 Tagline: New game. Different pieces. Jigsaw is back. The brilliant, disturbed mastermind who wreaked havoc on his victims in last year's Saw is back for another round of horrifying life-or-death games. Storyline: When detective Eric Matthews is called to a crime scene of a victim of Jigsaw, he finds a lead to the place where he is hidden. Once there, he realizes that Jigsaw trapped his son Daniel Matthews with three women and four men in a shelter, and they are inhaling a lethal nerve gas. If they do not use an antidote within two hours, they will die. Eric follows with increasing desperation the death of each member of the group in monitors, while trying to convince Jigsaw to release his son. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, January 18, 2008 -- Those that don't appreciate life do not deserve life. Anyone going into a Saw film expecting a deep and meaningful movie with in-depth character study, clever writing, and decent plot twists is going to be in for a surprise: they may very well get those things. Make no mistake, neither Saw nor this sequel are award winning, archive quality films, but they do offer deeper meaning and insight into the characters and their motivations than do most films of this ilk. The character of Jigsaw is an intriguing one. We get a killer with perhaps the most elaborate motivation yet for a movie psychopath: he kills hoping his victims will live. He's a cancer patient, dying, with no hope of survival. He wants people to experience sure death and, should they escape its clutches, begin to appreciate the gift of life. He's sadistic, and every moment he's on screen I want someone to put a bullet in his head, but as far as story and purpose, Jigsaw's is perhaps second to none in horror cinema lure. Saw II begins with an unexpected twist. Jigsaw (Tobin Bell, reprising his role from the first film) finds himself in police custody only minutes into the movie. Leave it to him, however, to use this to his advantage. He's devised yet another clever scheme to test the mettle of the lead detective now working on his case, Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg, Annapolis). Matthew's son, abducted by Jigsaw, finds himself part of a gruesome game of survival as he and several other prisoners, including the character of Amanda, the lone survivor from the first film, must find their way through a house of horrors. They are all stricken by a deadly nerve agent that is curable only with the antidotes he's strategically placed throughout the house. He won't make it easy. The antidotes turn up in ovens and various other demented traps. As the plot thickens, one of the prisoners becomes a hunter, doing anything--and killing anyone--who gets in the way of his freedom. Jigsaw's plan finally comes to fruition as the identity of two key players, along with the common bond between the others, is revealed. You won't be hearing anyone calling up the makers of Saw II onto the dais to accept an Academy Award, but this movie easily kills off a boring Saturday night with a few friends. Its quick 90 minute runtime keeps things moving along at a brisk pace and the sadistic story and violence are just enough to keep gore fans happy but not enough to turn away those with weaker stomachs. The movie features quite a bit of quick cuts and frenetic filmmaking that's really not my style, but the decent story line more than makes up for any technical differences I had with the filmmakers. The movie stays true to the basic structure of the first film, retaining a mixture of horror, mystery, and thriller elements rather than becoming a "how far can we push the gore envelope" type movie. Thankfully, the Saw franchise hasn't fallen into this trap--yet. I hope it doesn't because even though these aren't great films, or even films I see myself revisiting until the distant future, I love the refreshing approach they bring to the genre. The clever story line and intricate detail of its structure proved exhilarating as I watched the stories of the first two films unfold. Like Halloween II, Saw II is a worthy follow-up to a film that is beginning to gain both cult and critically acclaimed status. This movie continues the story in logical fashion, doesn't lose sight of its roots, and spins a tale full of scares, intrigue, and suspense. While this is a horror film at its core, Saw II is also a psychological thriller and mystery movie. As fas as horror sequels go, they don't come a whole lot better than this one, but that's still not high praise considering its competition. While this Blu-ray disc may not be reference material, both the audio and video quality should suffice for most viewers, and fans of the franchise will be pleased with the included supplements. Saw II is a recommended purchase for fans of the series. Cast Notes: Donnie Wahlberg (Eric Mathews), Shawnee Smith (Amanda), Tobin Bell (Jigsaw), Franky G (Xavier), Glenn Plummer (Jonas), Dina Meyer (Kerry), Emmanuelle Vaugier (Addison), Beverley Mitchell (Laura), Erik Knudsen (Daniel), Tim Burd (Obi [as Timothy Burd]), Lyriq Bent (Rigg), Noam Jenkins (Michael), Tony Nappo (Gus), Vincent Rother (SWAT Member Joe), Linette Robinson (Mother in Cancer Ward). IMDb Rating (04/05/15): 6.6/10 from 167,559 users
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