Let me preface this review by saying that I’m not a fan of sequels, and especially unnecessary ones.  Most sequels try to add something to the story in order to prolong it, resulting in distorting the message of the original film.  With that said, 2005's Saw II, the sequel to James Wan's low-budget, indie horror film Saw, is a pretty decent effort, though it's bogged down with lazy performances and the requisite series of twist-endings, which went a bit too far in this case.

The story opens shortly after the events of the first film, with Jigsaw setting up a victim in another of his games.  The victim doesn't survive, his death becoming the catalyst for the subsequent events.  Detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg, you might remember him from such horrors as The Sixth Sense and New Kids on the Block), a police investigator, is called to the crime scene because his partner Kerry (Dina Meyer, back from the first film) can't identify the body.  Matthews notices a jigsaw piece cut out of the victim’s skin and writing on the wall which mentions Matthews by name.

Through further investigation, Matthews tracks down Jigsaw at a warehouse.  The police squad raids the warehouse, uncovering video monitors which seem to be linked to another room in which people, including Matthews’ son Daniel (Erik Knudsen), are being held hostage.  Jigsaw tells him that his son will be found "safe and secure" if he will sit in the room and talk.

In the room, the six victims wake up and try to figure out what has happened.  There we discover that Amanda (Shawnee Smith, also from the original film) has been recaptured by Jigsaw.  The victims discover that they are breathing in a nerve gas and must discover how to get the antidotes which are hidden throughout the building.

Saw II started out as an interesting film, and even more thoughtful than the first one.  The characters are interesting, with some given actual depth and nuances, which you rarely see in horror these days.  Of course, there is a reason these people are all involved in the same game, and it's intriguing to try to discover what's happening.  Detective Matthews and his son are the most interesting characters, they are seen fighting in the first few minutes of the movie over where Daniel wants to live now that his parents have divorced.  Shawnee Smith as Amanda is back and is given a lot more screen time.  She provides an awesome performance again as the former drug user who changed her ways after surviving Jigsaw’s game.  Smith is given a multitude of emotions and difficult situations to deal with and she pulls it off exceptionally well. 

Most of the other cast, though, was disappointing.  It seemed as though they were just standing around, or lazily going from scene to scene without any thought as to what they were supposed to be doing.  It doesn't help much that they're written as clichés and given a lot of cheesy one-liners.  Even Jigsaw’s audio-tapes seem sort of banal. 

This time we have director Darren Lynn Bousman at the helm.  I honestly can't think of many things that have changed by switching directors.  The scenery and tone are still dark and it's just as suspenseful and creepy as ever, the only thing different is the gore.  Saw II is much more brutal than its predecessor.  I found myself squirming through a few cringe-inducing scenes and wondering how they got away with an R-rating.  There is one specific scene that is so unforgettable, I actually had dreams about it.  I won’t say anything too revealing but it involves needles.  And, lots of them. 

The screenplay is co-written by Darren Lynn Bousman, and Leigh Whannell who wrote for the first movie.  Overall, it's pretty solid, except for the few one-liners and cheesy bits of dialogue.  It's thought provoking as usual, and you’ll be considering its implications for awhile. 

I have one major complaint and that's the twist endings.  I can't say too much here, so I'm trying to be careful, but they went one step too far.  There was a scene near the end, and I was thinking "That’s perfect! End it there!"   But they kept going.  The final twist in this movie almost ruined the series for me.  It doesn't make a lot of sense, and you will feel cheated by it if you really think about it. 

Overall, though, Saw II was a surprisingly decent effort considering how quickly it was released.  It was written in a few months and shot over a twenty-five day period, and was also apparently cheaply made.  If only they had spent a bit more time on it, it might have been perfect.