a sequel that's a cut above...

Rating: 7/10 (29 October 2005)

The original "Saw" was a nifty little horror film wrapped in the grit and grime of "Seven," whilst turning the clichés of the 'serial-killer-thriller' on its head by giving the murderer a modus operandi as severe as his condition. In the film, Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) was not a killer per se, but more of a prophet preaching to his victims, who found themselves in elaborately-staged scenarios entailing some form of self-inflicted bloodshed to ensure survival. In a dank, abandoned bathroom, Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell were left with a horrifying proposition: hack through their legs, or remain in the room "to rot." "Saw II" ups the ante of this initial scenario by placing a handful of ill-willed strangers in an abandoned house, where a booby trap awaits around every corner, and certain rooms are suspiciously tailored to the vices of the victims (for instance, a drug addict is forced to fish a key out of a pit filled with syringes). Meanwhile, a harried detective (a surprisingly good Donnie Whalberg)--whose son has been involved in this game--interrogates the frail, soft-spoken Jigsaw.
While the victims aren't overly memorable (though a returning Shawnee Smith leaves quite an impression) and their backstories sketchily-shaded (but still tied together well), the real appeal of "Saw II" is its shocking relentlessness. In a way, the mounting tension in the final minutes of the original "Saw" has been distributed more evenly throughout this sequel. The cast reins in any severe overacting tendencies, and while generally clichéd, each victim puts forth a noble effort at two-dimensionality. "Saw II" is so intricately plotted, suspenseful, and surprising that the characters really serve as little more than fodder for whatever unpleasant shock is waiting around the corner.
My initial expectations for this film were fraught with skepticism: here was a movie coming on the heels of a sleeper hit barely 1 year old, which smacked of assembly-line studio product; worse yet, it was a sequel being helmed by a novice director (Darren Lynn Bousman). Bracing for another title to add to my "I-Actually-Shelled-Out-Money-For-That" list, I was consistently surprised and quite pleased with how well "Saw II" sustained itself as far as mounting suspense and cringe-inducing moments were concerned. Several uncontrived links to the original film were well-done, and Bousman's visual style--while sometimes prone to whiplash edits and camera moves--remained faithful to previous director James Wan, thus transforming "Saw II" into one of the more authentic sequels I've seen (a definite rarity).
I've said little about the plot, and for good reason. "Saw II," filled with the kind of downbeat grotesquery that gave the original its bearings, needs to be experienced. Even the slightest hinting at the events that transpire would ruin the film. I resist the common urge to unmask villains and twists in films (due in no small part to the fact that I'm almost always wrong), and while the rushed turning point of "Saw II" elapses quicker than we can absorb it (and owes a bit to "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Scream"), it does ultimately fit--and is no less contrived than the conclusion of the original.
But underneath the heinous violence and bloodshed that greases the gears of "Saw II" is something of a revelation: through the character of Jigsaw, Tobin Bell creates a murderous mastermind who not only favorably recalls John Doe (Kevin Spacey in "Seven") and Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins in "The Silence of the Lambs"), but invokes a surprising amount of empathy; granted, the 'lessons' he teaches his victims are wrought with sadistic severity, but his condition, coupled with a soft-spoken, intelligent, world-weary demeanor makes him the appealing backbone of the film while the alleged 'victims' scream and brutalize their way toward survival. Though such irony is doubtlessly intentional, I was surprised--and a bit shocked--at how well it seduced me.
In summation: "Saw II" is a sequel that's a cut above (pun intended), and certainly better than most of the mass-marketed horror dreck plaguing your local multiplex.
(Side note: listen close for a delicious reference to "Last House on the Left.")