Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

The original Saw was a first-class horror flick. The highly original story, dedicated performances, and clever plot twists made it one of the best horror films to date. Now the big question for the sequel: can it be done again? The answer is yes, but with a few reservations.

Fans of the original Saw will remember the demented serial ‘killer’ Jigsaw, a psychopath who has never killed anyone per se, but who allows people to kill themselves by playing his own disturbing games. For example, take the opening scene of Saw II. A man awakens to find a metal apparatus around the back of his head, the front of it hanging loose, with nails sticking out, much like a venus fly trap. Jigsaw informs him that he must choose life or death, as the key to unlocking the device has been surgically implanted behind his right eye. The man has sixty seconds to either use a knife to cut out his eye and get the key, or the device will slam shut. It brings new meaning to the phrase ‘getting nailed.’

Soon after, the main event begins. This time, Jigsaw has captured eight people and locked them in a house that’s rapidly filling with a lethal gas. The door to the house will open in three hours; but the problem is they only have two hours before the gas kills them. Antidotes are spread all over the house, but in perilous places, like inside a furnace, for one. Daniel (Erik Knudsen) is one of the poor souls trapped in the house, and he happens to be the only son of a burnt out detective named Eric Mason (Donnie Wahlberg). Another key player in all this is Amanda (Shawnee Smith), who you may recall, was the only person to ever survive Jigsaw’s game. Jigsaw is dying of cancer, and his victims are people who do not appreciate the life they have. It’s almost like he’s taking a pro-life stance to the extreme.

Much like the first film, the cast assembled is made up of largely unknowns, save for the compelling Wahlberg, who some may remember from Band of Brothers. Wahlberg plays the world-weary detective who plays by his own rules, and in lesser hands, an actor could have easily fumbled the part. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Jigsaw himself, played with a cool menace by Tobin Bell, also reprising his role from the first film. It’s nice to see his role is expanded this time out, and the audience learns more about his condition and what drives him to create these sick little games. Wahlberg and Bell are really the best of the bunch here, because the acting drops off sharply after them.

Franky G, who plays the macho tough guy so over the top, it actually becomes unintentionally funny. He exerts his power by pushing people out of the way, yelling constantly, and generally making forehead-slapping decisions at every turn. Haven’t horror movies gotten past cheesy stock characters like this? Towards the end he becomes obsessed with getting the antidote, even if it means killing everyone so he can have it. Either his acting is truly awful, or he’s paying one hell of a homage to mindless slashers like Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers. There’s also the typical would-be leader, who emphasizes peace and talking through things. There’s the Paris Hilton-like clone who scoffs at everything. There’s the resourceful veteran, Amanda, who’s been in this situation before. You get the drill, as you’ve probably these characters in a million other horror flicks. The rest of the cast is adequate, but nothing to write home about. I suppose it’s not necessary to get to know everyone, because more than likely, most of them won’t be getting out of the house alive.

The strengths of Saw II is the ability to creep you out is increased ten fold from the original movie. A scene where a woman must find a key buried in a pit of needles will have even veteran horror fans squirming in their seats. Another scene features a different woman reaching through two holes in a container for an antidote, two holes mind you, with razor blades all around them, which cut her wrists every time she moves. Guess she picked a bad day to leave her long sleeve shirt at home. Even with these spine-tingling scenes, the major plot twists (which I won’t reveal) don’t come off with the same level of surprise and innovation as the first film. Perhaps it’s because we’re expecting the twist, like an M. Night Shyamalan movie, but I wasn’t as giddy over the shock ending this time out. Give the writers points for trying though.

All in all, Saw II is a fairly effective follow-up to the original, with many pros and a few cons keeping it from matching the first movie’s success. Like most sequels, the gore factor gets kicked up a few notches, and the game this time around is more elaborate, with even bigger twists. It doesn’t always work, as the acting falters on several occasions, and the editing and camerawork can make you nauseous, to say nothing of the subject matter. Despite these drawbacks, the relentless violence and the skillful story more than make up for it. While it may not cut as deep as the original, Saw II ’s blade is no less sharp.

Final Rating: 3.5 Stars

Recommended: Yes