Saw II

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Year:	2005
Country of origin:	USA
Director:	Darren Lynn Bousman
Genre:	Serial Killer
Starring:	Tobin Nell, Shawnee Smith
Rating:	5/5
IMDB link:	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432348/
Tagline:	We Dare You Again...
Favourite line:	"I want to play a game."

Saw, the horror franchise that divides cinephiles like no other, separating people out into lovers or loathers more efficiently than a Marmite filling at a jacket potato shop.
In the second outing for the 'torture porn' series, we learn a little more about the Machiavellian mind behind the sinister traps and tests that befall the hapless victims of Jigsaw, and you can be assured of gruel and nastiness aplenty.

The plot:
A team of investigators are closing in on the devious Jigsaw and believe they have pinned down his location. Entering the premises, the first wave of officers are taken out by a set of booby traps, but the second wave make it through, finding Jigsaw himself sitting behind a desk, attached to medical devices, apparently being used to treat his cancer.
The head of the investigation, Eric Matthews, wants to use brute force to beat a confession out of him, but is convinced to rein in his naturally violent tendencies. Before any proper questioning can commence, Jigsaw directs them to another room, in which they find a series of monitors, on which can be seen a group of people locked in the room, amongst their number Eric’s own son.
The police must race against time to locate the house in which the room is located, the whole time the group themselves seeking a way out of the house, but they are against the clock, as the air they are breathing is contaminated with a toxic chemical that is slowly breaking down their cellular structure.
If they don’t find a way out within two hours, they will begin to bleed from every orifice....

Whilst not a direct continuation of the original (let’s face it, that was always going to be a standalone until the runaway success at the box office) this nevertheless continues the themes; Jigsaw’s manipulation of the morally bankrupt, a race against time, proving a willingness to live, and in many ways ups the ante. The emotional investment of the character of Eric adds a new dimension, and an effective one, as the viewer is left rooting for him to find his son, despite his failings as a man.
As sequels go, this is a real winner, and the extra screen time given to Jigsaw in no way detracts from his menace, which is unusual (just look at Freddy, Jason or Michael Myers – the more they are on screen, the less frightening they become) but the nature of the character in fact infuses him with a cold dread that genuinely chills the blood, so kudos to Tobin Bell for his portrayal of the maniac.
Listen, I know I’m not going to convert anyone – you’ve all made your own minds up on this one – but I have to confess to being a big fan of the Saw series, unashamedly so, and fervently hope that the current trend of a new movie every Halloween continues for some time to come.
Gotta admit it: I just love that Torture Porn.