Oh Yes... This Movie Is Good.

Rating: 9/10 (5 February 2007)

*Saw II SPOILERS*
Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) is back... and after dispatching an informant, Michael (Noam Jenkins), he moves on to a bigger game; 8 people (Danny Matthews (Eric Knudsen), son of Detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg), Jigsaw's main target, Laura (Beverley Mitchell... yes, the girl from 7th Heaven), a poor young girl, Xavier (Franky G) a moody and unstable person, Obi (Timothy Burd), a pyromaniac with a secret, Addison (Emmanuelle Vaugier), a tough-spoken, bitchy woman, Gus (Tony Nappo), an overreacter who shouldn't look into peepholes, Jonas (Glenn Plummer), who tries to bring the group to reason and an old acquaintance of ours, Amanda (Shawnee Smith)) are locked in a house, where a deadly gas is diffused, and antidotes are hidden in the various rooms...
In the meanwhile, Detective Matthews has caught Jigsaw (in the first ten minutes), and discovers the killer has a game for him too... and the prize is his son.
I thought that following the original 'Saw' with a worthy sequel was damn near impossible, but here 'Saw II' is, disproving this idea.
It basically takes the plot of another masterpiece, 1998's 'Cube', and gives it the 'Saw' treatment, which means plot twists, fast cuts, good old scares, appropriate gore, the realization of a father, and a good script.
Plus, it has Donnie Wahlberg (an absolutely awesome actor - anyone who's seen 'The Sixth Sense' and 'Boomtown' can agree) and Beverley Mitchell showing us she can act (a great event in and of itself) and look good in ANY situation.
Not to miss, especially if you loved 'Saw' and 'Cube'.
Saw II: 9/10.