Cardinal Points

Issue date: 11/3/06 Section: Life

If you were a fan of "Saw I" and "Saw II", and you haven't made it to the theaters yet to see "Saw III", you better get going right now.

The movie trailer promised "Saw III" would be better than the first two and it clearly lived up to the expectations put forth.

"Saw III" picks up right from "Saw II" and starts with Eric Matthews, played by Donnie Walhberg.

If you remember "Saw II", that movie focused around Matthews trying to find his son, but it was Matthews who lost out in the end.

At the beginning, Matthews is in the same room "Saw I" was shot in and he's chained up just like everyone else throughout the trilogy of movies. Will he break free?

Shortly after, you are introduced to the two the movie surrounds - Jigsaw, played by Tobin Bell, and Amanda, played by Shawnee Smith. You follow Jigsaw and Amanda through a number of games throughout the film, just like the previous "Saws".

After being introduced to Jigsaw and Amanda, we encounter the real test - a kidnapped doctor's battle to keep Jigsaw alive. How far will she go?

The doctor, Lynn, played by Bahar Soomekh, has to do everything right along with the stranger Jeff, played by Angus Macfayden.

While Lynn is taking care of Jigsaw, Jeff is going through a number of tasks that in hope will cause Jeff and Lynn both to walk away from the game.

So what makes the third one stand out from the others?

There are new toys not seen in the first two movies.

There is a lot more gore, something that is expected with a movie theme like "Saw".

The acting is a million times better than in the previous two films. In "Saw I", many things looked unrealistic. In "Saw II", they tried to throw a bunch of actors and actresses together, and it didn't work as well.

With "Saw III", they finally saw the right outcome and the performers did an excellent job of selling everything throughout the movie.

The plot was well-written and they did an excellent job of straying away from the downfalls we see in the other films.

The sets remind you of the first two movies and they don't venture too far from what "Saw" is truly about.

The "games" that take place throughout the movie are interesting compared to the first two "Saw's", but they aren't better than the first two.

"Saw III" seemed to focus on the main goal at hand - making Jigsaw better.

"Saw III" will not leave you with unanswered questions in the end, something you couldn't say about "Saw II". You learn about Amanda's and Jigsaw's history and what truly brought the two together.

In an interview about "Saw III", producer Daniel Heffner said the movie was sent to the MPAA ratings board seven times before it was given an "R" rating. Originally, it had been getting an "NC-17" rating. This means the movie is pushing the edges in what it gets away with and the crowd won't be disappointed in the end.

At the end of this movie, you will believe there is no need for another Saw film and if this is your kind of movie, you will be glad you were delighted with three similar films.

If you haven't seen "Saw III", and you're curious on what it's going to be like, there's one question you need to ask yourself.

That question is: Are you ready to play a game?

If you don't like games and you don't like mind tricks, the "Saw" trilogy aren't the right movies for you.

If so, what are you waiting for?

Four starts out of five.

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