
It is uncommon for the tenth entry of a well-known franchise to atone for its previous films, but it seems that after the lackluster response to “Spiral: From the Book of Saw”, the makers of this franchise had to put their thinking caps back on and thus we ended up with the best “Saw” sequel in years. “Saw X” addressed many issues left over from other Saw films by simply narrowing its focus, alleviating some of the random storytelling, developing several inventive traps, and ultimately putting the primary focus of the franchise back where it belongs: Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith. In this sequel, they outperform all the previous films. Most of the characters that they brought back to life in this movie feel more emotionally real and relatable than the splices they done in previous films. The punishments served on some of the characters seem more appropriate than on others. Some of the previous “punishments” Jigsaw Killer inflicted made it look like he went overboard on people that had a rough day or didn’t make enough phone calls to their grandmothers.
This time, it hits differently. The film by Kevin Greutert begins with jaw-dropping scenes and we see a perpetrator being imagined by Jigsaw for a trap which is cut in between I am sure the producer’s note read ‘We can’t go half an hour with something gruesome’. Outside of this fantasy, the opening act is simply a tale of John Kramer Bell discovering the grievous truth of his mortality diagnosis. If you find yourself saying wait but did this not occur earlier and hold on Kramer is dead John, you need to understand this one occurs between Saw 1 and Saw 2, hence Kramer has turned into the Jigsaw Killer but isn’t, well, dead.
The first act of “Saw X” allows Bell to embody the mental struggle of accepting his shortcoming fate. He goes to therapy and meets a man who he learns is not unlike himself (Michael Beach) who seems to gravely ill. To Bells surprise, after some time has passed, he runs into the group member once more, but this time around, he is in remarkable shape due to brilliant health care he received. This specific encounter has Krammer pondering the possibility of Dr. Pederson “miracle cure” and captures him in her web. Apparently, her main area of business is performing drill-out surgeries in Mexico, where she is able to conduct her experimentation without any supervision. Notably, the most appalling thing that the rest of the world has ever witnessed is the sick con game which is described in detail; what the rest of the world has ever referred to as the worst kind of false hope that dementia patients are offered. This time, they picked on the wrong guy.
The way previous Saw films were designed has always been all over the place, but the latest installment of the franchise is very different in that we observe how some people do horrible things to John Kramer and as a result, he locks them in a room and starts to play his games. Amanda Smith, a fan favorite, was there as well, ready to turn things appropriately gruesome with a few of Jigsaw’s most elaborate devices. Before you realize it, someone starts using an intestine as a rope, and a different victim is trying to take their brain out. At least the first few traps have a clever synergy in that the people who faked surgery now have to actually do it. All of the traps seemed more clever than in the majority of the prequels, and more interestingly designed and executed.
Kramer and Amanda’s open involvement in the action is what really makes “Saw X” shine. There’s also noteworthy less “man behind the curtain” activity where Kramer explains his motives as well as the stakes, both of which are often reasoned in this franchise. Tremendous choice as it gives Bell plenty of opportunity to prepare for the role and showcases how to put empathy into John Kramer while tortures people which makes him sympathetic. Smith does not have it as simple which is not a bad thing as Smith sells beats and making sure the franchise works is what truly matters.
This is why many of the recent “Saw” installments have so many problems. They were just too filled with superfluous characters that no one cared about learning lessons that were so poorly executed. Even with that being said, it is impossible to state that “Saw X” goes back to the basics because that would mean taking two bones saw wielding people and locking them in a room, but there is something more grounded about this film than in any of the other sequels. In “Saw X,” John Kramer finds himself back at the core of his mission: showing people the error of their frames of reference, and then asking them what it means to be alive. A few severed limbs along the way are just a bonus.
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