Opened: October 28, 2005

Directed by: Darren Lynn Bousman

Starring: Donnie Wahlberg, Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Erik Knudsen, Franky G, Glenn Plummer, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Beverley Mitchell, Timothy Burd, Dina Meyer, Lyriq Bent, Noam Jenkins, Tony Nappo, Kelly Jones & Vincent Rother

Though a strong follow-up to the horror hit Saw, the second installment of the franchise falls a bit short due to some uninspired acting.

Shortly after getting into a fight, Detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) discovers his son Daniel (Erik Knudsen) is one of the eight victims of John Kramer’s (Tobin Bell) – a.k.a. Jigsaw – latest games. With limited time to save his son, Eric – and the people inside the trap – will do what it takes to survive.

The house maze is one of the better set-ups in the Saw franchise and expands out of the single-room scenario from the first film. Everything feels more intense, which adds to the suspense.

While Bell, Smith and Wahlberg all give solid performances, many supporters are weak. Franky G plays one character you’ll just wish would die already.

Final say: Play the game. ★★★☆☆