Stars: Tobin Bell, Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Ken Leung, Dina Meyer, Monica Potter, Shawnee Smith, Leigh Whannell

Director: James Wan

Summary: Detective Tapp investigates the whereabouts of the latest victims of the Jigsaw Killer, whose killing method includes chaining his victims to a radiator and leaving them with a saw and a bullet... The killer's next victim, Dr Lawrence Gordon, wakes to find himself incarcerated in a dirty bathroom. Can Detective Tapp find him in time?

Be prepared to be scared. James Wan's directorial debut, written by and starring Leigh Whannell, is a violent, bloody, psychologically exhausting and exhilarating exercise in terror. Adam (Whannell) and Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes) are chained in a vile, disgusting bathroom, separated by a bloody corpse holding a gun and a tape recorder. They are each given a saw--the only obvious way out is to cut one of their feet off. A serial killer who specialises in torturing morally bereft strangers is playing a game with them: Gordon has less than eight hours to kill Adam or else the doctor's wife (Monica Potter) and daughter (Mackenzie Vega) will be murdered. As the two men engage in a battle of wits, alternately trying to help each other and secretly attempting to win the game, a series of flashbacks reveals the history of the madman and the pair of detectives (Danny Glover and Ken Leung) handling the case. Some of the torture scenes are excruciatingly horrible and hard to watch, a real treat for fans of the genre. Inspired by the work of David Lynch (BLUE VELVET, TWIN PEAKS) and Dario Argento (SUSPIRIA, INFERNO), Wan has created a scintillating suspense thriller that will have audiences continually shocked, repelled, frightened, and surprised, right up to the very last second (which Whannell has said was influenced by the endings of such films as THE USUAL SUSPECTS and THE SIXTH SENSE). The accompanying heavy metal soundtrack is appropriately scary as well.

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Reviewed by: cooljimbop
Posted on October 17, 2005 9:05 AM

Dubbed as the new Se7en, Saw shares many similarities but don't be fooled, Saw is a film in itself. The story line is grippingly tense throughout with some ingenious twists and turns and some fantastic set pieces. The tension is high throughout although it's not exactly scary. It is, however, gory with some deeply disturbing and twisted scenes that will flip your stomach. The script itself is a bit hammy and the acting can be a bit dodgy but it is the intrigue and plot that drives this film. If you like thrillers I urge you watch Saw.

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Given the haste in which this sequel followed the original, hopes may not have been particularly high for Saw 2. Yet the film itself proves to be a welcome surprise. For while it has moments where it needlessly attempts to out-gore the original, and while it's not as clever, there's plenty here to lift it above the status of lazy cash-in.

The premise, once again, contrives to put a series of apparent strangers into one location, surrounded by various traps and clues to get out. That location, a dilapidated house in this instance, is locked up, and slowly filling with nerve gas. In short, thanks to the work of deadly serial killer Jigsaw, the collection of people inside have two hours to live. This time though, their plight is being watched remotely via a video link by police officers, specifically Detective Eric Matthews, who quickly discovers his son is one of those caught in Jigsaw's deadly trap.

With a tempered running time that allows little time for waste, where Saw 2scores is in simply getting on with the job. It's a slightly bumpier ride than first time round, but again, it's hard not to get drawn into the fun.

One notable word of warning though: Sawliked its gore, and so does this sequel. No doubt the imminent third entry in the series will be fond of it too. Still, if you're wary of the need for a strong stomach, there's a lot to enjoy in this surprisingly strong second instalment.--Simon Brew

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Music Video By Fear Factory Bite The Hand That Bleeds, Unrated Version Of The Music Video, Making Of The Music Video, Sawed Off Mini Featurette
Subtitles:	English
Year:	2004
Release Date:	February 21, 2005
Runtime:	102 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	E D V 9299
Keywords:	General, Saw, Wide, Screen, Thriller, Uncut
Genre:	Thriller