Saw X review.
The tenth time is the charm for the Saw franchise. A direct story that puts its best assets front and center results in an arguable series best entry.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Saw X
Directed by Kevin Greutert
Written by Peter Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg
Starring Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Synnøve Macody Lund, Steven Brand, Michael Beach, Renata Vaca and Paulette Hernandez
Saw X Review
The Saw franchise has had to find ways around the death of its best character for years now. They’ve done flashbacks and a full-blown prequel to keep John Kramer in the mix. Saw X sets itself during a period where the character was still alive and does what the series should have done many tries ago. It takes Jigsaw out of the shadows and into the spotlight. This is a Saw movie unlike any other. This is a personal character study. An examination of what happens when you take away the last thing a broken man is holding on to. At least…what happens when that man is the Jigsaw Killer.
Saw X plays it straight for a remarkably long time. Instead of the non-linear jumbled storytelling that would become a unique kind of mess…it has more in common with a character drama. For a time. It follows John Kramer (Tobin Bell) as he tries to work through the death sentence his cancer diagnosis has handed him. When a miracle cure presents itself…Kramer is given back hope. It turns out, the cruelest trick in the Saw narrative was played on Jigsaw himself. When he discovers that his miracle is nothing more than a scam…Saw X becomes more of the gory life and death scenarios we’ve come to know.
Even when the switch comes…Saw X is doing something different. Instead of placing focus on the potential victims and their stories…it keeps its eyes set completely on Kramer and his protégé Amanda (Shawnee Smith). Their relationship is given plenty of time to shine…and is as interesting as previous installments have only been able to tease it as. This is a deeply personal story for both characters. Kramer is preparing for death. Amanda…for life without her mentor. This is a trying time for the latter…who still finds herself, at times, more connected to the people being tested than to her role as the tester.
When we see Kramer at his most hopeful…he considers abandoning his work as the Jigsaw Killer. The point was always to teach bad people a lesson about wasting or abusing their greatest gift…life. Believing that his time on this Earth has been extended…we see a softer, kinder John Kramer. When the lies are exposed, however…we see the Jigsaw Killer in all his gory glory.
If all this talk about character drama and personal relationships has you thinking that this is a softer kind of Saw…don’t worry. It isn’t. In many ways it is the darkest and most brutal story in the franchise. Seeing John Kramer in the light…believing he still has life ahead of him makes his return to the shadows more devastating. We know he is always going to end up back there. This is set between the events of Saw and Saw II, after all. The story isn’t about giving the character hope. It’s about what happens when you take it away.
What happens when you take it away is bloody, violent vengeance. Saw X has all the twists and turns you expect from an entry in a series known for them. They’re still fun. It has all the contraptions and desperate fights for survival you expect. They’re still vicious. What Saw X has that previous versions have not is a beating heart set front and center. While the fun and viciousness are still present…they never feel as vital or interesting as the character work that is the heartbeat.
That’s because Saw X understands what the greatest asset in the series has always been. Tobin Bell. His performance as John Kramer here is more interesting than anything the franchise has done before. He’s always been excellent…there’s a reason his Jigsaw became a horror icon. But he’s never had the material to work with in the series that he does here. This is his show. He is extraordinary.
Whether it’s watching Kramer confronted with his own mortality…briefly regaining hope that he will beat his disease…or losing everything all over again…Bell is fantastic. It’s a subtle, moving portrayal of a man who needs to be other people’s monster. Because he can’t just be a man anymore. No matter how much he wants to be. Scenes between Kramer and Amanda have the emotional weight of not only someone who needs to know their work will continue beyond his years…but someone who genuinely cares for his companion.
There’s a proper villain, of course. Someone who we want to see face a life and death task. It adds a bit of fun to what is a largely somber movie (you know…except for the people cutting off their own body parts and stuff) …but it also leads to the movie’s biggest misstep. Despite being set in a time before the Saw franchise gleefully went off the rails…Saw X leaves itself open to direct sequels. It’s clearly on their mind…as evidenced by a mid-credits scene that expands the universe a bit. Expanding the universe is what lead to the Saw franchise’s diminishing returns in the first place. Instead of presenting a self-contained story…Saw X chooses an open ended one. It would be like Logan ending on a cliffhanger.
That complaint aside…Saw X can stake a claim as the best installment of the long running franchise. It’s as close to great as any entry has gotten. Tobin Bell is better than great here. Choosing to center the entire story on his personal journey is the best move the franchise has ever made. Choosing to blatantly appeal for a continuation instead of properly finishing his story ultimately leaves a bad taste. Even if you’ll happily wash it down with more of Kramer’s journey.
Scare Value
For all of its twists, turns and traps…Saw X recognizes that the franchise’s greatest asset has always been Tobin Bell. This installment marks a fairly radical shift for the series. A linear, character driven tale of revenge that lets Bell take the spotlight he deserves. The relationship between Kramer and Amanda is given a great deal of focus as well. If you only watch Saw movies for the twists, turns and traps…they’re here too. Though they don’t feel as fresh and exciting as the overall direction of the story here.
3.5/5
Saw X Link
In theaters now – Fandango
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