Saw III
Encyclopedia
Saw III is a 2006 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman
from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell
and story by James Wan
and Whannell. Wan and Whannell directed and wrote Saw
and Bousman wrote and directed Saw II
. It is the third film in the seven-part Saw film series and stars Tobin Bell
, Shawnee Smith
, Angus Macfadyen
, Bahar Soomekh
and Dina Meyer
. Bell, Smith, Meyer, Donnie Wahlberg
and Lyriq Bent
reprise their roles from the previous films. Franky G
and Tim Burd from Saw II make small cameos. Saw III marks the first appearances of Costas Mandylor
and Betsy Russell
, albeit minor roles; they would later become major characters in the series.
The story follows Jeff after his son is hit and killed by a car; he is put in a series of tests by Jigsaw in order try and let go of his vengeance on the man that killed him. Meanwhile a bed-ridden John Kramer has ordered his apprentice Amanda Young
to kidnap a doctor named Lynn, in order to keep him alive for one final test before he dies of cancer. Saw III also contains additional back-story
about the two antagonists.
Production began right after Saw IIs successful opening weekend. Filming took place in Toronto
from May to June 2006. Whannell aimed to make the story more emotional than previous installments, particularly with the Amanda and Jigsaw storyline. The film is dedicated to producer Gregg Hoffman
who died on December 4, 2005.
Saw III was released on and was a financial success, opening to $33.6 million and grossing $80.2 million in the United States and Canada. It is the highest-grossing film of the series in the international market with $84.6 million and the highest-grossing film in the series with $164.8 million worldwide. It received mixed to negative reviews from critics. Bell was nominated for "Best Villain" at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards
and the film received nominations for a Saturn Award
as "Best Horror Film" and Teen Choice Award
. Saw III was released to DVD
and Blu-ray Disc
on and topped the charts selling 2.5 million units in its first week. It was followed with a sequel, Saw IV
, released in .
(Donnie Wahlberg
) escapes the bathroom by breaking his foot with the remains of a toilet tank lid and slipping it out of the shackle. Later, another Jigsaw victim is discovered by Lt. Rigg (Lyriq Bent
) and Detectives Kerry (Dina Meyer
) and Hoffman (Costas Mandylor
). In his test, Troy (J. Larose
) had to rip chains from his flesh in order to escape from a bomb; however, the door to the room was sealed, making the trap inescapable. This is observed by Kerry, who feels guilty over Matthews' disappearance; she later awakens in a harness hooked into her ribs. She retrieves a key to the harness from a beaker of acid, but the device kills her anyway.
Jeff (Angus Macfadyen
), a vengeful man unable to cope with the death of his son, and Lynn Denlon (Bahar Soomekh
), a depressed doctor, are kidnapped under John Kramer's (Tobin Bell
) orders. Lynn is brought before John, now bedridden from cancer, by Amanda Young
(Shawnee Smith
) and is given a straightforward game: keep John alive for the duration of Jeff's game. Should John die, or should she try to escape, the collar around her neck will fire five shotgun shells at her head. Jeff awakens in the middle of an abandoned meatpacking plant and is informed that he must go through several tests, which will lead him to "the man responsible for the loss of his child."
In his first test, Jeff enters a freezer and finds Danica (Debra Lynne McCabe), who witnessed the car accident that killed his son Dylan but refused to testify in court. She is naked and chained between two poles spraying ice-cold water at random intervals; she eventually convinces Jeff to help her, but is frozen solid and totally covered in rime in a matter of seconds before he can retrieve the key. In his second test, Jeff successfully frees Judge Halden (Barry Flatman
), who only sentenced Dylan's killer to six months in prison and was thus a target of Jeff's rage, from the bottom of a vat being filled with liquefied pig corpses by incinerating his late son's toys to retrieve a key. In his third test, Jeff finds Timothy (Mpho Koaho
), his son's killer, strapped to a machine that will twist his limbs and neck one by one until they break. He retrieves a key attached to the trigger of a shotgun but accidentally kills Halden when it discharges, and Timothy's neck is broken before he can unlock the device. With his tests nonetheless complete, Jeff moves on to the final area.
Meanwhile, Lynn and Amanda work together to keep John alive. During an improvised brain surgery intended to relieve pressure on John's brain, he begins hallucinating about another woman
and declares his love out loud. Distressed from witnessing this, Amanda leaves the sickroom to continue monitoring Jeff. Flashbacks reveal that Amanda continued cutting herself
after John became bedridden, and she recollects becoming John's apprentice and kidnapping Adam (Leigh Whannell
) prior to the events of the first film
. Amanda also finds a letter addressed to her, its contents further distressing her. After the surgery, Lynn and John talk privately; Lynn reveals that her ordeal has given her a new appreciation for her family. Amanda returns with the news that Jeff's tests are complete, but refuses to release Lynn; she reveals that she does not believe John's modus operandi
and had designed her tests to be inescapable accordingly, including Troy's and Kerry's. She also reveals that she left Eric Matthews for dead and that she had given Adam a mercy killing
through suffocation
.
Amanda shoots Lynn in the back just as Jeff arrives in the sickroom and he retaliates by shooting her in the neck. John reveals to the dying Amanda that the test was hers: she was being tested on her will to keep someone alive, not knowing that Jeff and Lynn were married. Amanda dies from her wound and John gives Jeff one last test, where he can choose between killing John or forgiving him; John offers to call an ambulance for Lynn if Jeff forgives him. Jeff takes a circular saw, tells John he forgives him, and slashes John's throat. The door to the room seals itself as a dying John plays a tape recorder, which reveals that Jeff has failed his final test by killing John, who was the only person to know the whereabouts of his daughter, Corbett (Niamh Wilson). In order to find her, Jeff must play another game. The tape ends as John dies, and the shotgun collar activates and kills Lynn simultaneously, leaving Jeff trapped with the three corpses as he screams in agony.
unexpectedly died a few weeks after the release of Saw II. Writer and director of Saw II
, Darren Lynn Bousman
and Saw
writer Leigh Whannell
originally turned the offer down to make a third film. Whannell, Bousman, and James Wan
got together to have lunch the day they heard of Hoffman's passing and came to conclusion that Saw III was going to be made with or without them so they decided to make the film in dedication to Hoffmann. Whannell aimed to make Saw III more emotional, describing the plot as essentially a "love story" between Jigsaw and Amanda.
