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Created Apr 10, 2009 05:23AM PST • Edited Apr 10, 2009 05:23AM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   OK 2.5

   A quickfire sequel to 2004’s “Saw,” Darren Lynn Bousman’s “Saw II” trades in similar torture-inspired set-pieces while digressing for a battle-of-minds narrative between now-confirmed Jigsaw killer John Kramer (Tobin Bell) and police Detective Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg), the latter a cop abusive of his powers who now finds himself sat opposite the cancer-stricken villain now responsible for Matthews’ son’s disappearance and captivity in the sorta-killer’s current House of Horror. Bousman’s film is typically doused in the same dirty-green aesthetics as its predecessor (and the following sequels) and refuses to shy away from the gore of its set-up in a manner destined to please gore-hounds, though the film never rises to the level of director James Wan’s original film, instead choosing to repeat over its most obvious aspects, ruminating on the same “Se7en” inspired plot points of the burgeoning series in a way that becomes beleaguering. Invigorating, however, is the back-and-forth between Kramer and Matthews, their conversation hinging on a ticking clock that might correlate with the time of Matthews’ son’s death by the poison that seeps through the air of the building in which he and others — including “Saw” holdover Shawnee Smith — are trapped and forced to participate in cruel games in order to access individual antidotes to the poison threatening their deaths. Bell and Wahlberg play it well, outshining the stock victims whose lives their battle centres around. Naturally, it all leads to a twist-ending that feels similarly worn-out to “Saw II”‘s nihilistic torture scenarios, not packing the gut-punch of the first film’s finale even as it seems to be imitative of it.

4. Acting

   Good 3.0

5. Male Stars Good 3.0

6. Female Stars Good 3.0

7. Female Costars Good 3.0

8. Male Costars Good 3.0

10. Film

    Good 3.0

11. Direction Good 3.0

12. Play Good 3.0

13. Music Very Good 3.5

14. Visuals Good 3.0
15. Content

16. Edge

    Risqué 2.2

17. Sex Innocent 1.2

18. Violence Brutal 3.2

19. Rudeness Salty 2.1

21. Reality

    Glib 1.5

22. Circumstantial Glib 1.5

23. Biological Glib 1.5

24. Physical Glib 1.5