Though I always found "Saw II" to be a bit over-rated, this is still a fundamentally solid, enjoyable sequel... It just has some big flaws...

Rating: 7/10 (17 February 2012)

Now that the series is sort-of officially over, looking back on the seven "Saw" films, I get a nostalgic feeling. They were a huge part of my teen-aged years and my early 20's, and it was my Halloween tradition. And so, I am looking back and writing this review for "Saw II", a film that is actually a very solid, fun ride, despite some big flaws. I still feel it's slightly overrated, but it's still a good film.
Release in 2005, "Saw II" is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (who would go on to direct the next two entries in the series, as well as the cult favorite "Repo: The Gentic Opera"), whom also co-wrote the script with Leigh Whannel. ("Saw I-III", "Dead Silence", "Insidious") The film stars Tobin Bell as Jigsaw/John Kramer, Donnie Whalberg as Detective Eric Mathews, and Shawnee Smith as Amanda, a returning survivor from the first film.
Detective Mathews is a cop with a shaky past- he has a history of violence and may have been involved with evidence-planting, whom is lured into a new game with the infamous "Jigsaw Killer." Mathews and his SWAT team actually capture Jigsaw in the beginning of the film, but when it becomes clear that his son Daniel is trapped in a house loaded with booby traps, surrounded by other people who are connected to him (including Amanda, the survivor of the iconic "Reverse Bear Trap" from the first film), he is forced to play a game of his own with Jigsaw, in order to save his son.
The film was of a higher budget than the original, and the scope is vastly increased. The number of traps, as well as their complex nature, is greatly increased, and this is the first entry in the series to truly live up to its "gorey" reputation. (The original film had very minimal gore, to be honest, and is unfairly labeled as a "splatter movie", when it is actually a tense psychological thriller.) There is also a greater number of characters, and the film employs numerous flashbacks to flesh out the story of our lead "villain", Jigsaw.
The acting is surprisingly decent for a horror film. Tobin Bell shines as Jigsaw, and his role is astonishingly well-played. Despite being the series villain, he actually comes off as a tragic and misguided figure, driven mad by the circumstances of his life. I remember hearing more than one person in the audience around me commenting that they felt bad for him, and sympathized with him, despite the terrible things he does. That is the mark of a great actor- someone who can really make the audience question them, and make them feel differing emotions. Donnie Whalberg is good as Mathew, and Shawnee Smith is outstanding as Amanda, who is a very tense person with a lot of secrets of her own.
The film is decently directed, though there are some very sloppy scenes, mainly due to the tight budget, quick shoot and the first-time director. This is also the first film in the series to use the hyper-kinetic quick-cutting that became a series stable in later films. Editor Kevin Greutert does a fantastic job, and the music by Charlie Clouser is iconic and haunting.
There are a lot of flaws to the film, however. For starters, as I mentioned, there are a few sloppily directed scenes, and you can tell they didn't get all of the footage they needed. In addition, though this is arguably the most "fun" entry in the series, a lot of the secondary characters are very blank and are not fleshed out in the least. Finally, the film moves a bit too quickly, and as this was the first entry to use the quick cutting and "hyper-gore", it felt too different from the first film at times. This was the "transitional" film in the series- the first entry to employ a lot of ideas that became regular in later films, which is where it fell apart for me.
That being said, this is a very fun film, and it has a decent plot and great acting. I give this a good 7 out of 10. Not the best entry in the series, but far from worst.