Bousman said they did not intend to have a twist ending, as distinctly as the previous films, noting that "I think most people will figure it out in the first 15 minutes of the film". Whannell added, "What Darren and I struck for Saw III was to have an emotionally impactful ending. We wanted something that would almost make someone who was really invested in the story cry. We have Jigsaw, this character who's been so cold and clinical, he's been presented throughout the previous two films as someone who's very much in control. He's more like a reptile than a human being. In Saw III he becomes a human being. You see him crack. His veneer cracks and that was what was most important to us far and above any sort of gimmick or twist". Whannell also answered questions from previous films that were brought up by fans on the official Saw message board. As with the previous two films, the ending was only given to the actors who appeared in the final scene at the time it was filmed. At one point the script was stolen from Bousman's chair, however it was returned before it was leaked online.
took place for 27 days at Toronto
's Cinespace Film Studios from to late June. Production borrowed the bathroom set used in Scary Movie 4
, which parodied Saw and Saw II, since it closely resembled the old set. Almost all the transitions from one place to another were not made using digital effects; the transitions were shot on the spot. For example, when the camera moves from Troy's crime scene to Kerry being in the bathtub, Meyer had to run, take off all her clothes, and jump into the tub. Visually the film is akin to the previous two with using quick cuts and fast-paced rhythms. Bousman said, "We're using a lot of whip pan
s and flash frames to create a dynamic feel". Post-production
services were provided by Deluxe
.
s attached with honey. Bell said in an Empire interview that the "Pig Scene" was his favorite trap in the entire series.
For "The Rack Trap", Whannell originally conceived it as a trap that would fold a person into a box, though it eventually morphed into the twisting of body parts. Bousman wanted to have a trap that involved freezing someone to death since the films have already touched on burning to death, bleeding to death and being cut to death. A body cast was made of Debra Lynn McCabe for "The Freezer Room" trap, but because of safety regulations a person cannot be entombed, so only a front or back body cast could be on the actress at any given time. For the "Classroom Trap", J. Larose
's character was originally going to be hanged from the ceiling by meat hooks, but it was decided against that since he would not have been able to rip the chains out himself (as the script calls for). It proved to be a challenge since it is done with prosthetics
and practical effect
s.
(MPAA) ratings board was less concerned with the film's graphic violence because television shows like CSI have expanded the scope of what is acceptable viewing with their graphic depictions of crime scenes and autopsies. Bousman said the MPAA is more concerned with emotional torture that disturbs the audience. In Japan, Saw III received a R18+ rating
while the previous two films received an R15+ rating. At screenings in the United Kingdom, five people were reported to have fainted at separate cinemas with three at one cinema, resulting in ambulances called.
in theaters on . However, the MPAA would not allow it. On Bell, Smith and Bousman appeared at Spike TV
's Scream Awards to promote the film and the clip of Troy's trap was shown.
Lionsgate
's president of theatrical marketing Tim Palen
thought of the idea to make 1,000 posters with a small amount of Bell's blood, which was mixed with the printing ink. He said, "We decided to do a poster and he's wearing a red cloak. I was talking to the printer and asked what we could do to get the deepest blood red. I asked if it would be possible to use actual blood. There was silence. He said, 'We could try, but are you serious?' I said I was dead serious." The posters were sold for $20, with the first being auctioned off; all the proceeds from the auctioned poster were donated to the Red Cross. Lionsgate also held the third annual "Give Til It Hurts" blood drive
for the Red Cross and collected 23,493 pints of blood.
gave it a 7.2 out of 10.
Track listing
and Blu-ray Disc
through Lionsgate Home Entertainment
on . It topped the home video charts in the United States and Canada with 1.6 million units sold its first day and finished the week with 2.5 million units sold. The "Unrated DVD" was also released that day and features a 113 minute cut of the film that includes more gore. A 120-minute long Director's Cut
was released on to coincide with the theatrical release of Saw IV
on . It also included an alternative ending.
weekend debut for five years until it was beaten in 2011 by Puss in Boots
($34 million). It was also Lionsgate's highest-opening weekend. Lionsgate's exit polling indicated that 69 percent of the audience was under 25 years old and 51 percent was male. In its second weekend it placed number four dropping down 56% to $14.8 million, compared to Saw II second weekend drop of 47% to $16.9 million. The film was closed out of theaters on , after 49 days of release.
Saw III opened at number five in the international market with an estimated $6 million. It opened at number one in the United Kingdom
to $4.7 million. In Taiwan
it placed third and opened to $320,000. For its second weekend it opened to number two with an estimated $9.7 million. In Spain
it made $3.1 million, an improvement over the previous films. For its third weekend, Saw III grossed $8 million, including Japan
's opening on 86 screens with $1.1 million. Australia
made $4.3 million, Spain grossed $3.8 million and Brazil
made $3.8 million. In its fourth weekend it placed fourth place with an estimated $5.6 million from 24 territories. Its best market was a second-place start in France.
The film has come to gross $80.2 million in the United States
and Canada and $84.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $164.8 million. Saw III has the highest-grossing weekend in the series and also holds the records of highest-grossing in the international market and is the highest-grossing film in the series worldwide. It is also Lionsgate's fifth highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada.
reports that 25% of 83 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 4.2 out of 10. Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 48 based on 16 reviews. CinemaScore
polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was a "B" on an A+ to F scale.
Variety
s Robert Koehler gave the film a mixed review. He criticized the use of several flashbacks in the film, saying that it "[...] hinder[ed] the movie, ratcheting down its tension and pace". He explained, "A bigger problem lies with Leigh Whannell's script, which utilizes so many flashbacks and explanatory inserts that the tension, a defining feature of the first Saw, is lost". He praised Smith performance and called MacFadyen's performance "a strong, almost silent performance that conveys a pained father's dark night of the soul", and Soomekh as "reasonably convincing as the surgeon". Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel
gave it two out of five stars, criticizing the plot and acting.
San Francisco Chronicle
s Peter Harlaub gave the film a negative review. He said, "It doesn't go much of anywhere until the infuriating last 10 minutes, when everything is sort of tied together while still producing more unanswered questions. The movie seems at times to be told in random order, often with flashbacks, and the closest thing to a plot is a weak story about the father who keeps confronting the people responsible for his son's drunken-driving death". He pointed out he lack of realism in the script, saying "One incredibly large and intricate torture device in this movie couldn't have been made without four or five subcontractors, but we're supposed to believe a mentally unbalanced ex-junkie who weighs 100 pounds put it together in, at most, a few months". Michael Ordoña of the Los Angeles Times
said that "More gore is really all Saw III has to offer", saying that "the first few minutes cram in more graphic brutality than you can shake a bloody, pointed stick at". He listed other problems being "flat dialogue, uninvolving characters and a creeping sameness in the no-brain- required puzzles". He concluded his review saying, "Bottom line, those in the Saw factory know their audience and have brought along the appropriate buckets and bibs. Even devotees, however, may note pacing problems and tire of Jigsaw's selective omnipotence (he can acquire copious amounts of deadly nerve agent but not a bottle of Ativan?). Those who see Saw III are in for ups and downs".
