''Saw III'' is a 2006
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes.
Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...
directed by
Darren Lynn Bousman
Darren Lynn Bousman (; born January 11, 1979) is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in horror films. He has directed four of the ''Saw'' films: ''Saw II'', ''Saw III'', ''Saw IV'', and '' Spiral''. He also direct ...
from a screenplay by
Leigh Whannell
Leigh Whannell (; is an Australian screenwriter, actor, film producer, and film director. He is best known for writing films directed by his friend James Wan, including ''Saw'' (2004), ''Dead Silence'' (2007), ''Insidious'' (2010), and '' Insid ...
and a story by Whannell and
James Wan
James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian director, producer, screenwriter and comic book writer. He has primarily worked in the horror genre as the co-creator of the ''Saw'' and ''Insidious'' franchises and the creator of The Conjurin ...
. It is the third installment in the
''Saw'' film series and sequel to 2005's ''
Saw II
''Saw II'' is a 2005 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Leigh Whannell and Bousman. It is the sequel to 2004's ''Saw'' and the second installment in the ''Saw'' film series. The film stars Donnie Wahlberg, Franky G, Gl ...
''. The film stars
Tobin Bell Tobin may refer to:
Name
*Tobin (surname)
* Tobin (given name)
Places in the United States
* Tobin, California
* Tobin Bridge, near Boston, Massachusetts
* Tobin Range, a mountain range in Nevada
* Tobin Township, Perry County, Indiana
* Tobin ...
,
Shawnee Smith
Shawnee Rebecca Smith (born July 3, 1969) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her portrayal of Amanda Young in the Saw (franchise), ''Saw'' franchise (2004–2010), which established her as a "scream queen" and as an influential f ...
,
Angus Macfadyen
Angus Macfadyen (born 21 September 1963) is a Scottish actor. His roles include Robert the Bruce, both in ''Braveheart'' and ''Robert the Bruce'', Komodo in ''Warriors of Virtue'', Vice-Counsel Dupont in '' Equilibrium'', Jeff Denlon in the '' ...
,
Bahar Soomekh
Bahar Soomekh ( fa, بهار سومخ, born March 30, 1975) is an Iranian-American actress. She is best known for her roles in ''Crash'' and the ''Saw'' franchise.
Early life
Bahar was born in Tehran, Iran, to a devout Persian-Jewish family. ...
, and
Dina Meyer
Dina Meyer (born December 22, 1968) is an American actress. She began her career appearing in a recurring role on the Fox teen drama series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1993–94), before landing a leading role opposite Keanu Reeves in the 1995 fi ...
.
In the film,
Jigsaw Killer/John Kramer, who is known for forcing his victims to participate in deadly games in order to test their will to live, puts a man named Jeff through a series of tests. This game is meant to help him overcome his anger towards the drunk driver that killed his son. Meanwhile, John's apprentice
Amanda has kidnapped a doctor named Lynn and tasked her with keeping John, who is bedridden with terminal cancer, alive long enough for Jeff to complete his game.
Much like its predecessor, the film was immediately green-lit after the successful opening weekend of the prior film. Filming took place in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
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 (June 11, 1963 – December 4, 2005), 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. Hoffma ...
, who died on December 4, 2005.
''Saw III'' was released in the United States on , by
Lionsgate Films
Lionsgate Films (formerly known as Cinépix Film Properties) is an American film production and film distribution studio, headquartered in Santa Monica and founded in Canada, and is the flagship division of Lionsgate Entertainment. It is the larg ...
. It 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 and the highest-grossing film in the series overall. 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
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
as "Best Horror Film". The film was released to DVD and
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
on where it topped the charts selling 2.5 million units in its first week. A sequel, titled ''
Saw IV
''Saw IV'' is a 2007 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, and a story by Melton, Dunstan, and Thomas Fenton. It is the fourth installment in the ''Saw'' film series and sequel to 2 ...
'', was released in 2007.
