Saw II is a horror film written and directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and co-written by Leigh Whannell. It was the second film in the Saw franchise and was released on October 28, 2005.
Plot
Michael Marks, a police informant, wakes up with a spike-filled mask locked around his neck. A videotape informs him that he has one minute to retrieve a key hidden behind his right eye. Michael, however, cannot bring himself to withstand the pain of cutting out the key with a scalpel and is killed when the mask closes on his head. When Michael's corpse is found shortly afterward, his employer, Detective Eric Matthews, is called to the crime scene by Detective Allison Kerry. The latter discovered a message left for him by the Jigsaw Killer.
Initially reluctant to become involved in the investigation, Eric quickly manages to locate Jigsaw's hideout at the abandoned Wilson Steel Plant and joins Kerry and Sergeant Daniel Rigg as they raid the plant with a SWAT team. They find the killer, John Kramer, severely weakened by his cancer disease. However, as the officers are about to arrest him, John reveals that he has already planned his apprehension and shows them a set of surveillance monitors. On these monitors, Eric and the others witness eight people, including Daniel Matthews, Eric's son, and Amanda Young, the only known survivor of one of John's games, who are all trapped inside a big house. While trapped there, they breathe in a deadly nerve agent and have two hours to find syringes with the antidote hidden all around the house. John assures Eric that he will see his son again in a "safe and secure state" if he agrees to talk with him alone until the two hours are over. Pressured by Kerry, Eric reluctantly agrees to John's ultimatum to buy time for a tech team to arrive and track the signal from the video feed.
The eight victims in the house - Daniel, Amanda, Xavier Chavez, Jonas Singer, Addison Corday, Laura Hunter, Obi Tate, and Gus Colyard - find an audiotape left by Jigsaw, informing them about the nerve gas and the antidotes. One antidote is locked in a safe. According to Jigsaw's message, the combination required to open it is "in the back of their minds," while the correct order of the numbers is found "over the rainbow." Besides the tape, the prisoners also find a key and a warning message, which tells them not to use the key to open the room's door. However, Xavier refuses to heed the warning and uses the key, causing Gus to be shot by a booby trap connected to the lock.
Following his death, the group makes their way to the basement, where another tape reveals that Obi helped Jigsaw abduct the others. Pressured by Xavier, Obi crawls into a furnace to retrieve two antidotes but inadvertently activates the oven and is burned alive. As the remaining prisoners search the rest of the house, Jonas leads them to another room upstairs. Another tape tells them that one antidote is hidden behind a steel door, and the key to open it lies in a pit filled with thousands of used syringes. This test is meant for Xavier, who is a drug dealer. However, he throws Amanda into the needles instead of accomplishing his task on his own. Although she manages to obtain the key, Xavier fails to unlock the door in time and subsequently abandons the group out of frustration.
Meanwhile, John passes the two hours with an idle and cryptic conversation with an increasingly frustrated Eric. He eventually talks about his cancer diagnosis and a failed suicide attempt, which led to his new esteem for his life. In his remaining time of life, John hopes to inspire the same appreciation in others by testing their will to survive. As he explains his moral ideals to Eric, the tech team finally arrives. At Kerry's suggestion, Eric tries to provoke John by destroying several documents, blueprints, and sketches around the area. John, however, is barely impressed and reveals that all of the victims in the house, except for Daniel, have all been innocently framed by Eric for various crimes they did not commit. Furthermore, he warns him that Daniel's life will be endangered once the other prisoners learn about his connection to Eric.
In the house, Xavier returns to the first room where they initially woke up and discovers a colored number on the back of Gus' neck. He realizes that every prisoner has one number of the safe's combination written on their neck. Desperate to get his hands on the antidote, he kills Jonas in a fight and begins to hunt down the others. Meanwhile, Laura collapses and eventually succumbs to the nerve agent. Additionally, Amanda and Addison abandon Daniel after finding a photo of him and Eric. Amanda, however, returns after finding Jonas' corpse. As they try to find a place to hide from Xavier, Addison discovers a room with another antidote locked inside a glass box. However, as she puts her hands through two holes in the box to grab it, her arms are trapped in the razor blade-lined sockets. Moments later, Xavier finds her but leaves her to die after reading her number.
Amanda and Daniel return to the first room and find a hidden tunnel, which leads them to the dilapidated bathroom from the first film, which still contains the severed foot of Dr. Lawrence Gordon and the decomposing bodies of Adam Stanheight and Zep Hindle. Weakened by the gas, Daniel passes out moments before Xavier finds them. Amanda reminds him that he cannot read his number without her help, hoping to prevent Xavier from harming them. However, Xavier refuses her help and instead cuts off the skin from his neck. After that, he approaches them to get their numbers but is caught off-guard by Daniel, who attacks him and slashes his throat with a hacksaw.