Owen Gleiberman
of Entertainment Weekly
gave the film a "C". Randy Cordova of the The Arizona Republic
gave it a negative review saying, "Saw III is devoid of any suspense or terror or common sense. It's simply an exercise in gore. And really, if that's all the filmmakers have up their sleeve, why bother with a plot? Just show one grisly makeup effect after another and you'd create the same sensory experience". Empires Kim Newman
gave the film two out of five stars. He said the acting was "surprisingly good" but criticized the script and torture devices, calling it "more contrived, and thus less effective". He ended his review saying, "It requires a stretch of the imagination too far, but there's still plenty of gore and tricksy murders here".
for Best Horror Film
, but lost to The Descent
. It was also nominated as the "Choice Movie: Horror/Thriller" at the Teen Choice Awards
, but lost to Disturbia
. Bell was nominated for a MTV Movie Award
for Best Villain
. He lost to Jack Nicholson
for his role in The Departed
.
Darren Lynn Bousman
Darren Lynn Bousman is an American film director and screenwriter.-Personal life:Bousman was born in Overland Park, Kansas, the son of Nancy and Lynn Bousman. He is a graduate of the Film School at Full Sail University. He attended high school at Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park,...
from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell
Leigh Whannell
Leigh Whannell is an Australian screenwriter, producer, and actor, best known for his work on the Saw franchise.-Life and career:...
and story by James Wan
James Wan
James Wan is a Malaysian-born Australian producer, screenwriter, and film director of Chinese heritage. He is widely known for directing the horror film Saw and creating Billy the puppet. He also directed Dead Silence, Death Sentence and Insidious.-Life and career:Wan was born in Kuching, Sarawak,...
and Whannell. Wan and Whannell directed and wrote Saw
Saw (film)
Saw is a 2004 American independent horror film directed by James Wan. The screenplay, written by Leigh Whannell, is based on a story by Wan and Whannell. The film stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, Whannell and Tobin Bell...
and Bousman wrote and directed Saw II
Saw II
Saw II is a 2005 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and co-written by Bousman and the first film's co-writer Leigh Whannell. It is a sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the seven-part Saw film series...
. It is the third film in the seven-part Saw film series and stars Tobin Bell
Tobin Bell
Tobin Bell is an American film and television character actor. After years of work doing stand-ins and background work on films, he got his first major acting job in Mississippi Burning and went on to star in made-for-television films and guest star in television shows throughout the 1990s.Bell...
, Shawnee Smith
Shawnee Smith
Shawnee Smith is an American film and television actress and singer. Smith is best known for her roles as Amanda Young in the Saw films and Linda in the CBS sitcom Becker....
, Angus Macfadyen
Angus Macfadyen
Angus Macfadyen is a Scottish actor.Angus Macfadyen was born in Glasgow and was brought up partly in Africa, France, the Philippines and Singapore. His father was a doctor in the World Health Organisation. He was once engaged to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.Angus attended the University of...
, Bahar Soomekh
Bahar Soomekh
Bahar Soomekh is an Iranian-American actress and environmental activist. She began acting in the early 2000s, and is perhaps best known for her roles in the films Crash , Mission: Impossible III , and Saw III .-Early life:...
and Dina Meyer
Dina Meyer
Dina Meyer is an American film and television actress, best known for her roles as Dizzy Flores in Starship Troopers and Detective Allison Kerry in the Saw films. She portrayed Mrs. Hong as a recurring guest star on ABC's Scoundrels.-Personal life:Meyer was born in Queens, New York...
. Bell, Smith, Meyer, Donnie Wahlberg
Donnie Wahlberg
Donald Edward "Donnie" Wahlberg, Jr. is an American singer, actor and film producer. He is a member of the popular 1980s and 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block. His work background includes music, feature films, and television...
and Lyriq Bent
Lyriq Bent
Lyriq Bent is a Canadian actor that is perhaps best known for portraying Lieutenant Daniel Rigg in Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV.-Life and career:...
reprise their roles from the previous films. Franky G
Franky G
Franky G , is a Puerto Rican-American film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Xavier in Saw II and Wrench in the 2003 remake of The Italian Job as well as other various roles such as Lupus in Confidence and Detective Cruz in Wonderland.-Early life and...
and Tim Burd from Saw II make small cameos. Saw III marks the first appearances of Costas Mandylor
Costas Mandylor
Costas Mandylor is a Greek Australian actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Kenny in Picket Fences, and for portraying Mark Hoffman in the Saw films.-Early life:...
and Betsy Russell
Betsy Russell
Betsy Russell is an American actress who is best known for her role in Private School, and as Jill Tuck, the ex-wife of the Jigsaw Killer in the Saw film series.-Early life:...
, albeit minor roles; they would later become major characters in the series.
The story follows Jeff after his son is hit and killed by a car; he is put in a series of tests by Jigsaw in order try and let go of his vengeance on the man that killed him. Meanwhile a bed-ridden John Kramer has ordered his apprentice Amanda Young
Amanda Young
Amanda Young is a fictional character in the Saw film series. She is portrayed by Shawnee Smith. At first a minor character in the original film, her role expanded in the sequels until she became one of the most important characters in the series, being the only character besides Jigsaw himself to...
to kidnap a doctor named Lynn, in order to keep him alive for one final test before he dies of cancer. Saw III also contains additional back-story
Back-story
A back-story, background story, or backstory is the literary device of a narrative chronologically earlier than, and related to, a narrative of primary interest. Generally, it is the history of characters or other elements that underlie the situation existing at the main narrative's start...
about the two antagonists.
Production began right after Saw IIs successful opening weekend. Filming took place in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
from May to June 2006. Whannell aimed to make the story more emotional than previous installments, particularly with the Amanda and Jigsaw storyline. The film is dedicated to producer Gregg Hoffman
Gregg Hoffman
Gregg Hoffman born in Phoenix, Arizona, was a film producer responsible for developing Saw and Saw II. He studied communications, law and economics at American University in Washington, D.C. Hoffman was working on Saw III and other films for Twisted Pictures when he died in a hospital in...
who died on December 4, 2005.
Saw III was released on and was a financial success, opening to $33.6 million and grossing $80.2 million in the United States and Canada. It is the highest-grossing film of the series in the international market with $84.6 million and the highest-grossing film in the series with $164.8 million worldwide. It received mixed to negative reviews from critics. Bell was nominated for "Best Villain" at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards
2007 MTV Movie Awards
The 2007 MTV Movie Awards took place on June 3, 2007 at Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California and were hosted by Sarah Silverman. The ceremony featured performances by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z, who performed "Umbrella", and Amy Winehouse, who performed "Rehab"...
and the film received nominations for a Saturn Award
Saturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
as "Best Horror Film" and Teen Choice Award
Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...
. Saw III was released to DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
on and topped the charts selling 2.5 million units in its first week. It was followed with a sequel, Saw IV
Saw IV
Saw IV is a 2007 Canadian-American horror film and midquel to 2006's Saw III. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by newcomers Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Thomas Fenton. The film was released in North America on October 26, 2007...
