Bousman and writer Leigh Whannell construct their version of a skewed morality play where Jigsaw's devices pull “guilty” victims apart like shredded beef in a crockpot. This is empty-headed stuff, with little thought behind its cruel philosophy.

| Original Score: 1/4 | Oct 11, 2023

Easily one of the best Saw sequels. More focus on Shawnee Smith's Amanda, more Dina Meyer and a nice little ACAB message against Wahlberg's garbage cop. Plus: the needle pit is great!

| Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 29, 2023

The original provided some genuinely creepy moments despite an increasingly absurd story line; the equally silly sequel defuses much of its tension...

| Jun 28, 2022

Saw II deepens the series' mythology without desperately over-extending itself... In fact, it's one of the better second entries from any big-hitter horror franchise.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 20, 2021

More blood and more gore, but less imagination than last year's rather goofy original.

| Original Score: F | Nov 19, 2019

If you've bought into the Saw movies, II ups the violence without totally jumping the shark, and is a worthy follow-up to the original.

| Oct 27, 2017

While Saw II isn't as good technically as its predecessor, its many clever twists, and exploration of Jigsaw's mind make the second entry a fun guilty pleasure watch.

| Sep 10, 2017

The film doesn't take the direction most sequels do and manages to adequately follow up the original.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Oct 31, 2009

In every way superior to its predecessor in terms of performances, story, characterization, gore, and climax.

| Apr 29, 2009

A Reloaded style one-up in which more people are trapped in bigger places and forced to perform scarier tasks with nastier results. Wow.

| Original Score: C- | Jan 17, 2008

Quite hideous.

| Original Score: 2/10 | Sep 27, 2007

The ornate sadism isn't enough to carry our interest this time around.

| Original Score: C- | Aug 18, 2007

By no means a masterpiece of the genre, but it's a slickly made picture that more than delivers on the promise made on its poster--oh yes, there will be blood.

| Mar 1, 2007

| Original Score: 1/5 | May 12, 2006

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 1, 2006

The slaughter in Saw II is pretty much non-stop, but you always see it coming. The movie's not really that scary, just gross in what by now is a fairly routine way.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Feb 7, 2006

Full Review | Original Score: D+ | Jan 7, 2006

It's an unpleasant film with grotesque imagery, but Nine Inch Nails' "Closer" video is more unsettling than this mostly predictable bloodbath.

| Original Score: C | Dec 12, 2005

| Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 10, 2005

A grimy and relentless portrayal of high-tension cruelty that's excruciating to watch but as riveting as a nail gun to the nut sack.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 10, 2005