RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Saw III
Saw III

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Saw III (2006)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
25 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:80

Fresh:20

Rotten:60

Average Rating:4.1/10

Consensus: Saw III does little beyond repeating its predecessor's tropes on a gorier level.

Rated: 18

Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:27-10-2006

Synopsis: In 2004, a low-budget horror film about a man who put people with moral failings into grisly, murderous situations became a huge hit. In 2005, the sequel scored again, upping the body count and the... In 2004, a low-budget horror film about a man who put people with moral failings into grisly, murderous situations became a huge hit. In 2005, the sequel scored again, upping the body count and the terror. In 2006, the franchise continued, with plenty of gore as well as an emotional story line that delved into the psychological makeup of the main characters. As SAW II concluded, Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) was dying. But that doesn't mean his penchant for playing games of torture and violence is ending. In SAW III, the murders start occurring again, and Kerry (Dina Meyer) is back on the case, although she thinks this time it might be the work of a copycat. She's only partly right: Amanda (Shawnee Smith), the only victim to have survived both movies, has joined Jigsaw as his apprentice, leading the way through a terrifying game involving Lynn (Bahar Soomekh), a doctor in an unhappy marriage, and Jeff (Angus Macfadyen), a distraught man who is having trouble getting over the loss of his son (Stefan Georgiou) at the hands of a drunk driver. Amanda has captured Lynn and placed her in a neck brace that is linked to Jigsaw's heart monitor; she must keep Jigsaw alive or else the brace will explode. Meanwhile, Jeff is sent on a dangerous journey on which he faces all the people involved in the light penalty his boy's killer received--and it is up to him whether he will seek vengeance or offer forgiveness. Helmed by SAW II director Darren Lynn Bousman and written by original SAW screenwriter and star Leigh Whannell (with a story by Whannell and SAW director James Wan), SAW III is an intricately designed, gruesome thriller with a hard-driving soundtrack featuring songs by Slayer, Helmet, and All that Remains. [More]

Starring: Tobin Bell, Angus MacFadyen, Dina Meyer, Shawnee Smith

Starring: Tobin Bell, Angus MacFadyen, Dina Meyer, Shawnee Smith, Alan Van Sprang, Costas Mandylor, Barry Flatman, Lyriq Bent, Bahar Soomekh, Franky G, Donnie Wahlberg

Director: Darren Lynn Bousman

Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Screenwriter: Leigh Whannell
Story: James Wan
Producer: Gregg Hoffman, Oren Koules, Mark Burg
Composer: Charlie Clouser
Studio: Lions Gate Films

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Trailer #2
    >
    Trailer
    >
    Trailer #3
    >
    Exclusive Clip: Troy In Chains
    >
  • Trailer #4
    >
1 - 4 of 5

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for Saw III

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

It requires a stretch of the imagination too far, but there's still plenty of gore and tricksy murders here.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
11/29/06
Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The second Saw sequel develops the mythology of sadistic puppet-master Jigsaw in ambitious, gruesome but ultimately self-defeating ways.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
11/02/06
Nigel Floyd
Nigel Floyd
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The fact that it contrives to give its torture master the moral high ground (apparently he only tortures his victims for their own good) is possibly more perverse than any of its violence.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
10/31/06
Jamie Russell
Jamie Russell
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Witness the distortion of the series' original premise bastardized by those who believe they know better.

Full Review Source: Oscar Guy | comment Comment
10/31/09
Wesley Lovell
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

The extreme gore is gratuitous, and character development non-existent in a movie packed with the cookie-cutter visual design of the previous two films. Torturer, victim and audience become one.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
04/24/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Tom Meek
Tom Meek
Boston Phoenix

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
11/20/08
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
Hollywood.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
10/18/08
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Face your fears. A lesson worthy of praise, if the film preaching them weren't so completely full of ****.

Full Review Source: Projection Booth | comment Comment
01/17/08
Rob Humanick
Rob Humanick
Projection Booth

Nihilistic, amoral, self-congratulatory wanking.

Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | comment Comment
09/27/07
Tim Brayton
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy

Starts with an interesting premise but quickly squanders it on the usual barely-glimpsed bloodbaths.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
08/18/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

One of the most sadistic, brutal, grisly films of the current splatter-porn genre.

Full Review Source: UGO | comment Comment
03/24/07
Brian Tallerico
Brian Tallerico
UGO

The only brains on display are the ones that get drilled out of human skulls.

Full Review Source: Rue Morgue Magazine | comment 1 Comment
02/12/07
Chris Alexander
Chris Alexander
Rue Morgue Magazine

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
02/03/07
Joshua Rothkopf
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out New York

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
12/30/06
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

If humorless torture marathons like this represent the future of American horror cinema, it's time for Hollywood to officially outsource the genre overseas, where they remember the pleasures of a good scare.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
11/13/06
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
Film Journal International

full review in Greek

Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses | comment Comment
11/13/06
Joseph Proimakis
Joseph Proimakis
Movies for the Masses

The third Saw in the franchise loses its edge.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment 1 Comment
11/11/06
David N. Butterworth
David N. Butterworth
rec.arts.movies.reviews

No one will ever be able to accuse series creators and scribes Leigh Wannell and James Wan of being stingy with the red stuff.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
11/11/06
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
all

Latest News for Saw III

October 19, 2009: See Saw with Alex, Day 3: Saw III
Set six months after Saw II, Jeff (Angus Macfayden) is bereaved with the loss of his son, killed by a drunk driver. He's kidnapped and put through a battery of tests, wandering... More...

November 09, 2007: Ending Already Written for Saw V
The biggest thrills of the Saw movies are their surprise endings, which seem to keep audiences guessing even more than M. Night Shyamalan's latest creations. That's why the... More...

November 08, 2007: Box Office Guru Preview: Fred Claus is Coming to Town
Vince Vaughn and Tom Cruise go head to head at the North American box office this weekend with their latest releases. The dodgeball champ goes for holiday laughs with Fred Claus... More...

November 07, 2007: Saw V Still On Track for 2008
Saw IV is the fourth Saw film in as many years. After reports that the Saw franchise would finally take a year off, producer Mark Burg countered that he's still aiming for... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
14% 14% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
21
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
24
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
48
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
26
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
126
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
181
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
90
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
67
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
65
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
63
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
44
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
38
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
22
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
16
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
7
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
16
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
21
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Saw III at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Saw III at IGN
  • Saw III at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.