, released in .
Plot
Minutes after the conclusion of Saw II, Eric MatthewsEric Matthews (Saw)
Eric Matthews is a fictional character from the Saw franchise, who first appeared in a fake documentary entitled, Full Disclosure Report: Piecing Together Jigsaw, featured on the Uncut Edition of the original film. He is the main protagonist of Saw II and a supporting character in both Saw III and...
(Donnie Wahlberg
Donnie Wahlberg
Donald Edward "Donnie" Wahlberg, Jr. is an American singer, actor and film producer. He is a member of the popular 1980s and 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block. His work background includes music, feature films, and television...
) escapes the bathroom by breaking his foot with the remains of a toilet tank lid and slipping it out of the shackle. Later, another Jigsaw victim is discovered by Lt. Rigg (Lyriq Bent
Lyriq Bent
Lyriq Bent is a Canadian actor that is perhaps best known for portraying Lieutenant Daniel Rigg in Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV.-Life and career:...
) and Detectives Kerry (Dina Meyer
Dina Meyer
Dina Meyer is an American film and television actress, best known for her roles as Dizzy Flores in Starship Troopers and Detective Allison Kerry in the Saw films. She portrayed Mrs. Hong as a recurring guest star on ABC's Scoundrels.-Personal life:Meyer was born in Queens, New York...
) and Hoffman (Costas Mandylor
Costas Mandylor
Costas Mandylor is a Greek Australian actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Kenny in Picket Fences, and for portraying Mark Hoffman in the Saw films.-Early life:...
). In his test, Troy (J. Larose
J. Larose
J. Adam Larose, who uses the professional name J. LaRose, is an American actor.He has worked with Darren Lynn Bousman, who directed the films in the Saw series, on five projects; Identity Lost, Butterfly Dreams, Saw III, Repo! The Genetic Opera, and the Fear Itself episode "New Year's Day"...
) had to rip chains from his flesh in order to escape from a bomb; however, the door to the room was sealed, making the trap inescapable. This is observed by Kerry, who feels guilty over Matthews' disappearance; she later awakens in a harness hooked into her ribs. She retrieves a key to the harness from a beaker of acid, but the device kills her anyway.
Jeff (Angus Macfadyen
Angus Macfadyen
Angus Macfadyen is a Scottish actor.Angus Macfadyen was born in Glasgow and was brought up partly in Africa, France, the Philippines and Singapore. His father was a doctor in the World Health Organisation. He was once engaged to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.Angus attended the University of...
), a vengeful man unable to cope with the death of his son, and Lynn Denlon (Bahar Soomekh
Bahar Soomekh
Bahar Soomekh is an Iranian-American actress and environmental activist. She began acting in the early 2000s, and is perhaps best known for her roles in the films Crash , Mission: Impossible III , and Saw III .-Early life:...
), a depressed doctor, are kidnapped under John Kramer's (Tobin Bell
Tobin Bell
Tobin Bell is an American film and television character actor. After years of work doing stand-ins and background work on films, he got his first major acting job in Mississippi Burning and went on to star in made-for-television films and guest star in television shows throughout the 1990s.Bell...
) orders. Lynn is brought before John, now bedridden from cancer, by Amanda Young
Amanda Young
Amanda Young is a fictional character in the Saw film series. She is portrayed by Shawnee Smith. At first a minor character in the original film, her role expanded in the sequels until she became one of the most important characters in the series, being the only character besides Jigsaw himself to...
(Shawnee Smith
Shawnee Smith
Shawnee Smith is an American film and television actress and singer. Smith is best known for her roles as Amanda Young in the Saw films and Linda in the CBS sitcom Becker....
) and is given a straightforward game: keep John alive for the duration of Jeff's game. Should John die, or should she try to escape, the collar around her neck will fire five shotgun shells at her head. Jeff awakens in the middle of an abandoned meatpacking plant and is informed that he must go through several tests, which will lead him to "the man responsible for the loss of his child."
In his first test, Jeff enters a freezer and finds Danica (Debra Lynne McCabe), who witnessed the car accident that killed his son Dylan but refused to testify in court. She is naked and chained between two poles spraying ice-cold water at random intervals; she eventually convinces Jeff to help her, but is frozen solid and totally covered in rime in a matter of seconds before he can retrieve the key. In his second test, Jeff successfully frees Judge Halden (Barry Flatman
Barry Flatman
Barry Flatman is a Canadian actor. He has appeared in many film and television roles such as Rideau Hall in which he plays a fictional Prime Minister of Canada. His other works include My Name is Tanino, The Company, Saw 3, Just Friends, H2O, and most recently in the 2008 A&E's miniseries The...
), who only sentenced Dylan's killer to six months in prison and was thus a target of Jeff's rage, from the bottom of a vat being filled with liquefied pig corpses by incinerating his late son's toys to retrieve a key. In his third test, Jeff finds Timothy (Mpho Koaho
Mpho Koaho
Mpho Koaho is a Canadian/South African film and television actor.-Biography:Mpho Koaho was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to South African parents....
), his son's killer, strapped to a machine that will twist his limbs and neck one by one until they break. He retrieves a key attached to the trigger of a shotgun but accidentally kills Halden when it discharges, and Timothy's neck is broken before he can unlock the device. With his tests nonetheless complete, Jeff moves on to the final area.
Meanwhile, Lynn and Amanda work together to keep John alive. During an improvised brain surgery intended to relieve pressure on John's brain, he begins hallucinating about another woman
Jill Tuck
Jill Tuck is a fictional character in the Saw film series. She is the ex-wife of the series' main antagonist John Kramer, a.k.a. the Jigsaw Killer. She first appeared in the one-shot comic book Saw: Rebirth as John's ex-girlfriend, however her backstory and appearance were altered significantly in...
and declares his love out loud. Distressed from witnessing this, Amanda leaves the sickroom to continue monitoring Jeff. Flashbacks reveal that Amanda continued cutting herself
Self-harm
Self-harm or deliberate self-harm includes self-injury and self-poisoning and is defined as the intentional, direct injuring of body tissue most often done without suicidal intentions. These terms are used in the more recent literature in an attempt to reach a more neutral terminology...
after John became bedridden, and she recollects becoming John's apprentice and kidnapping Adam (Leigh Whannell
Leigh Whannell
Leigh Whannell is an Australian screenwriter, producer, and actor, best known for his work on the Saw franchise.-Life and career:...
) prior to the events of the first film
Saw (film)
Saw is a 2004 American independent horror film directed by James Wan. The screenplay, written by Leigh Whannell, is based on a story by Wan and Whannell. The film stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, Whannell and Tobin Bell...
