Repulsive, clever, pointless jigsaw puzzle slasher.

Rating: Null/10 (9 September 2007)

A couple of Aussies were responsible for Saw - a dirt cheap, original and very successful horror movie. The sequel is co-written by one of them (Leigh Wannel). It has a much bigger budget, and the same mix of complex plot and sadistic gore. A psychopathic weirdo called Jigsaw arranges for 8 people to be imprisoned in a dingy, booby-trapped dwelling, from which they must escape, before they are killed by the lethal nerve gas, which is seeping into the place. Charming! If you relish seeing ex-jailbirds, alcoholics, junkies, hookers, and hapless teenagers scream in terror as they're subjected to psychological and physical torture, this is for you. I found it repulsive, and pointless, so I must be old fashioned. If I wanted to see terrified people turn on each other, before most of them suffer horrifically, I'd go back to working in the public service. The story is undeniably cleverly woven, and the twist at the end is unpredictable, but what I'm most disturbed by is that there are people out there, thinking up things like the hideous head trap, the hand trap and the hypodermic needle trap. Deeply grubby, and definitely not for kids.