The first Saw, while flawed, held some rather good concepts. The overall results of that film were more disturbing than frightening but it still did good business at the box office and a sequel was quickly ordered shot and now about a year later, released. For many this spelled doom to this fledgling series. I am happy to report that while Saw II was thrown together, it is still as engaging and disturbing as the original.

The concept for Saw II is a simple one. Lock eight people in a house and tell them to escape. Well OK it isn’t quite that simple but that is the major idea. Sure there is a nerve agent killing them and the house is booby trapped but it comes down to the simple concept of escape.

All eight prisoners are in some way shape or form linked to Detective Matthews (Donnie Whalberg), his son Daniel (Erik Knudson) being one of them. Matthews captures Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) but is informed by the looney that he has his son and that he has to play a game to get him back. The game pretty much involves sitting around not loosing your temper, something Detective Matthews has a hard time doing. Watching on a closed circuit monitor system Matthews and his crew watch as one by one the prisoners get killed off in a host of disturning ways.

A slight twist is that amongst the prisoners is a former survivor of one of Jigsaw’s games. Amanda (Shawnee Smith) survived Jigsaw’s face clamp in the first one. Amanda acts almost like an advisor early on, not that anybody really pays attention to her. The film is shot back and forth between Detective Matthews and the house of horrors and before it is over there will be more than a few nods to the original film and it has a wonderful trick ending that is worth the price of admission.

Saw II aims to shock and for the most part it succeeds. You might not be scared watching the film but you should most certainly be disturbed. Like the previews have been saying, there will be blood. And just in time for halloween too.

7 of 10

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