Plot
After being
left in the bathroom to die, Detective
Eric Matthews breaks his foot with a toilet lid to escape his shackle. Six months later, the aftermath of a Jigsaw game is discovered by Officer Rigg's
SWAT
In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...
team. The victim, Troy, had to rip chains from his body to escape a bomb. Detective Kerry points out that the room's exit was welded shut, breaking Jigsaw's
modus operandi
A ''modus operandi'' (often shortened to M.O.) is someone's habits of working, particularly in the context of business or criminal investigations, but also more generally. It is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode (or manner) of op ...
of giving his victims a chance to survive. While reviewing the videotape, Kerry is abducted and awakens in a harness hooked into her ribs. She retrieves the key from a beaker of acid as instructed, but the lock does not open and the trap inevitably kills her.
Dr. Lynn Denlon is abducted from the hospital she works at and brought to the bedridden John Kramer. His apprentice, Amanda, locks a collar armed with five shotgun shells around Lynn's neck that is connected to John's heart rate monitor and will detonate if she moves out of range or John dies. Lynn is instructed by Amanda to keep him alive until another test subject has completed his game; the victim Jeff, a grief-stricken father consumed with vengeance after the death of his son Dylan in a drunk driving accident, must undergo a series of tests around the abandoned
meatpacking plant
The meat-packing industry (also spelled meatpacking industry or meat packing industry) handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of meat from animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock. Poultry is generally no ...
to confront those involved in the case.
Jeff's first test leads him into a meat freezer where he finds Danica, the only witness to the accident, who refused to testify in court; naked and chained to a metal frame inside the plant's freezer, with nozzles inside the frame to spray her with water to quicken her hypothermia. Jeff retrieves the key after Danica persuades him to help her, but she freezes to death before he can do so. In his next test, Judge Halden, who passed a lenient sentence on the driver who caused Dylan's death, is chained at the neck to the bottom of a vat. Rotting pig carcasses are dropped into a grinder that slowly fill the pit until Jeff saves him by burning Dylan's memorabilia in an incinerator to retrieve a key. His third test involves Timothy, the driver who killed Dylan, who is strapped to a machine that will slowly twist his limbs and then his head. The key is tied to the trigger of an enclosed shotgun that goes off after Jeff retrieves it, accidentally killing Halden. Jeff fails to save Timothy in time and the machine breaks his neck.
Lynn is forced to perform an improvised surgery to relieve pressure on John's brain. The surgery is successful, and Lynn convinces John to order Amanda to remove the collar. However, Amanda refuses and threatens Lynn's life, having become jealous of her interactions with John. John pleads with Amanda, who admits that she no longer believes in his philosophy and had been manipulating her traps to Troy and Kerry. Refusing to listen to John's warnings, Amanda shoots Lynn just as Jeff arrives. Jeff, who is revealed to be Lynn's husband, retaliates by shooting Amanda with a gun provided by John after his tests. As Amanda dies, John reveals that Lynn's test was actually hers: John was aware of her motives and unwilling to allow a murderer to continue his legacy. He then addresses Jeff, offering to call an ambulance for Lynn if he has learned everything from his ordeal, and accept one last test: either killing John or forgiving him. In response, Jeff slashes John's throat with a power saw, activating Lynn's collar as the room is sealed shut. Before dying, John takes out a tape recorder to inform Jeff that his daughter, Corbett was also captured and he must face another test to save her.
Cast
Production
Development and writing
Darren Lynn Bousman
Darren Lynn Bousman (; born January 11, 1979) is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in horror films. He has directed four of the ''Saw'' films: ''Saw II'', ''Saw III'', ''Saw IV'', and '' Spiral''. He also direct ...
, director and co-writer of ''
Saw II
''Saw II'' is a 2005 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Leigh Whannell and Bousman. It is the sequel to 2004's ''Saw'' and the second installment in the ''Saw'' film series. The film stars Donnie Wahlberg, Franky G, Gl ...
'' (2005),
James Wan
James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian director, producer, screenwriter and comic book writer. He has primarily worked in the horror genre as the co-creator of the ''Saw'' and ''Insidious'' franchises and the creator of The Conjurin ...
, director of ''
Saw
A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, wire, or chain with a hard toothed edge. It is used to cut through material, very often wood, though sometimes metal or stone. The cut is made by placing the toothed edge against the material and mo ...
