Blood, Guts, And Other Nasty Things

Well, we didn't get around to seeing Silence of the Lambs last night. Instead, we decided to go check out Saw 3. And truthfully, it was an experience unlike any other I've had before. Want to hear about it? Of course you do. That's why you're here.

Myself, Moses, and our Anderson County crew, Jennifer and Tiffany, headed up to see the 9:45 showing of the movie. And not twenty minutes into it, Jennifer decides it's too much for her and leaves, Moses following behind to keep her company. It's the first time I can remember a member of my posse walking out of a movie. And it confuses me, since Jennifer can usually handle a little gore. She's a lover of zombie movies, after all. Besides, the commercials and trailers pretty much come right out and say the movie's going to be a gorefest. A Saw movie without graphic violence is like a Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie without chainsaws or massacres. But to each his or her own, I guess.

So this just left me and Tiffany in the theater, which wasn't so bad until a guy two rows behind us vomited. It wasn't because of the movie, but because he'd had a wee bit too much to drink. I know this because once this little incident happened, the place suddenly smelled like someone had poured a bottle of vodka all over the floor. And this guy just threw up all over the place. If Tiffany and I had been two seats to the left, where Moses and Jennifer were sitting, we'd have probably gotten it all over our shoes. And outside of a few stragglers on the ends of each, the full two rows behind us pretty much cleared out for the remainder of the movie, no joke. From what Tiff and I were told after the movie by a friend of hers that works as an usher, the guy was arrested for public intoxication once he got into the lobby. The usher even said there was a real ruckus in the lobby, and that one upset woman kicked down the manager's door demanding a refund. Throw in the fact that the guy next to me had a kid that looked no older than seven years old with him, and I guess you could claim that the experience was a little bit out there.

But let's talk about Saw 3 for a little while, okay? There's two plotlines going on at the same time:

1. Jeff, played by Angus Macfayden, is a father consumed with hatred for the man who accidentally killed his son and for those who let the killer free with a mere slap on the wrist. He is forced to endure what is essentially an obstacle course comprised of those people he despises most, each stuck in their own lethal traps that Jeff may either solve or neglect.
2. Lynn, played by Bahar Soomekh, is a talented surgeon kidnapped by Jigsaw and his apprentice Amanda with the intention of keeping Jigsaw alive until Jeff finishes his obstacle course. Around her neck is a collar rigged with shotgun shells, which is connected to Jigsaw's heart rate. If Jigsaw flatlines, so does Lynn.

The movie delicately balances both storylines very carefully, but until they converge in the climax, I got the feeling that Storyline #2 was really the main one. I found Jigsaw and Amanda to be the film's most intriguing characters, and they are rightfully given the bulk of the movie's running time. We are taken deeper into their relationship and how their lives have progressed to where they are now. As I said previously, both are quite intriguing, and both are excellently played by Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith. Bell and Smith's performances make the characters endearing, even if it is in the same sense that Freddy Krueger or Rob Zombie's Firefly clan are.

Though while I thought Jigsaw and Amanda were the movie's main focus, the storyline with Jeff deserves a little mention. The storyline is so heart-wrenching at times, invoking a certain level of emotion not really seen in the prior two movies. It also gives Saw 3 the strongest sense of morality when compared to the other two. It is a tale of forgiveness and compassion, and though it is told with tremendous amounts of carnage, it is still a story that truly emphasizes Jigsaw's philosophy. While I do believe that a little more emphasis is placed upon the other storyline, the movie is strengthened by this one.

The characters, especially our pair of villains, are very deep, very layered. There is always so much going on beneath their surfaces, and neither Jigsaw or Amanda reveal all the cards in their hands until the grand finale. And what a finale it is. Nearly every loose end from the entire trilogy thus far is tied up in the final five minutes of the movie, giving us the full scope of the entire Saw universe. It may seem Shyamalan-esque, but when it's all put together, it makes the entire universe much deeper and rounded.

We don't really know how things will connect or tie together during the movie, but as with the previous two entries in the trilogy, it all comes together nearly seamlessly in the end. And while I've heard rumblings of a Saw 4 coming out next year depending on this one's success, I think Saw 3 could serve as a satisfactory closing chapter for the franchise. The entire trilogy comprises a quite interesting story, though I'll admit that I'm not entirely against a fourth Saw movie either. I guess we'll just have to wait until next Halloween.

Darren Lynn Bosman's direction is sound, James Wan and Leigh Whannell's script and Charlie Clouser's music are well done, and the traps are sick. Oh my, the traps. I don't want to give any of them away, but they are so deliciously painful that the gorehounds will love Saw 3. As I said, the acting is good too, especially the wonderful performances from Bell and Smith. They were both very good in the first two Saw movies, and they're just as excellent here.

So to wrap this thing up, Saw 3 is a respectable entry in a film franchise that has apparently become something of a Halloween tradition. It's violent, gore-drenched, frightening, and via the one storyline, downright sad at times. My official judgment is three and a half stars, leaning towards four, and I give it and the entire Saw franchise my seal of approval.

That's about it for this one. Other than that, the day was dreadfully uneventful. I'm just glad I'm not one of those poor saps who got vomited on by that drunk guy. That's probably why Moses and Jennifer should be glad they left when they did, because they'd have probably gotten caught up in it too.

And that'd be terrible.