Saw X – Movie Review
Director: Kevin Greutert
Writer: Josh Stolberg, Pete Goldfinger (Screenplay)
Cast
- Tobin Bell (Saw)
- Shawnee Smith (The Island)
- Synnøve Macody Lund (Headhunters)
- Stephen Brand (The Scorpion King)
- Renata Vaca (Rosario Tijeras)
Plot: a sick and desperate John travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer – only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable. Armed with a newfound purpose, John returns to his work, turning the tables on the con artists in his signature visceral way through a series of ingenious and terrifying traps.
Runtime: 1 Hour 58 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Saw X starts as John Kramer (Bell) learns his fate with his cancer diagnosis. He learns of an experimental procedure that is meant to offer a miracle cure. John travels to Mexico to meet Cecilia Pederson (Lund) to go through the procedure.
However, he learns that he has been conned and decides to use his connections to help him get revenge. John is joined by Amanda (Smith) and a new round of games begins as John looks to teach the con artists a painful lesson.
Verdict on Saw X
Saw X is the latest instalment in the franchise. It takes us back in time to when John is still battling cancer and searching for solutions. This sees him making a rash decision to take an experiment procedure. However, when he learns he has been conned, he brings out the games to teach them a lesson.
This brings the franchise back to the basics, a single room for the games. While we do have a bigger story going on leading up to it, with the idea of treatment to cure John’s cancer. This side of the story gives us even more sympathy for John even though we know he is the Jigsaw killer. It is hard to pinpoint exactly where this fits into the timeline and it could even be a full prequel to the original Saw.
Along the way, we do get to see some excellent development in the Amanda character. It shows how she is still learning to understand things, with hints of the loose cannon side to her. The gore is used a lot more sparingly which helps put more focus on the characters. The performances from Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith’s best performances in the franchise.
This ends up feeling like the movie we have been waiting for since Saw 7, keeping the favourites in the circle. It could end up becoming the best since the original bringing everything back to what made it special in the first place.
Final Thoughts –Saw X is the best sequel in the franchise.