. Amanda also finds a letter addressed to her, its contents further distressing her. After the surgery, Lynn and John talk privately; Lynn reveals that her ordeal has given her a new appreciation for her family. Amanda returns with the news that Jeff's tests are complete, but refuses to release Lynn; she reveals that she does not believe John's modus operandi
Modus operandi
Modus operandi is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode of operation". The term is used to describe someone's habits or manner of working, their method of operating or functioning...
and had designed her tests to be inescapable accordingly, including Troy's and Kerry's. She also reveals that she left Eric Matthews for dead and that she had given Adam a mercy killing
Involuntary euthanasia
Non-voluntary euthanasia is euthanasia conducted where the explicit consent of the individual concerned is unavailable...
through suffocation
Suffocation
Suffocation is the process of Asphyxia.Suffocation may also refer to:* Suffocation , an American death metal band* "Suffocation", a song on Morbid Angel's debut album, Altars of Madness...
.
Amanda shoots Lynn in the back just as Jeff arrives in the sickroom and he retaliates by shooting her in the neck. John reveals to the dying Amanda that the test was hers: she was being tested on her will to keep someone alive, not knowing that Jeff and Lynn were married. Amanda dies from her wound and John gives Jeff one last test, where he can choose between killing John or forgiving him; John offers to call an ambulance for Lynn if Jeff forgives him. Jeff takes a circular saw, tells John he forgives him, and slashes John's throat. The door to the room seals itself as a dying John plays a tape recorder, which reveals that Jeff has failed his final test by killing John, who was the only person to know the whereabouts of his daughter, Corbett (Niamh Wilson). In order to find her, Jeff must play another game. The tape ends as John dies, and the shotgun collar activates and kills Lynn simultaneously, leaving Jeff trapped with the three corpses as he screams in agony.
Cast
- Tobin BellTobin BellTobin Bell is an American film and television character actor. After years of work doing stand-ins and background work on films, he got his first major acting job in Mississippi Burning and went on to star in made-for-television films and guest star in television shows throughout the 1990s.Bell...
as Jigsaw/John - Shawnee SmithShawnee SmithShawnee Smith is an American film and television actress and singer. Smith is best known for her roles as Amanda Young in the Saw films and Linda in the CBS sitcom Becker....
as Amanda YoungAmanda YoungAmanda Young is a fictional character in the Saw film series. She is portrayed by Shawnee Smith. At first a minor character in the original film, her role expanded in the sequels until she became one of the most important characters in the series, being the only character besides Jigsaw himself to... - Angus MacfadyenAngus MacfadyenAngus Macfadyen is a Scottish actor.Angus Macfadyen was born in Glasgow and was brought up partly in Africa, France, the Philippines and Singapore. His father was a doctor in the World Health Organisation. He was once engaged to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.Angus attended the University of...
as Jeff - Bahar SoomekhBahar SoomekhBahar Soomekh is an Iranian-American actress and environmental activist. She began acting in the early 2000s, and is perhaps best known for her roles in the films Crash , Mission: Impossible III , and Saw III .-Early life:...
as Lynn Denlon
- Soomekh became close with Lionsgate after appearing in their film CrashCrash (2004 film)Crash is a 2004 American drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Paul Haggis. The film is about racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, California. A self-described "passion piece" for Haggis, Crash was inspired by a real life incident in which his Porsche was carjacked outside a video...
(2004) and they wanted her in their next big film. Not a fan of horror films she found the role challenging. "I had nightmares the first month I was on set. We were shooting it for two months. People say because you're an actor it's not a big deal because you go in there and it's fake or whatever. But what they don't understand is that it's actually the opposite because, as an actor, when you go in there you have to believe it's real to make your performance real. You have to get lost in the mindframe of this character", she said.- Dina MeyerDina MeyerDina Meyer is an American film and television actress, best known for her roles as Dizzy Flores in Starship Troopers and Detective Allison Kerry in the Saw films. She portrayed Mrs. Hong as a recurring guest star on ABC's Scoundrels.-Personal life:Meyer was born in Queens, New York...
as Kerry - Mpho KoahoMpho KoahoMpho Koaho is a Canadian/South African film and television actor.-Biography:Mpho Koaho was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to South African parents....
as Tim - Barry FlatmanBarry FlatmanBarry Flatman is a Canadian actor. He has appeared in many film and television roles such as Rideau Hall in which he plays a fictional Prime Minister of Canada. His other works include My Name is Tanino, The Company, Saw 3, Just Friends, H2O, and most recently in the 2008 A&E's miniseries The...
as Judge Halden - Lyriq BentLyriq BentLyriq Bent is a Canadian actor that is perhaps best known for portraying Lieutenant Daniel Rigg in Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV.-Life and career:...
as Rigg - J. LaroseJ. LaroseJ. Adam Larose, who uses the professional name J. LaRose, is an American actor.He has worked with Darren Lynn Bousman, who directed the films in the Saw series, on five projects; Identity Lost, Butterfly Dreams, Saw III, Repo! The Genetic Opera, and the Fear Itself episode "New Year's Day"...
as Troy
- Dina Meyer
- Larose was in Bousman's first short film titled Butterfly Dreams and helped finance Bousman's second short, Identity Lost.
- Debra Lynn McCabe as Danica
- Costas MandylorCostas MandylorCostas Mandylor is a Greek Australian actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Kenny in Picket Fences, and for portraying Mark Hoffman in the Saw films.-Early life:...
as Forensic Hoffman - Betsy RussellBetsy RussellBetsy Russell is an American actress who is best known for her role in Private School, and as Jill Tuck, the ex-wife of the Jigsaw Killer in the Saw film series.-Early life:...
as JillJill TuckJill Tuck is a fictional character in the Saw film series. She is the ex-wife of the series' main antagonist John Kramer, a.k.a. the Jigsaw Killer. She first appeared in the one-shot comic book Saw: Rebirth as John's ex-girlfriend, however her backstory and appearance were altered significantly in... - Donnie WahlbergDonnie WahlbergDonald Edward "Donnie" Wahlberg, Jr. is an American singer, actor and film producer. He is a member of the popular 1980s and 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block. His work background includes music, feature films, and television...
as Detective Eric MatthewsEric Matthews (Saw)Eric Matthews is a fictional character from the Saw franchise, who first appeared in a fake documentary entitled, Full Disclosure Report: Piecing Together Jigsaw, featured on the Uncut Edition of the original film. He is the main protagonist of Saw II and a supporting character in both Saw III and... - Leigh WhannellLeigh WhannellLeigh Whannell is an Australian screenwriter, producer, and actor, best known for his work on the Saw franchise.-Life and career:...
as Adam - Niamh Wilson as Corbett
- Stefan Georgiou as Dylan
- Franky GFranky GFranky G , is a Puerto Rican-American film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Xavier in Saw II and Wrench in the 2003 remake of The Italian Job as well as other various roles such as Lupus in Confidence and Detective Cruz in Wonderland.-Early life and...
as Xavier (Dead) - Timothy Burd as Obi
Development and writing
Producer Gregg HoffmanGregg Hoffman
Gregg Hoffman born in Phoenix, Arizona, was a film producer responsible for developing Saw and Saw II. He studied communications, law and economics at American University in Washington, D.C. Hoffman was working on Saw III and other films for Twisted Pictures when he died in a hospital in...
unexpectedly died a few weeks after the release of Saw II. Writer and director of Saw II
Saw II
Saw II is a 2005 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and co-written by Bousman and the first film's co-writer Leigh Whannell. It is a sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the seven-part Saw film series...
