Spoilers for the entirety of the Saw series!
Saw X is the latest installment in the Saw series. This new installment takes place between the original Saw and Saw II. With this being the tenth movie in the franchise, some people have been getting bored of the “Saw formula”: people in a trap then the cop plot, people in a trap then the cop plot, over and over until they intersect, and then there is a big twist. It had been static and uninteresting since Saw 6.
Saw X completely flips the formula on its head. Unlike the other movies which focus on the people trying to catch John Kramer (the Jigsaw Killer) or people stuck in his traps, this one has the Jigsaw killer himself as the protagonist. Along with that, there was no cop plot to split up the screen time. Overall, it felt like a much more coherent movie compared to some of its predecessors.
Since Saw X takes place before most of the other movies, some characters who have died made an appearance. After John Kramer’s death in Saw III, Tobin Bell had taken a bit of a backseat to the newer characters. However, in Saw X, he is back in the spotlight with more screen time than he ever had before. Even at the age of 81, Tobin Bell’s acting abilities have not diminished – he is as incredible of an actor as ever. Along with Tobin Bell’s return to the series came the incredibly talented actors playing his accomplices. Shawnee Smith and Costas Mandylor respectively reprise their roles as Amanda Young and Mark Hoffman. Along with the returning cast, there are several amazing characters introduced who are played by equally amazing actors. Synnøve Macody Lund, Steven Brand, and Renata Vaca as the supporting cast are each great in their own ways.
This new entry in the series follows John Kramer as he deals with his cancer and searches for an effective treatment. After a while, he runs into one of the men from his cancer support group who has been “cured” and the man refers Kramer to the people who helped him. After he receives the “treatment” from these people, he feels like a new man and he decides to return and give the people who helped him a gift to say thank you. Unfortunately, when he returns, he discovers that the whole thing was a scam and the only reason he is feeling better is because of the painkillers he was given. After making this discovery, he finds everyone involved in the scam and puts all of them in his ever-so-complicated traps.
Speaking of the traps, Saw X has some, if not the most intense and violent traps in the series. I won’t get into what the different traps do because I feel that the shock value is better if you watch it for yourself. I will say that they are not for the faint-hearted; I have been watching horror movies for years and I even got a bit squeamish watching the games unfold.
Overall if I had to give Saw X a rating out of 5, I would give it a 4. It’s not perfect, every Saw movie has its problems, but I definitely believe it is one of the better movies in the series.
