The tag line boasts, 'Oh yes, there will be blood,' and oh yes, there was

Rating: 7/10 (10 December 2005)

Saw II
Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman.
Starring Donnie Wahlberg, Shawnee Smith and Tobin Bell.
With a troubled son, a pending divorce, and a serial killer who asks for him by name, Detective Eric Mathews (Wahlberg, "Band of Brothers", "Dreamcatcher") is having a rough time. Matters only worsen when the aforementioned serial killer (a frighteningly matter-of-fact Tobin Bell) begins his new "game." The murderer, dubbed Jigsaw by the media, sticks several ex-con stereotypes in a booby-trapped house and watches the chaos ensue from his hideout. Mathews discovers Jigsaw's lair, and takes his team to bring the maniac to justice. When the detective discovers his son is one of the unlucky few inside the house, the case becomes a blurred line between Mathews' personal and professional interests.
With the departure of director James Wan (who helmed the first film), Darren Lynn Bousman, a relative unknown, fastens himself into the blood-encrusted shackles. Bousman does not stray far from the formula used by Wan in the original: quick cuts in times of panic, dizzying camera angles, overall confusion.
The tag line boasts, "Oh yes, there will be blood," and oh yes, there was. "Saw II" requires from its viewers a high tolerance of gore. Knowing that no one can argue that it is a tame affair, the filmmakers try a little too hard to make "Saw II" more than it is. Much like "Saw", the film tries to cram as much guts as it can fit down the audiences' throats while also leaving them with something to think about when the credits begin to roll. Do Jigsaw's subjects deserve to live if they cannot make the necessary sacrifices? Does Detective Mathews' history of police brutality justify his son's torment? These are interesting questions, but are ultimately irrelevant. The filmmakers are more concerned with burning people alive or having them crawl through hypodermic needles than focusing on why any of it happens at all.
"Saw II" is an above average horror movie, at best. It is memorable only to the fans that can stomach the blood and guts genre that is horror. It'll certainly keep audiences on the edge of their seat, but in the end it falls in line with typical frightful fare. Most enjoyable to watch with friends late at night, just make sure you don't have to walk home alone.
Final Grade: C+