Saw X Review: A Return to Bloody, Messy Form
Spoilers for Saw X and the Saw franchise ahead.
Saw X is a gory, surprisingly emotional journey back into the world of John Kramer a.k.a the Jigsaw Killer. Fans of the series are all too familiar with Kramer, played masterfully by Tobin Bell, appearing in each and every Saw installment—regardless of whether the character is still alive. In fact, the man died in Saw III. Yes, as we enter the tenth Saw movie, its central figure, Jigsaw, has been dead for over ten years. Saw X neatly dodges any timeline traps, taking place between Saw and Saw II.
Saw X opens with John Kramer mere months from death due to a nasty tumor. A fellow cancer support group member points him towards an alluring, promising Norwegian doctor: Dr. Cecilia Pederson. A few phone calls later, Kramer is on his way to Mexico City where he’s “treated” for his cancer. He’s filled with hope and joy, throwing away a blueprint for a trap as though he no longer needs to live a life of deadly games. However, he soon discovers that the treatment center is a farce; he is, once again, doomed to die.
This arc makes for a devastating, emotional journey despite Jigsaw being one of the horror canon’s most prolific killers. He’s an old man dying of brain cancer, one scammed by strangers for what he’s worth—it’s hard to not sympathize with Kramer. Yet, this moment of humanity dissipates and he quickly returns from helpless old man to ornery Jigsaw, this time with a trusted companion by his side, Amanda Young.
Amanda captures Dr. Pederson’s team, locking them into an voyeuristic game in their very own clinic. Shawnee Smith delivers a riveting performance as Jigsaw’s favorite apprentice. Smith carefully balances Amanda’s principles with her affection for her mentor, making a compelling moral study out of a character whose most recent appearance was a scattered mess. The Amanda of Saw X fleshes out Saw II and III’s Amanda, and Smith’s sharpened acting skills breathe new life into the character’s emotional turmoil. It’s a joy to watch her work alongside Jigsaw, who spares no pity on his scamming enemies.
The film consistently balances out the more sentimental Kramer with the raw brutality of Jigsaw. Things feel extra bleak when two separate characters are mere seconds away from surviving their traps only for the clock to run out. Tricksters Valentina and Mateo complete the most painful parts of their respective traps, but are mercilessly killed while waiting for access to a key to free themselves. Yes, cinematically, it’s frustrating to watch the same thing happen twice, but this series of events only emphasizes Jigsaw’s savagery. He watches Valentina and Mateo pass the “hard part” of his test without batting an eyelash, nothing matters until the timer reaches zero. In Jigsaw’s world, failure is black and white.
These double feature failures are also two of the gnarliest traps in the franchise. Rarely do horror movies, even torture porn gorefests like Saw, churn my stomach quite so violently. Listening to Valentina cut through her femur with a Gigli saw was enough for me to put down my popcorn for the remaining hour of the film. Mateo, meanwhile, cuts out a chunk of his own brain, something I couldn’t even dare watch. Who would’ve thought Saw X’s hotly anticipated “Eye Vacuum” would be among the film’s more laidback traps?
The conclusion of Saw X, like the movies before it, presumes that Jigsaw is an all-knowing, omniscient being who carefully predicts each and every move of his test subjects. Perhaps Jigsaw knows his subjects better than they know themselves as he knowingly plans out his traps down to the very second, always the head game master in charge. The Saw series, yet again, presents Jigsaw as someone who truly understands our natural human instincts.
Saw X balances odes to the original films with upgraded filmmaking techniques. In the Eye Vacuum trap, the camera places us inside of the captive custodian’s eyes, cutting off our point of view just as sharply as his; when Valentina saws her thigh into pieces, the sound design renders closing your eyes pointless and leaves you to squirm in your seat. The blue-green lighting and erratic editing are still as goofy as ever, especially in a mid-credits scene that brought back one of my favorite characters in the series, but could it be a Saw film without a spinning camera?
Some may argue that a tenth film, especially one receiving glowing reviews when compared to previous chapters in the ever-growing book of Saw, is a good stopping point for a franchise. I say, keep ‘em coming. If there are eight Conjuring movies, twelve Friday the 13ths, and thirteen Halloweens, why not release Saw XI. Saw X leaves a few doors open for a sequel, but I believe a movie focused on Detective Hoffman (Saw III-X), Logan (Jigsaw), Dr. Gordon (Saw, Saw 3D), or—God forbid—another secret Jigsaw apprentice would make for a more entertaining piece than following along Saw X’s comical villain. Give me Saw XI, the game isn’t over!
