Directed by:
Darren Lynn BousmanCinematography:
David A. ArmstrongComposer:
Charlie ClouserCast:
Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Donnie Wahlberg, Erik Knudsen, Franky G, Glenn Plummer, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Beverley Mitchell, Dina Meyer, Lyriq Bent, Noam Jenkins (more)VOD (5)
Plots(1)
SAW II finds Jigsaw playing two games simultaneously: one involving eight victims who wake up in a crumbling house and must solve their mastermind’s riddle before their insides are destroyed by poison; and the other with Detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg), whose rebellious son is among the eight captives. Also among the abducted is Amanda (Shawnee Smith), who was introduced in SAW as the only victim to have survived Jigsaw’s tests. Desperate to save his son, Detective Matthews resorts, not for the first time, to brutality and trickery. It’s a decision that leads him right into a trap designed by Jigsaw in collaboration with his new apprentice: Amanda. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (8)
The second movie didn't hit the right note for me. Unfortunately. I see the main problem as the directing style of Darren Lynn Bousman. The choppiness with really crazy editing sometimes makes your eyes hurt. But even the story itself didn't manage to hook me the way I would ideally have hoped. The acting was probably okay, and Donnie Wahlberg was a pleasant surprise. At least the climactic ending worked for the creators (that's something the Saw series can do). But otherwise, it's a weaker addition to this saga. I give it a 4/10.
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John "Those who don't appreciate life do not deserve life" Kramer has set up another game of suffering. The biggest issue was a dislocated jaw from yawning due to the lack of suspension of disbelief and blurring before the eyes from epileptic editing. It tries to revive itself with a crucial surprise moment at the end, in the style of the first one, but I was already too exhausted. Play the song by New Kids on the Block "Let's Try It Again"…
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In a way, Saw II is a pleasant surprise. The screenwriters managed to get rid of the holes in the logic in the first film, although it is true that they did leave a few of them in. In many ways, the filmmakers also managed to get away from the overly uneven parts, where one depicting the action in the room was excellent, with the others taking place elsewhere and the flashbacks being dull and grey. They manage to keep the atmosphere fairly balanced, though admittedly the whole thing is built more or less on a largely uncovered depiction of the functionality of the various tasks Jigsaw hands out to his victims. It is true that their originality is at times unpleasantly chilling, and some of them (the hole full of syringes) even made my stomach turn. Even so, Saw II is just a template thriller that has a relatively decent number of ideas and a decently dark atmosphere. On the other hand, it is also true that the hyperactive camera and clippy editing surprisingly take away from it a bit. A (non)standard above average film.
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The film has excellent gore and really makes you feel the pain. That's the end of the plus side, and all we have is a bunch of unsympathetic meat to the slaughter, which is perversely unbelievably moronic in every way and also can't even act. The first installment gets full marks for its quality contribution to the genre despite a ridiculous budget. The next installments will be nothing but calculating, reputation-raping, but the truth is that for all their filth I will watch them. Oh, and the sped-up editing sequence sux.
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The first part is an easily forgettable mix of violence and directorial invention. The sequel is similar in that regard, but it also lacks originality and creativity compared to its predecessor. What remains are only brutal acts of murder in all possible and impossible ways, somewhat decent acting performances, and a surprising (which does not necessarily mean very good) conclusion. As a positive aspect, I consider the inclusion of the main villain into the story and the many new intricately designed traps. On the negative side, it follows the exact same narrative structure as the first part, which makes Saw 2 essentially a copy, unfortunately. Not really worth watching – simply once and that's it.
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