Saw 3 (2006)

Third entry of the "SAW" series is once again directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Leigh Whannell from a story by James and himself.

In “Saw 3”, John Kramer, aka the Jigsaw Killer, is literally on his death bed as his brain tumor continues to slowly take his life. Lynn Denlon, an ER doctor, is kidnapped and taken hostage via “game” to operate on John to ease his suffering and prolong his life. She has a bomb around her neck and it will explode if John dies. In a subtle turn of events, John warns Amanda that her life is in Lynn’s hands. Throughout the movie, Amanda’s jealousy grows as she watches John appreciate the work that Lynn is performing while under duress. Amanda is nearly pushed to the edge during a scene where Lynn is operating while John is having a memory flashback of his wife; when become conscious, he whispers “I love you”.

The first “game” in the movie is a man named Troy, a repeat convict, who wakes up and finds himself in a class room. He has nearly a dozen chains hooked in to his body. Like most Jigsaw “games”, the victim had two minutes to rip each chain out of his body before the timer went and a bomb with nails as shrapnel goes off. Only problem with the trap is that the door to the room was wielded shut, so even if Troy beat his “game”, he would still have been killed by the bomb. This is NOT a part of Jigsaw’s modus operandi. Also, this crime scene introduces Detective Mark Hoffman, a character that would appear in each following sequel.

The second “game” in the movie involves Detective Allison Kerry, the only other character besides John and Amanda to appear in the first three films. Amanda wakes up and finds that she is trapped in a device that will rip her chest open if she doesn’t get it unlocked. The key is placed in a glass jar in front of her. All she has to do is grab the kill and unlock the device. She manages to get the key and unlock the lock but finds that the device has impaled her thoroughly and there is no possible way for her to escape in time. The timer runs out and she is killed. It’s another trap that looks like a Jigsaw “game” but wasn’t designed by him…. (This was the second “game” that made me gasp because I loved her character. The first “game” was the syringe scene in the second film…shudder…).

The main “game” involves an angry and vengeful father named Jeff, whose young child was killed by a hit and run. His anger is all consuming to the point that his daughter is “nothing” and he neglects her and becomes angry when she is found sleeping with one of her brother’s stuff toys; a perfect candidate for Jigsaw. When he wakes up, he begins his own “game” by finding those responsible for the death of his child and the injustice that he believes that took place.

First is a witness to the accident who didn’t testify at the trial. Jeff finds a naked woman in a freezer, and when her “game” begins, coolant is sprayed over her and slowly kills her. All Jeff needs to do is to reach behind some painfully cold pipes to grab the key that will unlock her chains. He yells at her asking her why she did what she did before finally grabbing the key. By then it’s too late and she’s dead.

The second victim that Jeff finds is the judge that ruled so lightly against his son’s accidental killer. All Jeff needs to do is to incinerate his son’s stuffed toys in order to get a key and free the judge. While he makes up his mind on what to do, the judge is laying on his back in a large vat that is being filled up with sawed apart rotted pig corpses, slowly drowning in the filth and maggots. Jeff finally burns the toys and saves the judge.

The third victim on Jeff’s journey is the killer himself, a medical student who accidently hit Jeff’s son. Timothy is attached to “The Rack”, a device that will twist and snap each limb one by one until it snaps his head around full circle. The key to this trap is attached to a shotgun.  Jeff has dreamed of shooting Timothy, so Jigsaw’s question of “Will you do onto others as you will do onto yourself” is taken to a literal level. Jeff finds a way to unscrew the key from its string but the gun still goes off, hitting the judge in the face and killing him. With key and hand but not knowing where to use it, Jeff sadly watches Timothy die.

THE TWIST –

After Jeff finishes the third test, John tells Amanda to let Lynn go. Amanda refuses and John repeats the fact that Lynn is more important to Amanda than shall ever know. Amanda still refuses and shoots Lynn right as Jeff walks in. Jeff uses the gun he found and kills Amanda. John was always testing Amanda to see if she was worthy of his legacy. She was a murderer and John hates murders, the people who played her unwinnable games were just victims.

Jeff, who hasn’t learned anything, slits John’s throat and kills him which in turn makes the bomb around Lynn’s neck explode. The final victim is Jeff and Lynn’s daughter who ends up being locked alone within the complex with a limited supply of air. John was Jeff’s last test and he failed.

Favorite moment – the scene where John and Amanda prepare the bathroom where “Saw” took place. John is applying makeup to make himself look like he shot himself in the head while Amanda locks Adam up and places him in the tub.

Amanda and Lynn

Detective Kerry

Lynn after the bomb!

Troy the Convict