Not bad but not as good as some are making it out to be

Rating: 5/10 (27 February 2006)

The first Saw was decent but had its problems as well. Part 2 follows suit and emerges as a polished, highly watchable thriller that could have been better than it actually is. In this entry police, led by gruff, crooked detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) interrogate a very ill Jigsaw (eerily played by Tobin Bell), who has Eric's estranged teenage son and some others trapped inside a booby-trapped house of horrors. Shawnee Smith (who had a bit in the original) gives a surprisingly convincing performance as reformed junkie Amanda, who is also trapped in the house. There's plenty of gore and a few major plot twists along the way. The killer's moralizing gets to be a bit much and the scenes with Jigsaw and the detectives are uneven and heavy-handed. However, the scenes taking place inside the deadly house are taut, suspenseful and very well played. All in all Saw II is a good movie, just not a great one.