Saw II, 2005

This is another cracking Saw film. A group of people are trapped in one of Jigsaw's death-traps. Lethal gas is being pumped into the room so they need to get out sharpish. Just to add to the torment, the cop on the case (the lovely Donnie Wahlberg) finds out his son is one of the victims! There are loads of twists and turns and you really don't know what is going to happen. There is a really exciting moment where Jigsaw looks like he is going to get his comeuppance. This is just as scary as the first if not scarier. It's a must-see if my book.

SECOND OPINION: You know the drill, the first film is borne of sheer willpower, those that follow are somehow tainted by bigger budgets. Saw was a twisted morality play. Almost all of it happened in one room, with essentially two people. So raising the bar with the second film isn't difficult for shocks and scares, but artistically, Saw II suffers. They keep the film essentially in one room again, or one house at least, but we have many more characters to munch through as the film progresses. It's more of a standard horror now, since the deep character study of Saw has given way to quick sketches (there being no time to properly investigate everyone in the house) so we can't help but care a little less.

However, the cleverness of Saw remains. The games are now bloodier and much, much more lethal. Do as Jigsaw says, or your time in the house will be very short. So while it lacks the simplicity of the original, it has developed into something suitably twisted. I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn't wait for the next installment.