Saw II: Another Mediocre Sequel

Rating: 5/10 (20 December 2005)

Sequels, especially to horror films, seem to pop up every year. Many are unnecessary, like the Halloween and Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequels. It is hard to judge these films on their own merits, especially while comparing them to the film they follow. Saw II is a very uneven film with many highlights, but also many downfalls.
For those who are not familiar with the plot of Saw, it is about a serial killer who puts his victims in life and death situations. For example, a character will wake up chained to a pipe and be forced to kill the person who is also chained across from him if he wants to live. If he does not commit the act within a certain timeframe, both of them will die.
In this sequel, Detective Eric Mason (Donnie Wahlberg) finds out his delinquent son is one of the few unlucky people forced to use their intellect and cooperation in a booby-trapped house. The catch is that all the victims have inhaled a nerve gas that will kill them within a few hours if they don't escape. Mason has to cooperate and play Jigsaw's "game" if he ever wants to see his son again.
The movie works well within the conventions of the horror genre. It has the violence and murders that the audience expects from horror films. The unique deathtraps in this movie will, doubtlessly satisfy gore-hungry fans.
The acting is also quite impressive for a horror film. All the actors seem to understand the parts they play and play them with great realism and human emotion. Wahlberg is believable as a detective who can't balance his work and troubled life. He depicts the pain of a father whose life seems to be at its worst. Tobin Bell is very creepy as Jigsaw. From his cold stares to his devious smile, this man, who considers himself a prophet, is quite obviously a psychopath and finds pleasure in seeing others fight for their lives.
The actor who is the most impressive out of the ensemble of victims in Jigsaw's game is Franky G, who plays a Puerto Rican drug dealer. The fact that the actor, who has a very macho physique and demeanor, plays him with such depravity and cowardliness lends a realistic desperation to the character: the scene where this is most evident is when he has to find a key in a pit that is filled with syringes in less than two minutes. Instead of going in himself, he throws a woman, who is a part of this group of victims, in without any thought.
The attempt of the director, Darren Bousman, and cinematographer, David Armstrong, at giving the film a low-budget look and feel should be applauded. While it is quite obvious that this movie had quite a hefty budget behind it (unlike the first film) the attempt comes with clear artistic intentions.
Unfortunately, not everything about this movie is milk and cookies. Quite a few aspects of the script are very poorly written. A few times, the technique of scaring through a "jump out of the closet" is used, which is quite annoying and gains absolutely nothing in terms of scares.
Another terrible aspect of this film is the scriptwriters' decision to reveal the killer, Jigsaw, so early in the movie and spoon feed the audience his motives.
What made him such a great character in the first film was the fact that the audience barely knew anything about him. In this movie, his motives are explained so clearly that it completely ruins what Jigsaw was all about. Imagine if Alfred Hitchcock had revealed Mrs. Bates in Psycho. Would the movie be worth watching? This unfortunate little detail takes away so much from the movie. It doesn't ruin it, but it is a detraction. He becomes a caricature instead of a character.
What's worse is the "twist" (if one could call it that) at the end of the movie. It just does not fit Jigsaw's profile. Without giving too much away, the end is completely unrealistic and dumb and contradicts the first movie.
It's hard to decide who should see Saw II. While the film is clearly for fans of the horror genre, it should be noted that this movie does not even come close to the psychological terror the original achieved so well.
This movie is, without question, for people who enjoy seeing lots of blood and violence and are perhaps even turned on by it.
For those who really loved the first one, it's hardly worth shelling out hard-earned cash to see the sequel. Perhaps these fans should instead wait for next Halloween and rent it.
Final Grade: C