. I would truly hate to ruin the best parts of the movie, because you read a review. I think it would take away from the movie substantially.

The movie is based around a doctor (Shannon) who cheated on her husband in a steamy affair, and now neglects her daughter as well. The couple had lost their son due to a drunk driver a while back and everyone in the family is still having issues coping with his death, especially the father, who is constantly at war with the world, taking out everything on everyone else.

Of course, in classic fashion, the two are taken by Jigsaw and his new partner and are asked to play a game. Shannon soon finds that she has to cure the incurable illness that has stricken Jigsaw, while keeping his partner calm in the process so that she doesn't kill her before she has a chance to save his life.

I really can't disclose much else about the plot without exposing the entire movie... so I'll stop here and continue with my review.

The Gore
The biggest aspect of the Saw movies are the reality of them. This could be you at any point of time, suffering, trying to find a way to escape. The idea is that you have a way to escape, but how much are you willing to pay for your freedom and will you appreciate it when it's all said and done. This sequel takes this theory far beyond that of the others. While the other two movies cut away from many of the horribly graphic scenes, this one does not. You are right there watching as rings are pulled through flesh, watching drills pierce through a skull, and you can see it all with chilling clarity.

Graphics and Effects
The special effects in this movie are so realistic that it makes you feel like you are really watching this. Throughout the entire movie, you could look around and see so many jaws dropped, it was just incredible. The entire movie theater was in absolute awe of what they were seeing in front of them. The way that each one of the torture devices operated was so realistic and so deviantly plausible, that it really made my stomach churn, thinking about the times that I am alone in my house and how it could be just a matter of time before I'm the next victim.

The Acting
The acting in the movie is far better than the flawed acting of the first movie. The second movie definitely improved upon the first, however this one is for the most part flawless. There are times when the father seems unconvincing about his sincerity, but he makes up for it in other parts. He is probably the only character that really doesn't seem to show the appropriate emotions consistantly.

There are many great torture scenes where you can look at the faces of those involved and you truly do feel sorry for them and can really see pain in their eyes as if they are really going through this ordeal. The people stay true to their character from start to finish through some excellent scripting. Far too often in the first movie did the characters seem forced and I didn't notice that at all in this movie.

Overall
If you want to watch a movie, and have an open mind about it, this is a great movie to watch. Just keep in mind that if you don't like the type of serial killer gore that is present in the first two and in movies like Hostel, then you aren't going to like this movie. There's twice as much gore in this movie as in previous ones, but there is a reasoning behind it all and the storyline is quite powerful as it all comes together.

I think that this movie is going to be judged due to the amount of gore, and not so much based on the storyline, and to do that is wrong. This movie hits with the same storyline power of Butteryfly Effect, which was another intricately planned out storyline that hit the hardest in incredible fashion at the end when everything comes together. You aren't going to believe the twist that happens in this movie. Even though my entire group knew that there was going to be a huge suprise twist to the movie, there were so many of them at the end, that truly fit into the way the movie was created that it all made sense and it all really came together and made the movie quite incredible. There is no way anyone could have predicted the intense changeups that are thrown at you towards the end... but regardless of how intense they might be, the storyline throughout the entire movie backs them up, rather than they just being thrown in haphazardly to make the movie more interesting like so many other movies do.

This is definitely the best horror movie I have seen in a long time and I'm sure if you really take the time to see it with an open mind, then you're going to feel the same way to. But I will stress that if you have issues sleeping, this movie is going to mess with your mind to an extent that you never thought possible.

Movie Reviews by Richard Ramsey
40 year old virgin
Wedding Crashers
Mr and Mrs Smith
Chronicles of Narnia
Brokeback Mountain
The Benchwarmers
Tristan and Isolde
Failure to Launch
The Omen
The Illusionist
Robots
The Longest Yard
Fun with Dick and Jane