, Darren Lynn Bousman
Darren Lynn Bousman
Darren Lynn Bousman is an American film director and screenwriter.-Personal life:Bousman was born in Overland Park, Kansas, the son of Nancy and Lynn Bousman. He is a graduate of the Film School at Full Sail University. He attended high school at Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park,...
and Saw
Saw
A saw is a tool that uses a hard blade or wire with an abrasive edge to cut through softer materials. The cutting edge of a saw is either a serrated blade or an abrasive...
writer Leigh Whannell
Leigh Whannell
Leigh Whannell is an Australian screenwriter, producer, and actor, best known for his work on the Saw franchise.-Life and career:...
originally turned the offer down to make a third film. Whannell, Bousman, and James Wan
James Wan
James Wan is a Malaysian-born Australian producer, screenwriter, and film director of Chinese heritage. He is widely known for directing the horror film Saw and creating Billy the puppet. He also directed Dead Silence, Death Sentence and Insidious.-Life and career:Wan was born in Kuching, Sarawak,...
got together to have lunch the day they heard of Hoffman's passing and came to conclusion that Saw III was going to be made with or without them so they decided to make the film in dedication to Hoffmann. Whannell aimed to make Saw III more emotional, describing the plot as essentially a "love story" between Jigsaw and Amanda.
Bousman said they did not intend to have a twist ending, as distinctly as the previous films, noting that "I think most people will figure it out in the first 15 minutes of the film". Whannell added, "What Darren and I struck for Saw III was to have an emotionally impactful ending. We wanted something that would almost make someone who was really invested in the story cry. We have Jigsaw, this character who's been so cold and clinical, he's been presented throughout the previous two films as someone who's very much in control. He's more like a reptile than a human being. In Saw III he becomes a human being. You see him crack. His veneer cracks and that was what was most important to us far and above any sort of gimmick or twist". Whannell also answered questions from previous films that were brought up by fans on the official Saw message board. As with the previous two films, the ending was only given to the actors who appeared in the final scene at the time it was filmed. At one point the script was stolen from Bousman's chair, however it was returned before it was leaked online.
Filming
Saw III was given a larger budget of $10 million, compared to Saw IIs $4 million. Principal photographyPrincipal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
took place for 27 days at Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's Cinespace Film Studios from to late June. Production borrowed the bathroom set used in Scary Movie 4
Scary Movie 4
Scary Movie 4 is the fourth film of the Scary Movie franchise, directed by David Zucker, written by Jim Abrahams, Craig Mazin and Pat Proft, and produced by Craig Mazin and Robert K. Weiss. It is distributed by The Weinstein Company via its Dimension Films unit in the U.S. and Television, and...
, which parodied Saw and Saw II, since it closely resembled the old set. Almost all the transitions from one place to another were not made using digital effects; the transitions were shot on the spot. For example, when the camera moves from Troy's crime scene to Kerry being in the bathtub, Meyer had to run, take off all her clothes, and jump into the tub. Visually the film is akin to the previous two with using quick cuts and fast-paced rhythms. Bousman said, "We're using a lot of whip pan
Whip pan
A whip pan is a type of pan shot in which the camera moves sideways so quickly that the picture blurs into indistinct streaks. It is commonly used as a transition between shots, and can indicate the passage of time and/or a frenetic pace of action....
s and flash frames to create a dynamic feel". Post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
services were provided by Deluxe
Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc.
Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. is a leading company in the business of traditional and digital cinema services.By focusing on both theatrical and home entertainment, Deluxe sets up complete digital workflow solutions for such major motion-picture groups as The Walt Disney Company, 20th...
.
Trap designs
Bousman described the hardest scene to film was the "Pig Scene", explaining that they had to rush and it involved filming "so many moving parts". The pig carcasses were made out of foam, rubber and latex. The pig props had live disinfected maggotMaggot
In everyday speech the word maggot means the larva of a fly ; it is applied in particular to the larvae of Brachyceran flies, such as houseflies, cheese flies, and blowflies, rather than larvae of the Nematocera, such as mosquitoes and Crane flies...
s attached with honey. Bell said in an Empire interview that the "Pig Scene" was his favorite trap in the entire series.
For "The Rack Trap", Whannell originally conceived it as a trap that would fold a person into a box, though it eventually morphed into the twisting of body parts. Bousman wanted to have a trap that involved freezing someone to death since the films have already touched on burning to death, bleeding to death and being cut to death. A body cast was made of Debra Lynn McCabe for "The Freezer Room" trap, but because of safety regulations a person cannot be entombed, so only a front or back body cast could be on the actress at any given time. For the "Classroom Trap", J. Larose
J. Larose
J. Adam Larose, who uses the professional name J. LaRose, is an American actor.He has worked with Darren Lynn Bousman, who directed the films in the Saw series, on five projects; Identity Lost, Butterfly Dreams, Saw III, Repo! The Genetic Opera, and the Fear Itself episode "New Year's Day"...
's character was originally going to be hanged from the ceiling by meat hooks, but it was decided against that since he would not have been able to rip the chains out himself (as the script calls for). It proved to be a challenge since it is done with prosthetics
Prosthetic makeup
Prosthetic makeup is the process of using prosthetic sculpting, molding and casting techniques to create advanced cosmetic effects...
and practical effect
Practical effect
A practical effect is a special effect in which a prop appears to work in a situation where it obviously could not in real life . They do not use trick photography or post-production artifice. This type of effect is normally found in live theatre.In film, practical effect denotes an effect produced...
s.
Crew
- Darren Lynn BousmanDarren Lynn BousmanDarren Lynn Bousman is an American film director and screenwriter.-Personal life:Bousman was born in Overland Park, Kansas, the son of Nancy and Lynn Bousman. He is a graduate of the Film School at Full Sail University. He attended high school at Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park,...
– director - Gregg HoffmanGregg HoffmanGregg Hoffman born in Phoenix, Arizona, was a film producer responsible for developing Saw and Saw II. He studied communications, law and economics at American University in Washington, D.C. Hoffman was working on Saw III and other films for Twisted Pictures when he died in a hospital in...
