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Saw 2 Director: Darren Lynn Bousman Rated: MA15+ Now screening 
Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg), is a shady cop who is having trouble
relating to his teenage son Daniel. Eric receives a call to a crime
scene where someone has been brutally murdered by 'The Jigsaw Killer'
(Tobin Bell). This killer takes great delight in playing games with
his victims, to see if they really value their life by trying to survive
one of his elaborate traps. When Eric's son goes missing, he fears
the worst and his suspicions are confirmed when the killer contacts
him and reveals that his son is trapped in a maze along with 8 other
people. What follows is a gory game of cat and mouse, in which not
everyone has a chance of survival. Donnie Wahlberg is slowly building up a list of acting credits after his days of fame as a member of '80s band, New Kids On The Block. Wahlberg does his best to portray a cop who is being punished for his past deeds, and tries to redeem himself. As most of his scenes are against Tobin Bell, who has the better role of the Jigsaw Killer, Wahlberg, who seems a bit too young to be the father of a nearly fully grown son, does come unstuck in places. Tobin Bell does a very good job as the killer who is terminally ill and wants to 'enjoy' a final game with his victims: Bell is convincing as someone who wants to use psychological as well as physical terror on his victims, and his scenes bring much menace. The rest of the cast do their best to portray helpless victims - with varying degrees of success. The first 'Saw' film was only released a year ago and this sequel could have been a slap dash affair which just copied the first film's plot - as is the case of a lot of rushed sequels. Surprisingly, this film is actually better than the first, because the plot is more coherent and the characters are more interesting. The story takes its time to get to know the characters, which allows the audience to invest some empathy towards them. There are more surprising twists in this film which keeps audiences on their toes, along with the expected gory thrills. Overall, the acting is better, with the actors at least attempting to inject some personality to their roles, which wasn't evident in the previous film. The scenes of the group in the maze trying to work together are well done. 'Saw 2' manages to add character development to its expected dosage of thrills, and for the most part, succeeds. While this isn't exactly the scariest film of the year, it does actually have a few genuine scares in it, plus some psychological elements to make it more interesting. The film retains the dark grungy look from the previous chapter, which adds to its success. Already, 'Saw 2' has become a big hit which has led to the announcement that a third film is in the works. Hopefully that one will continue to build on the improved story telling of this one.  |
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