Saw II Delivers the goods

Rating: 9/10 (30 October 2005)

It's been awhile since I have given out a review.
Saw II is a film that follows in the tradition of the original. It is sick, it is bloody, and it is smart. Smart in that the film pays attention to it's own details. Unlike the first Saw, we know who the bad man is. A surprise like that is hard to duplicate but what this film does is go into more detail into why Jigsaw does what he does.
Like the first film, there is nothing predictable about Saw II. Just when you think you may know the answer your find out your dead wrong. There are twist and turns in this film and unlike some of the other horror films these days, these twists make sense. And the film also manages to answer some questions from the original film.
The acting is a bit better in this film, but thats probably cause it took them 7 more days to film Saw II than it did the first Saw. The first Saw had the director filming rehearsals and using those shots in the actual movie. This film has a slightly bigger budget which definitely helps. This film is not weakened by a script that took less than a year to write and get on screen.
The ending is a different kind of surprise yet it still works for me. All in all, what makes this and the first Saw great horror films is that it plays upon the viewers fears. The film knows and respects the genre and it respects it's audience. At not one moment does Saw II shortchange their viewers. That in it self makes this a successful horror film. Throw in a good plot with good dialogue, good acting and a hell of a lot of blood, scares and tension, and you have made yourself a film that will be talked about for years. And now they have done it twice.