'' (2004), and
Leigh Whannell
Leigh Whannell (; is an Australian screenwriter, actor, film producer, and film director. He is best known for writing films directed by his friend James Wan, including ''Saw'' (2004), ''Dead Silence'' (2007), ''Insidious'' (2010), and '' Insid ...
, screenwriter on both, turned down the offer to make a third film in the
franchise
Franchise may refer to:
Business and law
* Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees
* Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...
. Producer
Gregg Hoffman
Gregg Hoffman (June 11, 1963 – December 4, 2005), 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. Hoffma ...
died a few weeks after its release. Bousman, Wan, and Whannell got together to have lunch the day they heard of Hoffman's passing and decided to make ''Saw III'' in dedication to Hoffman.
Whannell aimed to make ''Saw III'' more emotional, describing the plot as essentially a father-daughter "love story" between
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
and Amanda.
![James Wan and Leigh Whannell Saw 3D premiere](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/James_Wan_and_Leigh_Whannell_Saw_3D_premiere.jpg)
Bousman said they did not intend to have a
twist ending
Twist may refer to:
In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage
* ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist''
* ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...
, 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". 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.
Casting
After
Bahar Soomekh
Bahar Soomekh ( fa, بهار سومخ, born March 30, 1975) is an Iranian-American actress. She is best known for her roles in ''Crash'' and the ''Saw'' franchise.
Early life
Bahar was born in Tehran, Iran, to a devout Persian-Jewish family. ...
appeared in the 2004 film ''
Crash
Crash or CRASH may refer to:
Common meanings
* Collision, an impact between two or more objects
* Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond
* Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating
* Couch su ...
'', Lionsgate wanted her in the next ''Saw'' film. She was cast in ''Saw III'' in the role of Dr. Lynn Denlon. Not a fan of horror films nor having seen the first two ''Saw'' films, she found the role challenging. "I had nightmares the first month I was on set", she said. She did, however, enjoy not being
typecasted as a Middle Eastern like in most of her previous roles.
Angus Macfadyen
Angus Macfadyen (born 21 September 1963) is a Scottish actor. His roles include Robert the Bruce, both in ''Braveheart'' and ''Robert the Bruce'', Komodo in ''Warriors of Virtue'', Vice-Counsel Dupont in '' Equilibrium'', Jeff Denlon in the '' ...
, a fan of certain horror films including ''Saw'', was cast as Jeff after reading and liking the script.
Costas Mandylor
Costas Mandylor (born Konstantinos Theodosopoulos; 3 September 1965) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his role as Kenny in ''Picket Fences'' and for portraying Mark Hoffman in the ''Saw'' films.
Early life
Mandylor was born i ...
was cast as
Forenesic Hoffman after being introduced to Bousman, who asked him if he wanted to come up and have some fun on the film for a week.
J. Larose was cast as Troy, Jigsaw's victim at the beginning of the film. Larose found challenge in playing a role that required making the character's pain look and feel authentic but felt grateful for playing the opening sequence victim of a ''Saw'' film, appreciating his opportunity to work with Bousman.
Monica Potter
Monica Gregg Potter (née Brokaw; born June 30, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles in the films ''Con Air'' (1997), ''Patch Adams (film), Patch Adams'' (1998), and ''Along Came a Spider (film), Along Came a Spider'' ...
, who played Alison, the wife of Dr. Gordon in the first film, was approached to reprise her role in the film but she declined the offer due to a lack of interest. She felt that she had done "plenty" with the first film.
Similarly, Rigg's role in the movie was significantly reduced as
Lyriq Bent
Lyriq Bent (born January 3, 1979) is a Jamaican-Canadian actor. He is known for his roles in the ''Saw'' films, the television series ''Rookie Blue'', and '' The Book of Negroes''. Bent portrays Jamie Overstreet in the Netflix series ''She's Go ...
was unavailable due to his work in ''
Angela's Eyes
''Angela's Eyes'' is an American crime drama series that aired from July 16 until October 15, 2006 on Lifetime, running for 13 episodes. The show aired Sundays at 10 p.m. Lifetime announced that the show would not be picked up for a second ...
