Saw II (2005 film)

Oh, yes.  There will be blood. - Jigsaw

Day two of the Saw extravaganza for this year's Happy Horrorween and we get a real intense one.  The esteemable Jigsaw returns for another run, and this time we get a whole houseful of people.  The traps come pretty fast (including my least favorite of all time) and the movie ends on a twist, as most of the series has done.

After getting his son out of police custody, Detective Eric Matthews argues with him and leaves him in anger, telling him to go back to his mother if he wants to so badly.  Later, Detective Allison Kerry from the first film calls him on another Jigsaw killing (which we see in the opening of the film) and points out a message to Matthews on the ceiling.  It seems that Jigsaw has taken a certain interest in our hero.

This film was a step up from the previous film, with more traps, more 'players', more drama and more Jigsaw.  The bulk of the film switches between the players and Jigsaw talking to Detective Matthews, trying to tell him about his crusade and motivations.  The interplay between the two is amazing, the hunter and the hunted... but which is really which?  With Jigsaw, you never really know.

This film, while one of my favorites in the series, features (as I said) my least favorite task ever, a pit of syringes that has to be searched through.  As a kid, I had to have alot of shots for my asthma, so have hated needles with a passion ever since, and this sequence just got right under my skin (no pun intended).  The scene was very believable, and I applaud Shawnee Smith for the effort she brought to the scene.

Cast-wise, we have a great group of actors.  Donnie Wahlberg plays Detective Eric Matthews with a lot of passion and emotion.  His scenes with Jigsaw are a highlight of the film.  A member of the 1980s music group New Kids on the Block and brother to ex-rapper turned actor Mark Wahlberg, he also played in Ransom, Sixth Sense, Dreamcatcher and Righteous Kill.  His current acting gig is on cop drama Blue Bloods with Tom Selleck.  Shawnee Smith returned from the first film to play Amanda Young, a rare repeat performer in one of Jigsaw's games.  Acting since the age of 8, she's been alot of films and shows, including the ABC adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand, the 1988 remake of The Blob and the previously-reviewed (on my original site) Grudge 3.  Also returning from the first film was Dina Meyer who played Detective Allison Kerry.  She's best known for her roles in Starship Troopers and playing Barbara Gordon in the short-lived series Birds of Prey.  And playing Jigsaw is... well, I'll save that credit for the last film.  I don't want to spoil it for anybody who hasn't seen the first one yet!

All in all, a very suspenseful film that keeps you on the edge of your seat right up to the end and beyond.  I give it a 5 out of 5.  Do you have any comments or questions about any of my articles?  Feel free to post them below the article and I'll get back to you on it as soon as I can.  Or, you can send me an email right here.  Tomorrow we have our next film, the very originally titled Saw III.  Until then, thanks for reading, take care of yourselves, and this is Red Hawk signing out!