Saw II opens with a police informant, Michael (Naom Jenkins) coming to and finding himself locked into a death mask that is described by Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) as a Venus flytrap sort of contraption that is filled with nails and Michael has the option to have the device snap shut on his head or look inside himself to see how much blood he's willing to stay alive.....Jigsaw gives Michael the hint needed to locate the key to unlock the death mask, but only 30 seconds to make the needed cut to obtain the key. Unfortunately for Michael, he couldn't make the needed cut and his existence ends with a mighty snap! We then see Detective Eric Mathews heading to the police station to pick up his teenaged son, Daniel (Erik Knudsen). It seems young Daniel and his Father have a strained relationship and once outside the police station, angry words are bandied about and Daniel takes off. Sitting home, worried about the whereabouts of Daniel, Mathews receives a call and finds himself at the murder scene of Michael with fellow detective and Jigsaw expert, Kerry (Dina Meyer). Mathews identifies the body of Michael and Kerry points out a cryptic message left at the scene for Matthews.....'Look Closer Detective Mathews'. Back at the station an angry Mathews and Kerry butt heads and it would seem they share a past that Matthews is not happy about and which it seems has lead to his divorce and alienation of his son. Before long, the SWAT team and detectives Kerry and Mathews close in on and capture Jigsaw in his lair. Jigsaw shows no resistance to the capture, but does inform Mathews that he he will need to remain where he is, while Mathews deals with his problem. Mathews and the team find an area with several monitors showing people trapped in a room and Mathews is horrified to see his son Daniel is among the captives in the room. Jigsaw informs Mathews that the people in the room have been exposed to a nerve gas that in the span of two hours will break down the body's tissues and the poor victim will begin to bleed from every orifice on the body. Back in the room, as always, the participants locked in the room are given the information as to what they have been exposed to and that there is antidotes hidden throughout the house they are locked in...that the doors will open in three hours, but they have only two hours before a horrifying death takes them. Daniel finds himself trapped among a motley group of people including, Amanda (Shawnee Smith), who survived a game with Jigsaw in the past as well as, Xavier (Franky G), Addison (Emmanuelle Vaugier), Obi (Tim Burd), Jonas (Glenn Plummer) and Laura (Beverly Mitchell). Now, if you're going to be trapped in a room where you need to work together, this is definitely not the group to be playing with! They all are looking out for number one and they'll save their own ass if it means killing the person standing next to them, so Jigsaw isn't their only problem in this life and death game.

Some interesting bits of trivia regarding the film:

-The film was shot in only 25 days.

-The original film poster, showing two severed fingers forming the 'II' for the film did not meet guidelines for film advertising by the MPAA and was recalled. The original film poster also showed a film rating of 'R' and since the film had not gone before the MPAA for a rating, that was also reasons for a recall.Saw II is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) and looks quite sharp, my only complaint is what is often the case with films taking place at night or dark interiors, making out some scenes is often impossible and I find myself creeping closer and closer to the TV, just to try and make out what's happening. Audio is offered in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround EX and is really nice and it offers English and Spanish subtitles. As for the bonus features:

-Audio Commentray with Director Darren Lynn Bousman and Actors Donnie Wahlberg and Beverly Mitchell

-Theatrical Trailer

-Jigsaw's Game-A kind of expanded theatrical trailer with bits of comments from cast and crew)

-The Traps of Jigsaw-Four on-set interviews that cover, 'The Head Trap', 'The Needle Pit', 'The Hand Trap' and 'The Furnace'.

-Bits & Pieces: The Props of Jigsaw-Covers some of the special effects and props used in the film.

-Storyboard to Screen-Scenes from the final film compared to the early storyboard art. Scenes covered include; 'Death Mask', 'The Furnace', 'Needle In A Haystack' and 'Jigsaw's Lair'.

-Conceptual Art Gallery-19 Pieces of Production Art

-Theatrical Trailers- Saw (2-Disc DVD Set), Three Extremes (DVD), Audition (SE DVD), Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (DVD), Tamara (DVD).

OK, I was a fan of the first film, Saw and so I knew without a doubt I'd probably be sucked into wanting to see the sequel, but I didn't see it in theatres, I had to wait for the DVD release on Valentine's Day and I actually received the disc as a Valentine's Day gift, so I kind of question the kind of person that gives this DVD as a gift or myself for wanting it and receiving it as a gift. Anyway, I actually prefer this film to the original....it does live up to it's promise of, 'Oh Yes....There Will Be Blood' and I appreciate that, but the sick and twisted part of me actually wishes they'd concentrate a bit more on how each victim must look inside themselves for and see if they have what it takes to be a true survivor. I love the concept of the films, to show people that simply existing and not fully appreciating the life they have is cause for concern. I mean, do any of us really appreciate the positives in our lives? Do we live life to the fullest and wake each day thinking that the day before was all it could have been? I know for a fact that I don't even come close and so a film like this with a character like Jigsaw really scares the hell out of me, because how far would I go to guarantee me seeing the sun rise the next day? Could I make a cut that would cause not only some intense pain, but some serious blood loss? I hope I never find out, but a film like Saw II really gets you to thinking and so with each challenge put before these unfortunate souls, you wince and cringe and think to yourself.....that could be me and what would I do? Bottom line, I enjoy this film, the sicko in me would like to see the challenges even more cringe-inducing, but as long as they keep making the Saw series interesting, I'll keep coming back for more.

Buy Saw II on DVD at Amazon.com