By Keith Walther
Jigsaw is back for this tenth installment of the nearly 20-year horror franchise. “Saw X” appeases its fanbase with more of the same, torturous contraptions designed to gruesomely kill if the target fails to comply with the rules in the given time. What sets this film apart from the previous sequels is it actually incorporates a story that is well constructed and delivered.
Set between the events of “Saw” and “Saw II,” John Kramer (Tobin Bell), aka Jigsaw, is coming to terms with a fatal brain cancer diagnosis that is deemed untreatable. After running into a miraculously healthy Henry Kessler (Michael Beach) from his cancer support group, who was also suffering from stage 4 cancer, John learns of an experimental treatment that has had a 100% success rate. As luck would have it, he gets accepted into the program by the doctor in charge, Cecilia Pederson (Synnøve Macody Lund) and must travel to Mexico to receive the treatment that is not approved by the FDA.
Subsequently upon receiving the treatment, John realizes that he was the victim of an elaborate scam that steals money and hope from terminal cancer patients. He immediately seeks to teach these grifters a lesson, enlisting the help of an old friend, Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith), to carry out the grunt work he’s unable to perform. Will these criminals be able to survive Jigsaw’s game or will they turn the tables on John Kramer?
Having worked on the set of all previous “Saw” movies, mostly as an editor, director Kevin Greutert had no issues keeping the spirit of the franchise intact. In fact, he embraces the nostalgia aspect of it and gives fans more of what they want, sinisterly creative traps designed to yield the most amount of blood and guts as possible. Make no mistakes, “Saw X” is more torture porn than it is a traditional horror film, similar to Eli Roth’s style with “Hostel.” Greutert has a priority goal with this picture, and that’s to make the audience gasp in revulsion and avert their eyes from the grotesquery displayed on screen. Debatably, gross out tactics are the discount off-brand forms of horror where filmmakers lack the ability to creatively generate fear and suspense by playing on viewers’ imaginations.
However, Greutert provides a more impactful and intelligent storyline in this sequel than has been demonstrated in all prior films. There are a lot of firsts with this iteration. It is the first “Saw” film to be nearly two hours long, making it the longest in the franchise. It is also the first film in the series to feature John Kramer as the protagonist and the first without a cop subplot. Greutert patiently and methodically focuses on the character development of John Kramer in the beginning of the film, humanizing him by showing his deterioration with this deadly disease. By not getting straight to the action and bloodletting, it demonstrates a commitment to storytelling that was sorely lacking in the previous films.
Tobin Bell reprises his Jigsaw role for the ninth time out of the ten “Saw” films. “Spiral” is the only movie in the series in which he does not appear. The 81-year-old actor has been the iconic villain in this franchise for nearly twenty years, and he hasn’t lost a step. In fact, he supplies his best and most dynamic performance in this role to date, converting his character into more of a protagonist. He subtly and believably provides heart and emotion while still maintaining that ruthlessness fans have enjoyed seeing over the years.
The rest of the cast is more of what is to be expected of a “Saw” movie, actors and actresses who don’t have the talent to provide more depth to their characters, simply making them meaningless fodder for Jigsaw. Shawnee Smith reprises her role for the first time since “Saw VI,” and she may not be a good actress, but it’s good to see one of the original cast members reunite one more time with Tobin Bell.
“Saw X” is certainly the best film in this franchise since the first graced the screen in 2004, and maybe even surpasses that film with its deeper storyline. Although, if you’re a horror fan who is at all squeamish, then this is not the movie for you.
This movie earns:
