‘Saw X’ Movie Review: Tobin Bell Returns With A Series-Best Performance, Breathing New Life Into The Franchise
Photo from Lionsgate
From Joe Peltzer
The horror film genre is no stranger to long franchises that fans continue to flock to decades after their introduction. Halloween recently wrapped up its sequel/reboot trilogy after numerous sequels and reincarnations. Friday the 13th has been given the reboot treatment and is soon to debut in a prequel streaming series. Scream launched the term “requel” with a soft reboot and legacy sequel introduced a few years back that gave way to yet another successful film this year. Saw is more like the latter, the original storyline continuing largely through all of the films (though only referenced in Spiral: From the Book of Saw). Much like Ghostface, Jigsaw is alive and well in Saw X and has been welcomed back by fans thanks to a clever plot that blends the old with the new, breathing fresh life into the beloved torture-porn franchise.
Set between 2004’s Saw and 2005’s Saw II, a sickly John Kramer (Tobin Bell) is recruited to Mexico for an experimental treatment to cure his cancer, but the events that ensue lead to the reemergence of Jigsaw for another set of games. Director Kevin Greutert (editor of the first 5 Saw films as well as Jigsaw, and the director of Saw VI and Saw 3D), masterfully manipulates what has come before with a tactile approach that allows the audience to take a step back and explore more of the origins of Jigsaw in Saw X. Bringing back writers Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg, who wrote both 2017’s Jigsaw and 2021’s Spiral: From the Book of Saw, was a smart move given his proven ability to mine the established story for new directions. What sets Saw X apart from almost all of the entries before it (aside from a completely new location) is how it is a truly character-driven entry, the focus on exploring more of Bell’s John Kramer for much of the first half of the film, rather than short vignettes mixed in with the traps. It always feels odd describing Kramer as a sympathetic character; to be clear, he’s a kidnapper, abuser, murderer, and probably more. But there has always been a story of conflicted morality at the core of the Saw franchise that is further on display here as Kramer, a vulnerable senior, is taken advantage of and left for dead. Bell exudes humanity in his portrayal of the character and is given the space to play with a bit more flexibility and less stoic delivery. Humanity has always been a key aspect of the films, taking the moral conundrums that place individuals in their life-or-death predicaments and looking and forcing examination of what value life has for each individual.
This is especially true when it comes to the retuning character of Amanda Young (the returning Shawnee Smith), the first character to survive one of Jigsaw’s traps and a protege of his. Much of John Kramer’s worldview is explained in his discussions with Amanda in both former installments and this one, though we see more of Amanda’s conflict play out in Saw X. Enter Gabriela (Renata Vaca), a young woman caught up in the overall scheme who Amanda quickly identifies as a kindred spirit in many ways. Both Bell and Young have some solid scenes with and about Vaca that further justify the series’ direction when it comes to the choices offered. As is often a part of the Saw films, one person doesn’t drive another to do something… everyone has a choice. Synnøve Macody Lund’s charming, yet suspect Cecilia Pederson is quickly recognizable by both the characters and the audience as the linchpin of everything going on, leading to a devious showdown by the end.
Of course, it isn’t long until Saw X turns to what has made the former films so iconic, diving into ingeniuous traps, horrors, and gore we’ve come to expect. Once that theme song hits, thanks to Nine Inch Nails’ Charlie Clouser serving once again as composer, we’re reminded why these films have had such a long shelf life. I often joke that I have never seen a full Saw movie due to turning away and closing my eyes at many of the more gruesome moments; Saw X is no different. Dismemberment, the use of excessive heat, the vulnerability of one’s eyes… it all comes into play with traps that are as creative as ever. Production designer Anthony Stabler taps into the dark, gritty ambience of former entries with a nostalgic yet refreshing touch. I am consistently concerned that people have the depraved creativity needed to dream this stuff up. The final trap lost me a bit in the direction it took with an unexpected participant, but it leads to a solid, yet foreseen twist that leaves the door open for more in the future.
Look, Lionsgate could make thirty more of these films and I would watch. Saw X is one of the best sequels of the series and serves as a launchpad for more. If only we can get more Tobin Bell.
Rating: 4/5
Saw X hit theaters on September 29th, 2023 and is now available to rent or buy on demand.