At the Wilson Steel Plant, Eric brutally assaults John after witnessing Xavier's pursuit of Daniel and forces him to take him to the house. John agrees to do so but demands to go there alone with Eric. The latter agrees, and both men leave the building in a hidden elevator. At the same time, the tech team traces the video feed to another house. However, as Rigg and his men arrive, they realize they had merely watched a recording of the game the entire time, while the game itself had already been over before they raided Jigsaw's hideout. Just as they realize Jigsaw's deception, the time expires, and a large safe opens at the Wilson Steel Plant, revealing Daniel, who has been trapped inside the safe the entire time.
Unaware of this revelation, Eric arrives at the actual location of the game and enters the house alone. He eventually finds the bathroom but is attacked and subdued by a pig-masked figure. He finds himself shackled by the ankle to a pipe upon waking up. An audiotape beside him reveals that Amanda Young became John's accomplice after surviving her game and merely pretended to be a victim in the house to observe the other prisoners. Furthermore, the tape tells him that Amanda will continue John's work after his death and that he is supposed to be Amanda's first test subject. As the recording ends, Amanda appears outside the bathroom and seals the door with the words "Game Over," leaving Eric to die.
Cast
- Tobin Bell as Jigsaw/John
- Shawnee Smith as Amanda
- Donnie Wahlberg as Eric Matthews
- Erik Knudsen as Daniel Matthews
- Franky G as Xavier
- Glenn Plummer as Jonas
- Emmanuelle Vaugier as Addison
- Beverley Mitchell as Laura
- Timothy Burd as Obi
- Dina Meyer as Kerry
- Lyriq Bent as Rigg
- Noam Jenkins as Michael
- Tony Nappo as Gus
- Kelly Jones as SWAT Member Pete
- Vincent Rother as SWAT Member Joe
- Linette Robinson as Mother In Cancer Ward
- Gretchen Helbig as Nurse In Cancer Ward
- Kofi Payton as Boy In Cancer Ward
- John Fallon as Video Techie
- Ho "Oyster" Chow as Security Officer
Production
Following the successful opening weekend of Saw in 2004, Saw II was immediately green-lit. Music video director Darren Lynn Bousman had written a script for a movie called The Desperate and tried to find a studio for the production. Eventually, camera operator David Armstrong, who had already worked on the first Saw film, suggested showing it to producer Gregg Hoffman. After showing it to his partners, Mark Burg and Oren Koules, they changed the script into Saw II. Two months later, Bousman was flown to Toronto to direct the movie.
Leigh Whannell, who had already written the first film's screenplay, polished the script to fit into the Saw universe and served as executive producer alongside James Wan. Additionally, all the other crew members from the original film returned, including cinematographer David Armstrong, editor Kevin Greutert, and composer Charlie Clouser.
Saw II was also granted a higher budget of $4 million. The first shot, which involved police cars and a SWAT van driving around the industrial docklands outside the soundstage, was filmed in Toronto on April 29, 2005. After two months of pre-production, principal photography took place at Toronto's Cinespace Film Studios from May 2, 2005, to June 6, 2005.
Only the crew members and actors involved in the ending were given the complete script. Additionally, everyone involved in the film had to sign confidentiality agreements, which required them not to reveal any details about the plot. The ending was filmed on May 25 and 26, while the music and sound were recorded in July. By September 9, Saw II was eventually finished. Deluxe provided post-production services, while C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures performed the visual effects.
Release
Saw II was released in New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom on October 28, 2005, and in Australia on November 17, 2005. The original teaser poster, which showed two bloody, severed fingers, was rejected by the Motion Picture Association of America. Since the poster was already released and managed to "slip by" the MPAA, they issued a release stating that it was not approved and unacceptable. Lions Gate Entertainment removed it from their websites. Instead, the image was used as the cover for the film's soundtrack, released by Image Entertainment on October 25, 2005. Lionsgate held the second annual "Give Til It Hurts" blood drive for the Red Cross and collected 10,154 pints of blood.
On February 14, 2006, Lionsgate Home Entertainment released the film on DVD, VHS, and Universal Media Disc. 2.5 million units of the DVD were sold on the first day. It sold 3.9 million units in its first week, becoming the fastest-selling theatrical DVD in Lionsgate's history. On October 24, 2006, an Unrated Special Edition was released, followed by an unrated Blu-ray edition with various special features on January 23, 2007.
