It is the third installment in the Saw film series and a sequel to 2005's Saw II, starring Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Angus Macfadyen, Bahar Soomekh, and Dina Meyer.

In the film, John Kramer (Bell), who is known as the Jigsaw Killer and forces his victims to participate in deadly games in order to test their will to live, puts a man named Jeff (Macfayden) through a series of tests of his ability to forgive, after Jeff's son was killed by a drunk driver.

The film was released to DVD and Blu-ray on January 23, 2007 where it topped the charts selling 2.5 million units in its first week.

Detective Kerry points out that the room's exit was welded shut, breaking Jigsaw's modus operandi of allowing his victims an opportunity to survive.

Lynn is instructed by Amanda to keep him alive until another test subject has completed his game; the victim, Jeff, a grief-stricken father who was consumed with vengeance after the death of his son Dylan in a drunk driving crash years earlier, must undergo a series of tests at an abandoned meatpacking plant 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 crash (who refused to testify in court) completely naked and chained to a metal frame inside the plant's freezer, with nozzles inside the frame spraying her with water to quicken her hypothermia.

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 vat until Jeff saves him by burning Dylan's belongings 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 and snap his limbs and then his head.

John pleads with Amanda, who admits that she no longer believes in his philosophy and had rigged Troy and Kerry's traps.

Jeff, who is revealed to be Lynn's husband, retaliates by shooting Amanda with a gun provided by John after his tests.

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 took out a tape recorder to inform Jeff that his daughter, Corbett, was also captured and he must face another test.

[2] Whannell aimed to make Saw III more emotional, describing the plot as essentially a father-daughter "love story" between John Kramer / Jigsaw and Amanda Young.

Angus Macfadyen, a fan of certain horror films including Saw, was cast as Jeff after reading and liking the script.

Mandylor explained, "At some point I was introduced to the director and he asked if I wanted to come up and have some fun for a week on Saw III.

[11] Principal photography took place for 27 days[2] at Toronto's Cinespace Film Studios[12] from May 8, 2006, to late June.

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.

[20] 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).

According to Bousman, the Motion Picture Association of America (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.

[27] On October 10, 2006, Bell, Smith and Bousman appeared at Spike TV's Scream Awards to promote the film and the clip of Troy's trap was shown.

[28] 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.

It included 20 songs from heavy metal bands like Slayer, Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold, Ministry, and Helmet.

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".

[51] The San Francisco Chronicle's Peter Hartlaub gave the film a negative review, criticizing the plot.

[52] Michael Ordoña of the Los Angeles Times said that "More gore is really all Saw III has to offer",[53] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "C".

[54] Randy Cordova of The Arizona Republic gave it a negative review saying, "Saw III is devoid of any suspense or terror".

[58] Bell was nominated for a MTV Movie Award for Best Villain,[59] but lost to Jack Nicholson for his role in The Departed.