'' (2006) at the same time; despite the filmmakers' attempts to make his schedule work, Bent was only able to shoot one day. Bent later speculated that Rigg's intended role in the film could have been that he later had in ''
Saw IV
''Saw IV'' is a 2007 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, and a story by Melton, Dunstan, and Thomas Fenton. It is the fourth installment in the ''Saw'' film series and sequel to 2 ...
'' (2007) if he had been available.
Filming
''Saw III'' was given a larger budget of $10 million, compared to ''Saw II''s $4 million.
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
took place for 27 days
at
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
's
Cinespace Film Studios Cinespace Film Studios is a series of film studio facilities founded in 1988, by Greek-Canadian Nick Mirkopoulos. It includes a facility in Vaughan, that has been in operation since the 1960s. In 2007 Mirkopoulos helped his Greek-American nepheA ...
from to late June. Production borrowed the bathroom set used in ''
Scary Movie 4
''Scary Movie 4'' is a 2006 American science fiction parody film. It is the sequel to ''Scary Movie 3'' and the fourth installment in the ''Scary Movie'' film series, as well as the first film in the franchise to be released under The Weinstein ...
'', which parodied the franchise.
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
A whip pan is a type of pan shot in which the camera pans 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 or a frenetic pace of action. Much like th ...
s and
flash frames to create a dynamic feel".
Post-production
Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments.
The ...
services were provided by
Deluxe.
The original cut of the film ran for slightly over two hours, and several scenes were cut out.
A scene that showed Jigsaw regretting his actions was also 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".
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
maggot
A maggot is the larva of a fly (order Diptera); it is applied in particular to the larvae of Brachycera flies, such as houseflies, cheese flies, and blowflies, rather than larvae of the Nematocera, such as mosquitoes and crane flies.
...
s attached with honey.
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 had already covered burning to death, bleeding to death, and being cut to death. A body cast was made of Debra Lynne McCabe for "The Freezer Room" trap, but due to safety regulations a person cannot be entombed; 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 since he would not have been able to rip the chains out himself (as the script called for). It proved to be a challenge since it was done with
prosthetics
In medicine, a prosthesis (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...
and
practical effect
A practical effect is a special effect produced physically, without computer-generated imagery or other post-production techniques. In some contexts, "special effect" is used as a synonym of "practical effect", in contrast to "visual effects" ...
s.
Release
''Saw III'' was released theatrically in the United States and Canada . 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 America
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distribu ...
(MPAA) ratings board was less concerned with the film's graphic violence than it was with emotional torture, citing television shows like ''
CSI'' for expanding the scope of what is acceptable.
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 being called.
Marketing
The opening scene of Troy's trap was shown at
San Diego Comic-Con International
San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...
on July 21, 2006. The same clip was planned to be shown before the opening of ''
Crank'' in theaters on . However, the MPAA would not allow it. On , Bell, Smith and Bousman appeared at
Spike TV
Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles.
The channel was o ...
's Scream Awards to promote the film and the clip of Troy's trap was shown.
Lionsgate's president of theatrical marketing
Tim Palen
Tim Palen (born 1962) is an American photographer and motion picture marketing executive. During his 17 years at Lionsgate he became known for using his own photography as part of the promotional campaigns for films. After Palen left Lionsgate in ...
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, "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
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
. Lionsgate also held the third annual "Give Til It Hurts"
blood drive
Blood Drive may refer to:
Donation
*Blood drive, campaigns and special events to solicit blood donations Games
*Blood Drive (video game), ''Blood Drive'' (video game), a 2010 vehicular combat video game for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
*''Corpse Pa ...
for the Red Cross and collected 23,493 pints of blood.
Soundtrack
The ''Saw III''soundtrack was released on . It included 20 songs from hard rock bands like,
Slayer
Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...
,
Disturbed
Disturbed may refer to:
Books
* ''Disturbed'', a 2011 novel by Kevin O'Brien (author)
Film and TV
* ''Disturbed'' (film), a 1990 film starring Malcolm McDowell
* "Disturbed" (''Numb3rs''), a 2009 episode of ''Numb3rs''
* "The Disturbed", a 2 ...