– producer - Mark BurgMark BurgMark Burg is an American film producer and actor, perhaps best known for his work on the SAW series of films and on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men.-Career:...
– producer - Oren KoulesOren KoulesOren Koules is an American entertainment industry and professional sports industry executive. He was president of Evolution Entertainment, producer of the Saw film series...
– producer - Leigh WhannellLeigh WhannellLeigh Whannell is an Australian screenwriter, producer, and actor, best known for his work on the Saw franchise.-Life and career:...
– screenwriter - James WanJames WanJames Wan is a Malaysian-born Australian producer, screenwriter, and film director of Chinese heritage. He is widely known for directing the horror film Saw and creating Billy the puppet. He also directed Dead Silence, Death Sentence and Insidious.-Life and career:Wan was born in Kuching, Sarawak,...
– screenwriter - David A. Armstrong – cinematographer
- Kevin GreutertKevin Greutert-External links:...
– editor - Charlie ClouserCharlie ClouserCharles Alexander "Charlie" Clouser is an American musician whose activities include playing keyboard, synth, theremin, and drums. He is known for his abilities in music programming, engineering, mixing, and remixing. He was a member of the band Nine Inch Nails 1994–2000. Before he was in Nine...
– music composer - David HacklDavid HacklDavid Hackl is a Canadian film director and production designer.-Life and career:Hackl was the production designer and second unit director for Saw II, Saw III and Saw IV. Also the production designer for Repo! The Genetic Opera. He was once in talks to direct Saw IV, however, Darren Lynn Bousman...
– production designerProduction designerIn film and television, a production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the...
, second unit directorSecond unitIn film, the second unit is a team that shoots subsidiary footage for a motion picture. Its work is distinct from that of the first unit, which shoots all scenes involving principal actors... - Anthony A. Ianni – art directorArt directorThe art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
- Liesl Deslauriers – set decoratorSet decoratorA set decorator is in charge of the set dressing on a film set, which includes the furnishings, wallpaper, lighting fixtures, and many of the other objects that will be seen in the film. Props and set dressing often overlap, but are provided by different departments...
- Alex Kavanagh – costume designerCostume DesignerA costume designer or costume mistress/master is a person whose responsibility is to design costumes for a film or stage production. He or she is considered an important part of the "production team", working alongside the director, scenic and lighting designers as well as the sound designer. The...
Release
Saw III was released on in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. It was released in Australia on and on in New Zealand. According to executive producer Daniel Heffner, the film was toned down seven times to obtain the "R" rating. According to Bousman, the Motion Picture Association of AmericaMotion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
(MPAA) ratings board was less concerned with the film's graphic violence because television shows like CSI have expanded the scope of what is acceptable viewing with their graphic depictions of crime scenes and autopsies. Bousman said the MPAA is more concerned with emotional torture that disturbs the audience. In Japan, Saw III received a R18+ rating
Eirin
is the abbreviated name for , Japan's movie regulator. Eirin was established on the model of the American Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America's Production Code Administration in June, 1949, on the instructions of the US occupation force...
while the previous two films received an R15+ rating. At screenings in the United Kingdom, five people were reported to have fainted at separate cinemas with three at one cinema, resulting in ambulances called.
Marketing
The opening scene of Troy's trap was shown at San Diego Comic-Con International on July 21, 2006. The same clip was planned to be shown before the opening of CrankCrank (film)
Crank is a 2006 American comedy movie, written and directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, and starring Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Efren Ramirez, and Dwight Yoakam...
in theaters on . However, the MPAA would not allow it. On Bell, Smith and Bousman appeared at Spike TV
Spike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
's Scream Awards to promote the film and the clip of Troy's trap was shown.
Lionsgate
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
's president of theatrical marketing Tim Palen
Tim Palen
Tim Palen is a American motion picture marketing executive and award-winning photographer. He is Lionsgate's president of theatrical marketing and oversees all Lionsgate marketing initiatives...
thought of the idea to make 1,000 posters with a small amount of Bell's blood, which was mixed with the printing ink. He said, "We decided to do a poster and he's wearing a red cloak. I was talking to the printer and asked what we could do to get the deepest blood red. I asked if it would be possible to use actual blood. There was silence. He said, 'We could try, but are you serious?' I said I was dead serious." The posters were sold for $20, with the first being auctioned off; all the proceeds from the auctioned poster were donated to the Red Cross. Lionsgate also held the third annual "Give Til It Hurts" blood drive
Blood donation
A blood donation occurs when a person voluntarily has blood drawn and used for transfusions or made into medications by a process called fractionation....
for the Red Cross and collected 23,493 pints of blood.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was released on by Artists Addiction. James Christopher Monger of Allmusic gave the soundtrack three out of five stars. Ed Thompson of IGN MusicIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave it a 7.2 out of 10.
Track listing
Home media
Saw III was released to DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
through Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Lionsgate Home Entertainment is the home video and DVD distribution arm of Lions Gate Entertainment and most former Artisan Entertainment releases. Its library of more than 8000 films owes some of its size to output deals with other studios...
on . It topped the home video charts in the United States and Canada with 1.6 million units sold its first day and finished the week with 2.5 million units sold. The "Unrated DVD" was also released that day and features a 113 minute cut of the film that includes more gore. A 120-minute long Director's Cut
Director's cut
A director's cut is a specially edited version of a film, and less often TV series, music video, commercials, comic book or video games, that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit...
was released on to coincide with the theatrical release of Saw IV
Saw IV
Saw IV is a 2007 Canadian-American horror film and midquel to 2006's Saw III. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by newcomers Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Thomas Fenton. The film was released in North America on October 26, 2007...
on . It also included an alternative ending.
Deleted scenes
The original cut of the film ran for slightly over two hours, and several scenes were cut out, including a scene which depicted an extended scene of Kerry and Rigg examining Troy's trap, where Kerry reveals to Rigg she has had nightmares about Eric, and she blames herself for what happened to him. Adam had more scenes in the original cut. A scene that showed Jigsaw regretting his actions was cut. Bell said, "I'm glad they cut that scene. This guy knows exactly what he's doing. Does he start off with a model, then refine it? Yeah, he probably does. But there are certain things that are interesting and advance the story, and there are other things that are basically sort of backstory, and you don't really need to know".Box office
Saw III opened at number one on 4,700 screens at 3,167 theaters grossing $33.6 million on its opening weekend, a two percent increase from Saw II $31.7 million. It held the biggest HalloweenHalloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
weekend debut for five years until it was beaten in 2011 by Puss in Boots
Puss in Boots (2011 film)
Puss in Boots is a 2011 computer-animated adventure Western film produced by DreamWorks Animation, directed by Chris Miller , executive produced by Guillermo del Toro, and written by Brian Lynch, with screenplay by Tom Wheeler. It stars Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob...
