Saw II (Exclusive Mini Review Series)

Saw II (Exclusive Series)

Initial release date: October 28, 2005

Tagline: We Dare You Again …

Studios: Lionsgate Twisted Pictures

Plot: On the hunt for the twisted serial killer Jigsaw, Detective Eric Matthews and his team must apprehend the elusive murderer to rescue eight people in an abandoned house, before they succumb to his torturous and murderous games. One twist to this task is that Matthew’s own son, Daniel, is among the eight people Jigsaw has chosen to test for their lack of morality. With nerve gas pumping through the house, every second counts.

Cast

Tobin Bell - Jigsaw/John

Shawnee Smith - Amanda

Donnie Wahlberg - Detective Eric Matthews

Erik Knudsen - Daniel Matthews

Franky G - Xavier

Glenn Plummer - Jonas

Emmanuelle Vauger - Addison

Beverly Mitchell - Laura

Timothy Burd - Obi

Dina Meyer - Kerry

Lyriq Bent - Rigg

Writer(s): Leigh Whannell (The Invisible Man)

Darren Lynn Bousman

Director: Darren Lynn Bousman (Spiral)

Rated R for grisly violence and gore, terror, language and drug content (93 minutes)

Continuing on with checking out the ‘Saw’ franchise, the 2005 sequel, ‘Saw II,’ brings on the intensity and puts the series thrills up a notch. Compared to the first movie (which is also good), this sequel is far better.

In fact, this sequel is one of the few ‘Saw’ sequels that are really good. The twists are unexpected and the traps are even more brutal than the original. Even though I have seen the movies quite a few times over the years, I can still pick up a few hints here and there that I haven’t noticed before.

Some of the gory moments can be a little cringe-worthy. Actually, the one segment that still can be cringy no matter how many times you watch it, is the “needle pit” scene.

Overall, ‘Saw II’ is a worthy sequel in the franchise. It delivers good twists, lots of twisted moments, and, as the words of Jigsaw, “oh, yes, there will be blood.”

Here are some interesting tidbits about ‘Saw II’ (could contain spoilers):

• To conceal the ending, most of the actors weren’t given the last 25 pages of the script. Only the principal actors involved in the sequence knew.

• Five alternate endings were ultimately shot.

• It took four days for four people to replace all of the syringe tips with fiber tips for the “Needle Pit” scene.

• In the first week of its DVD release, this sold over 3 million units, making it Lionsgate’s fastest selling DVD.

• In the US and Canada, this is the highest-grossing ‘Saw’ movie.

• Like the first movie, the solution to the puzzle (the key and the trap door) were hidden in the very first room in the house.

• Jigsaw states that if Det. Matthews plays along with his game and listens long enough, he will find his son “in a safe and secure state.” Jigsaw is already providing a clue to Daniel’s location, as he’s literally found in a safe at the end.

• ‘Saw II’ was immediately green-lighted after the first movie’s successful opening weekend a year earlier. Producers needed a script for a sequel but James Wan and Leigh Whannell, writer and director of the first movie, were working on Universal’s ‘Dead Silence.’ Whannell ultimately helped a little bit with the script.

• The original teaser poster showing two bloody, severed fingers, representing the Roman numeral, II, was rejected by the MPAA.