Saw II
Starring: Donnie Wahlberg, Glenn Plummer, Tobin Bell, Franky G, Beverley Mitchell, Dina Meyer, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Erik Knudsen, Shawnee Smith
Directed by: Darren Lynn Bousman

Saw II Reviewed by Paul Heath

SAW was one of my favourite movies when it was released back in 2004. It was one of those movies that you had to go see at the cinema, and most of the buzz about the film didn't come from reviews, or paper coverage, but that of word of mouth and this wonderful thing that we call the Internet. The film did even better on DVD, and its small budget of just over a million dollars against a box-office take of well over $60 million pretty much secured plans for a sequel.

And a sequel came, just about twelve months later. The original film's director, James Wan, was replaced with newcomer to the series, Darren Lynn Bousman, but Wan stayed on as executive producer. The original writer Leigh Whannell also returned to co-write SAW II with Bousman, and in fact, SAW II is based on a previous script entitled 'The Desperate', also written by Bousman.

SPOILERS AHEAD: This time around, the film's baddie, Jigsaw is out, though we know he is suffering from a terminal illness. It becomes apparent that the madman has set up a new game, this time involving eight people, who awake to find that they have been put together in a small room with just a locked safe for company. It is then revealed that they are all inhaling a deadly toxin, which is being pumped into the room. Jigsaw reveals that they are going to die from the toxin in under two hours, just before the front door to the building is opened. There is another way out though, and Jigsaw has scattered a number of antidotes around the place which will save them. They can get their mits on the antidotes only if they participate in a deadly game, one for each of them, concocted by Mr. Saw. Meanwhile, on the outside, Detective Matthews, played by New Kid on The Block Donnie Wahlberg, holds Jigsaw captive in his lair where video feeds from inside the house onto monitors. Matthews has to work with Jigsaw to find the location of the building before the inhabitants time runs out. Matthews has an added interest, as one of the people in the house is his son, Eric.

Well, I had a great time with his movie. Almost as much as I did with the original. I wouldn't put it up there in quality terms as the original, but it's pretty darn close. I love the gruesome opening scene which almost mimics one of that in the original. It sets up the mood of the whole movie, and reminds us just how darn entertaining the original is. It is more of the same in SAW II, but with more. More blood, more games, more characters, more twists (there are two biggies at the end in this one), and more gripping, edge-of-your-seat tension.

Director Bousman manages to keep the same mood and pace of the original movie, while at the same time putting his own spin on things. The film is actually good enough to be a stand-alone flick, so there isn't any need to see the original movie (though please do, 'cos it's great). The performances are good, and Wahlberg is on the button in one of his first leading movie roles. But this movie belongs to Tobin Bell as Jigsaw, Get this guy in more movies. He's menacing, he's got that sinister, soft spoken way about him, and he really gets his chance to shine in this film following his limited turn in the original.

I love the film. As I said, it's not quite got the same punch as the first movie, but it still slaps you around the face.

The extras. Well, Lionsgate deliver once again. We have feature commentary from director Darren Lynn Bousman and actors Donnie Wahlberg and Beverley Mitchell. These three have a passion for the flick, and all interact with one another with anecdotes about the making of the film. There's some neat little tidbits including how most of the film was filmed in one location, and the little clues that point toward the big twist at the end of the flick. Good commentary, though there were some parts that resorted back to the original soundtrack, and it's sometimes difficult to determine who's talking (Bousman and Walhberg sound very alike). The commentary runs for the film's duration of 92 minutes.

Next up, we have a featurette names "Jigsaw's Game", which runs for around 3 minutes, followed by "Bits and Pieces - The Props of Saw II", a look at the many props, which are fully working (according to this documentary feature). This one runs a little longer at just under five minutes. Next is "The Traps of SAW II", which obviously looks at the traps in the games setup by Jigsaw in the movie. They are Death Mask, The Furnace), Needle in a Haystack, and Jigsaw's Lair. The option is to play all , or separately and it total they run for just over ten minutes. A good little look at the gory setups in the flick. There's also a look at storyboard to screen, which are based again around the traps in the film. There are Dolby Digital options as well as Dolby EX. The various trailers for the film are also included in the release. There's also a fitting tribute letter from director Bousman to producer Gregg Hoffman, who sadly died recently at the age of 42.

All in all, if you liked SAW, then you'll dig SAW II. It's more of the same, and is one of those flicks that will do even better on DVD than it did at cinemas. Pure expoitational horror gore-fest!!! Rent or buy it NOW!

GRADE: A-

Paul Heath