,
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold (abbreviated as A7X) is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Zacky Vengeance, ...
,
Ministry
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
Religion
* Christian ...
, and
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...
. James Christopher Monger of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
gave the soundtrack three out of five stars. Ed Thompson of
IGN Music
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
gave it a 7.2 out of 10.
Home media
''Saw III'' was released to
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
and
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
through
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered in ...
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
A director's cut is an edited version of a film (or video game, television episode, music video, or commercial) that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit in contrast to the theatrical release. "Cut" explicitly refers to the ...
was released on , to coincide with the theatrical release of ''Saw IV'' on . It also included an
alternate ending
An alternate ending (or alternative ending) is an ending of a story that was considered, or even written or produced, but ultimately discarded in favour of another resolution. Generally, alternative endings are considered to have no bearing on t ...
.
Reception
Box office
''Saw III'' opened at number one on 4,700 screens at 3,167 theaters grossing $33.6 million from its opening weekend, a two percent increase from ''Saw II'' $31.7 million. It held the biggest
Halloween
Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...
weekend debut for five years until it was beaten in 2011 by ''
Puss in Boots
"Puss in Boots" ( it, Il gatto con gli stivali) is an Italian fairy tale, later spread throughout the rest of Europe, about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand of a princess in marriage for hi ...
'' ($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. By 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 took in $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, highest-grossing in the international market and is the highest-grossing film in the series worldwide.
Critical response
The film was not screened in advance for critics.
Review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
gives the film a score of 30% based on 94 reviews. The site's consensus states: "''Saw III'' does little beyond repeating its predecessor's tropes on a gorier level." At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 48 based on 16 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
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
Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was a "B" on an A+ to F scale.
''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
''s Robert Koehler gave the film a mixed review. He criticized the use of several flashbacks in the film, saying that it "
..hinder
dthe 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 did, however praise the acting. Roger Moore of the ''
Orlando Sentinel
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company.
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...
'' gave it two out of five stars, criticizing the plot and acting.
The ''
San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...
''s Peter Hartlaub gave the film a negative review, criticizing the plot. Michael Ordoña of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' said that "More gore is really all ''Saw III'' has to offer",
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for ''Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...
of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' gave the film a "C". Randy Cordova of ''
The Arizona Republic
''The Arizona Republic'' is an American 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. Copies are sold at $2 daily or at $3 ...
'' gave it a negative review saying, "''Saw III'' is devoid of any suspense or terror".
''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
''s
Kim Newman
Kim James Newman (born 31 July 1959) 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 (1931 ...
gave the film two out of five stars. He said the acting was "surprisingly good" but criticized the script and torture devices.
''Saw III'' was nominated for a
Saturn Award
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
for
Best Horror Film, but lost to ''
The Descent
''The Descent'' is a 2005 British horror film written and directed by Neil Marshall. The film follows six women who enter a cave system and struggle to survive against the humanoid creatures inside.
Filming took place in the United Kingdom. Ex ...
''. It was also nominated as the "Choice Movie: Horror/Thriller" at the
Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United S ...
, but lost to ''
Disturbia''. Bell was nominated for a
MTV Movie Award
The MTV Movie & TV Awards (formerly the MTV Movie Awards) is a film and television awards show presented annually on MTV. The first MTV Movie Awards were presented in 1992. The ceremony was renamed the MTV Movie & TV Awards for its 26th editi ...
for
Best Villain
Best or The Best may refer to:
People
* Best (surname), people with the surname Best
* Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer
Companies and organizations
* Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain
* Best Lock Corporation ...
, but lost to
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...
for his role in ''
The Departed
''The Departed'' is a 2006 American epic crime thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan. It is both a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film ''Infernal Affairs'' and also loosely based on the real-life Boston Winter ...
''.
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saw 3
2006 films
Crime horror films
2006 horror films
2000s serial killer films
American sequel films
American serial killer films
2000s English-language films
Films scored by Charlie Clouser
Films directed by Darren Lynn Bousman
Films with screenplays by Leigh Whannell
Films shot in Toronto
Lionsgate films
Obscenity controversies in film
Rating controversies in film
3
Films about self-harm
Torture in films
2000s American films