Film Review: Saw 2

Saw II (18)
Dir. Darren Lynn Bousman

Reviewed by Matt Adcock


As the tagline goes… “Oh Yes, There Will Be Blood” and Saw 2 certainly delivers on this gruesome promise. If you’ve seen the innovatively sick SAW then you’ll know what to expect: Sicko genius ‘Jigsaw’ is back doing what he does best – setting live pawns in games which the most likely outcome will be their horrific demise…

I was worried the Saw 2 would be a cheap and nasty cash in sequel that didn’t add anything to the first film but came away having been impressed by this grungy follow up. There are some great references – everything to throw away lines like ‘up this street it’s the Last House On The Left’ to a passable twist in the tale.

Donnie Wahlberg does OK as the cop who is personally drawn into one of Jigsaw’s games and Shawnee Smith is hot as the main female character. But Tobin Bell walks away with this film as Jigsaw himself in a spellbinding turn that reeks a tragic mixture of complete nutjob and tortured genius.

The moral of the story is that if you don’t appreciate your life, one day you might have it taken from you and although it’s a stretch, it is this kind of moralising that kept my interest (and I don’t think there will be many other Christians out there telling you that this is a decent film).

Saw 2 is a premium choice for anyone looking for a twisted tale in the vein of Se7en or SAW. It might not be a classic but it earns a blood soaked place in the hall of respected horror films – just be sure you have a high grimness tolerance or you’ll might not make it to the satisfying ending…

Darkmatt Rating: ööö (grim fun for all the family- if your family is seriously screwed up...)

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