"I Want To Play A Game..."

Rating: 7/10 (10 March 2007)

A man skins the back of his own neck to attain the last number in a crucial vault combination. A woman is tossed into a prickly pit of syringes. Another victim is faced with the prospect of having his head turned to mush unless he can retrieve a key from its hiding place -- inside his own face!
"Fun" may not seem like the right word to describe a film featuring such dementedness, but it's actually quite appropriate for "Saw II." In the tradition of the original "Saw" and "Hostel", this bloody sequel is well-produced, slick and surprisingly intelligent and original take on gore horror. It boasts multiple story lines, chief among them a desperate cop's quest to save his son from a madhouse set up by the evil Jigsaw. The writers managed to maintain the feel of the original while offering up plenty of surprises. You'll spend a lot of time cringing, but that's part of the game Jigsaw wants to play with us, the audience.
Another intriguing element is our first real exposure to Jigsaw, played brilliantly by Tobin Bell. In the world of horror, Jiggy's a true original. He's a force for pure evil who can still draw our sympathy. In a sick way, we can even relate to his ideals of "punishing the ungrateful," especially since Jigsaw himself has suffered so much. We know he must be stopped, but unlike Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger, we won't delight in it.
By now it's clear that "Saw" will buzz its way into a multiple-sequel franchise. This will surely become the "Friday the 13th" and "Nightmare on Elm Street" of the 2000s. "Saw III" came out the following year, with part IV slated for October 2007. Horror fans are the big winners.