This series is circling something really interesting. There’s a concept buried under the bad editing and nastiness that I find compelling. Sadly you have to dig through this movie to get to it.

The first movie had glimmers of something interesting, but was really held together by Cary Elwes Herculean performance. This movie follows the killer Jigsaw as he continues to teach people lessons about what is missing from their souls through insane torture.

The film introduces us to detective Matthews, played by Donnie Wahlberg. He’s on the wrong side of an internal affairs investigation and on the wrong side of his perpetually angsty teen son Daniel, played by Erik Knudsen.

When Detective Matthews is called out by Jigsaw, he meets face to face with the killer played by a really good Tobin Bell. It turns out Jigsaw has taken Daniel and placed him in a torture house with seven other victims who have been poisoned. They must complete a series of impossible tests to find antidotes and escape the house.

I love the deadly escape room idea. That’s the kernel of an idea that I latched onto here. I find puzzles and escape rooms really fun. I love giving them a horror twist. The movie doesn’t give me that. The movie doesn’t give us puzzles to solve. It gives us nasty traps to endure.

For example there’s a bathtub sized pit filled with dirty needles. Somewhere inside is a needle filled with antidote. Not a puzzle. Just a pit of needles. But maybe we can get some vicarious tension over figuring out how to find the needle without getting stuck. Nope. One character picks another one up and chucks her into the pit. Does she try to gingerly maneuver in the needles to minimize her injuries? No. She thrashes around wildly. Impaling herself many times.

So it’s not what I wanted it to be. It’s not what would have done. It’s not for me. I can see how and why this would terrify someone. The concept is horrifying. I just think there were a lot of ways to make this concept more effective and more frightening.

This movie reminds me of steak. Some people like theirs rare, some medium rare. Some people like their steak well done and charred to a thick carbon crust with a sliver of unblackened meat in the middle. that’s what this movie is. It’s still steak. It’s just well done to the point that you’ll be chewing for an hour before you get to that steak.

A note of praise. Tobin Bell is really good in this movie. When he and Wahlberg sit and have a conversation the camera and editing settles down enough for the performances to fill the screen, and Bell especially is giving a thousand percent. He is subtle and intimidating. His eyes glance around the room and up at Wahlberg with so much meaning. It’s a good performance.

Maybe the series will get better as it goes on, but until they stop overcooking their ideas it’s not looking good.

I have eight more of these movies to go, and I’m curious to see what number three looks like. Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment. I want to give every movie a chance to impress me. And maybe the next will have more steak and less char.

Not my cup of tea D