Reception
Saw II was a financial success, earning $87,039,965 at the box office in the US and $147,748,505 worldwide. Like its predecessor, the film received a mixed critical reception. It received a rating of 37% from Rotten Tomatoes, based on 124 reviews, and a score of 40 out of 100 from Metacritic, based on 28 critics. While the story was criticized, most critics praised Tobin Bell's performance as the Jigsaw Killer.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of Saw II was composed by Charlie Clouser, who had already been responsible for the first film's soundtrack, and was released by Image Entertainment on October 25, 2005. It also contained a music video directed by Darren Lynn Bousman.
Original Motion Picture Score
1. Titles
2. Mirror
3. Puppet Video
4. Eye Panic
5. Bail Out
6. Murder Scene
7. Puzzle Piece
8. Look Closer
9. Hands Full
10. Can't Sleep
11. Wilson Steel
12. Approach
13. Stair Cage
14. Jigsaw's Lair
15. The Problem
17. Give Me A Phone
18. Jigsaw's Message
19. Wake Up
20. Mandy
21. Greetings
22. Eye Shot
24. Open Door
25. Game Plan
26. Sit Down
27. Macho Bullshit
28. Dummy
29. Hello, Obi
30. Bullshit
31. Oven
32. The Cure
33. Your Son
34. Doctor's Office
35. Car Crash
36. You Survived
37. It's A Trap
38. Hello, Xavier
39. Needle Pit
40. That's Enough
41. His Work
42. Third Drawer
43. Understand
44. Jonas
45. Father Photo
46. Can't Trust You
47. Xavier Photo
48. I'll Take You
49. Fucking Door
50. Shit Hole
51. Cut Necks
52. Eric Approaches
53. Not Live
54. Stabbed
55. Conscious
56. Hello, Eric
Complete Motion Picture Score
3. Mirror
5. X-Ray
9. Eye Manson
11. Manson
13. Bail Out
14. Pucifer
15. Sleep
16. Puzzle Piece
17. Look Closer
18. Hands Full
19. Can't Sleep
20. Wilson Steel
21. Stair Cage
22. BMI (Edit 1)
23. BMI (Edit 2)
24. Leg Snap
25. Jigsaw Lair
26. The Problem
27. Blood
28. Phone
29. Message
30. Wake Up
31. Mandy
32. Greetings
33. Eye Shot
34. Played
35. Played (Edit)
36. Open Door
37. Game Plan
38. Sit Down
39. Manual
40. Macho
41. Dummy
42. Hello Obi
43. Bullshit
44. Oven
45. Cure
46. Your Son
47. Doctor's
48. Car Crash
49. Survived (1)
50. Survived (2)
51. Obi Scare
52. Trap
53. Hello Xavier
54. Needle Pit
55. Enough
56. His Work
57. 3rd Drawer
58. Understand
59. Jonas
60. Dad Photo
61. Can't Trust
63. X Photo
64. Beatdown
65. Hand Trap
66. Game Over
67. Take You
68. Fucking Door
70. Gotta Go
71. Shit Hole
72. X Approach
73. Cut Necks
77. Not Live (1)
78. Not Live (2)
79. Eric/Shithole
83. Eric Wakes
84. Hello Eric
Trivia
- One of the posters for Scary Movie 4 parodied the "severed fingers" poster designed for Saw II. However, three fingers form the number four instead of a Roman two, while one has a Hello Kitty bandage. The tagline is "The funniest thing you ever sawed."
- In one scene, Jigsaw tells Kerry to look for the files of his victims in the second drawer of a brown desk. The desk, however, is white.
- The Uncut Edition contains a bonus feature called "Saw 2 in 62," consisting of three takes. The first uses clay figures modeled after the characters in the film, the second replaces them with everyday materials, and the third uses animated photos.
- Saw II contains several references to The Last House on the Left from 1972, such as the scene near the ending when John tells Eric to look for "the last house on the left."
- When Kerry and Eric talk at the police station, Darren Lynn Bousman is seen with an afro on a wanted poster in the background.
- Darren Lynn Bousman also played the part of Jigsaw during Michael Marks' instruction video at the beginning of the film.
- The Nerve Gas House's number, 237, is also the room number in The Shining.
- In Jigsaw's hideout, several blueprints and drawings hang on the walls, depicting the traps encountered by the prisoners in the Nerve Gas House.
- During the raid on Jigsaw's hideout, the shadows of the crew members can be seen when the SWAT vehicles drive by the camera.
- Over 120,000 syringes were used to film the scene with the needle pit. Four people replaced all needle tips with fiber tips, which took four days.
- In the first film, Adam Stanheight's shackle is on his left leg, whereas in Saw II, his right leg is chained to the pipe.
Videos
 Saw II (2005) Official Trailer 1 - Horror Movie |
 Making of Saw 2 -2005- |
Gallery
See Also
External Links
|
Saw • Saw II • Saw III • Saw IV • Saw V • Saw VI • Saw 3D • Jigsaw • Spiral • Saw X • Saw XI |
|---|