($34 million). It was also Lionsgate's highest-opening weekend. Lionsgate's exit polling indicated that 69 percent of the audience was under 25 years old and 51 percent was male. In its second weekend it placed number four dropping down 56% to $14.8 million, compared to Saw II second weekend drop of 47% to $16.9 million. The film was closed out of theaters on , after 49 days of release.
Saw III opened at number five in the international market with an estimated $6 million. It opened at number one in the United Kingdom
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
to $4.7 million. In Taiwan
Cinema of Taiwan
The history of Chinese-language cinema has three separate threads of development: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of Mainland China and Cinema of Taiwan . Taiwanese cinema grew up outside of the Hong Kong mainstream and the censorship of the People's Republic of China.Taiwanese cinema is deeply rooted...
it placed third and opened to $320,000. For its second weekend it opened to number two with an estimated $9.7 million. In Spain
Cinema of Spain
The art of motion-picture making within the nation of Spain or by Spanish filmmakers abroad is collectively known as Spanish Cinema.In recent years, Spanish cinema has achieved high marks of recognition as a result of its creative and technical excellence...
it made $3.1 million, an improvement over the previous films. For its third weekend, Saw III grossed $8 million, including Japan
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
's opening on 86 screens with $1.1 million. Australia
Cinema of Australia
Cinema of Australia, more commonly referred to as the Australian film industry, refers to the system of production, distribution, and exhibition of films in Australia. Film production commenced in Australia in 1906 with the production of The Story of the Kelly Gang, the earliest feature film made...
made $4.3 million, Spain grossed $3.8 million and Brazil
Cinema of Brazil
Brazilian cinema was introduced early in the 20th century but took some time to consolidate itself as a popular form of entertainment. The film industry of Brazil has gone through periods of ups and downs, a reflection of its dependency on State funding and incentives.- Early days :A couple of...
made $3.8 million. In its fourth weekend it placed fourth place with an estimated $5.6 million from 24 territories. Its best market was a second-place start in France.
The film has come to gross $80.2 million in the United States
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
and Canada and $84.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $164.8 million. Saw III has the highest-grossing weekend in the series and also holds the records of highest-grossing in the international market and is the highest-grossing film in the series worldwide. It is also Lionsgate's fifth highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada.
| Release date (United States) |
Budget (estimated) |
Box office revenue | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States/Canada | Other markets | Worldwide | ||
| October 27, 2006 | $10,000,000 | $80,238,724 | $84,635,551 | $164,874,275 |
Critical response
The film was not screened in advance for critics. The film received negative reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 25% of 83 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 4.2 out of 10. Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 48 based on 16 reviews. CinemaScore
CinemaScore
CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data.-Background:...
polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was a "B" on an A+ to F scale.
Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
s Robert Koehler gave the film a mixed review. He criticized the use of several flashbacks in the film, saying that it "[...] hinder[ed] the movie, ratcheting down its tension and pace". He explained, "A bigger problem lies with Leigh Whannell's script, which utilizes so many flashbacks and explanatory inserts that the tension, a defining feature of the first Saw, is lost". He praised Smith performance and called MacFadyen's performance "a strong, almost silent performance that conveys a pained father's dark night of the soul", and Soomekh as "reasonably convincing as the surgeon". Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Sentinel
The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. As of 2005, the Sentinel’s president and publisher was Kathleen Waltz; she announced her resignation in February 2008...
gave it two out of five stars, criticizing the plot and acting.
San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
s Peter Harlaub gave the film a negative review. He said, "It doesn't go much of anywhere until the infuriating last 10 minutes, when everything is sort of tied together while still producing more unanswered questions. The movie seems at times to be told in random order, often with flashbacks, and the closest thing to a plot is a weak story about the father who keeps confronting the people responsible for his son's drunken-driving death". He pointed out he lack of realism in the script, saying "One incredibly large and intricate torture device in this movie couldn't have been made without four or five subcontractors, but we're supposed to believe a mentally unbalanced ex-junkie who weighs 100 pounds put it together in, at most, a few months". Michael Ordoña of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
said that "More gore is really all Saw III has to offer", saying that "the first few minutes cram in more graphic brutality than you can shake a bloody, pointed stick at". He listed other problems being "flat dialogue, uninvolving characters and a creeping sameness in the no-brain- required puzzles". He concluded his review saying, "Bottom line, those in the Saw factory know their audience and have brought along the appropriate buckets and bibs. Even devotees, however, may note pacing problems and tire of Jigsaw's selective omnipotence (he can acquire copious amounts of deadly nerve agent but not a bottle of Ativan?). Those who see Saw III are in for ups and downs".
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman is an American film critic for Entertainment Weekly, a position he has held since the magazine's launch in 1990. From 1981–89, he worked at the Boston Phoenix....
of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the film a "C". Randy Cordova of the The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic is a daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. It was ranked tenth in US daily newspapers by circulation in 2007.-Early years:The newspaper was founded...
gave it a negative review saying, "Saw III is devoid of any suspense or terror or common sense. It's simply an exercise in gore. And really, if that's all the filmmakers have up their sleeve, why bother with a plot? Just show one grisly makeup effect after another and you'd create the same sensory experience". Empires Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Kim Newman is an English journalist, film critic, and fiction writer. Recurring interests visible in his work include film history and horror fiction—both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's Dracula at the age of eleven—and alternate fictional versions of history...
gave the film two out of five stars. He said the acting was "surprisingly good" but criticized the script and torture devices, calling it "more contrived, and thus less effective". He ended his review saying, "It requires a stretch of the imagination too far, but there's still plenty of gore and tricksy murders here".
Award nominations
Saw III was nominated for a Saturn AwardSaturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
for Best Horror Film
Saturn Award for Best Horror Film
The following are a list of Saturn Award winners for Best Horror Film:-References:...
, but lost to The Descent
The Descent
The Descent is a 2005 British horror film written and directed by Neil Marshall. The film follows six women who, having entered an unmapped cave system, become trapped, and are hunted by subterranean flesh-eating humanoids....
. It was also nominated as the "Choice Movie: Horror/Thriller" at the Teen Choice Awards
Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...
, but lost to Disturbia
Disturbia (film)
Disturbia is a 2007 American thriller film directed by D. J. Caruso and executive produced by Ivan Reitman. It is an updated version of Alfred Hitchcock's classic film Rear Window...
. Bell was nominated for a MTV Movie Award
MTV Movie Awards
The MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV . It also contains movie parodies that used official movie footage with hosts and other celebrities and music performances. The nominees are decided by producers and executives at MTV. Winners are decided online by the general...
for Best Villain
MTV Movie Award for Best Villain
This is a following list of the MTV Movie Award winners and nominees for Best Villain.-References:...
. He lost to Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
for his role in The Departed
The Departed
The Departed is a 2006 American crime thriller film, fashioned as a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan...
.