Saw X Review: Jigsaw Still Has Some Life Left to Kill With

Saw X is the tenth entry in the Saw movie franchise and one that is taking a bold approach to keeping the franchise going. Instead of trying to continue the legacy of John Kramer, The Jigsaw Killer (Tobin Bell), like the most recent spin-off installments Jigsaw and Spiral: From the Book of Saw, Saw X serves as an interquel, giving us more depth to Kramer's arc as a dying man hell-bent on dispensing justice and forcing sinners to confront their own sins – and discover retribution through suffering. By putting franchise star Tobin Bell in the biggest spotlight he's ever held, Saw X upends the odds by being one of the best entries in the franchise since the original 2004 film. 

Saw X takes place weeks after the first Saw film, with John Kramer trying to find treatment for his brain cancer, even while trying to design even more intricate "games" to build. A chance meeting with a cancer support group buddy named Henry Kessler (Michael Beach) puts Kramer onto a cutting-edge research group working on a promising cancer treatment outside the big pharma system; Kramer puts his trust in the doctor, Cecilia Pederson (Synnøve Macody) and puts his faith in hope. However, both prove to be misplaced: when he returns to the clinic to thank his saviors, John discovers it was all a scam, designed to separate wealthy dying patients from their fortunes. Naturally, Kramer takes that deception personally and designs a special game for Pederson, her team, and anyone involved with the scam. 

As stated, Saw X manages to do something quite unexpected late in the franchise: make it feel meaningful and thrilling again in the way Saw fans used to love, while also turning its killer/antagonist into a compelling anti-hero protagonist. 

In the previous Saw movies, John Kramer was always a shadowy supporting character – even as the mastermind of the games. We always learned his backstory through flashbacks seen from the perspective of others – of those who came into contact with Kramer (or just caught his eye) and had to pay the steep price. This made us, the viewers, sympathetic to those caught in the traps and fearful of the man who designed them and could spring from any shadows at any second. Saw X flips that POV around entirely, making us sympathetic to John Kramer, and rooting for him to deliver his moral sermons to each of the horrible people who have clearly wronged him and others. It's a pretty miraculous turn to pull off after ten films – but one that is well worth it. Saw X arguably opens the door for the franchise (and Bell) to squeeze out at least a few more of these interquels, with Kramer (and his disciples) in the main roles. 

Some may think that director Kevin Greutert deserves much of the credit – but he's been with Saw since the beginning (first as an editor, then a director), so if anything, he gets credit for making Saw X look and feel tonally in line with all the previous Saw movies (I-VI) that came out. The same can be said for co-writer Josh Stolberg, who wrote the two spinoffs before this installment. If anything, he and newcomer writer Peter Goldfinger just maintain the franchise's signature storytelling staples – down to the final "twist" in Kramer's game. That said, the traps that Saw X designs for its games are pretty novel and horrifying this time, while being blessedly scaled back down to brutally efficient DIY engineering concepts. Saw X actually gets the idea that it's the unthinkable choices Jigsaw forces his "players" to make that provide the horror, not the gruesomeness of their deaths. The suspense of seeing which characters can actually survive their game is a welcome bonus to the horror of seeing what they have to do to "win." With the kind of games Saw X has on display, death becomes a welcome mercy. 

The real MVP of Saw X, however, is no doubt Tobin Bell as Jigsaw. As stated, Saw has never given this much attention to Jigsaw as a character – but it should have. Bell turns his age into a welcome asset of his performance; Kramer is frail and dying, but his mind is still as sharp and ruthless as the traps he designs. Bell does malice with the cold, steely, analytical mind of an engineer gone psycho-killer, but knows how to play his stoic demeanor and measured word choice of the other characters in a way that creates plenty of wit and ironic humor. In some ways, Saw X only works because it can carry the unspoken weight of the entire Jigsaw Saga on its back and use it as a constant winking reference to longtime fans. 

The "twists" in Saw X, however, don't account for all that much of a thrilling surprise – it all feels fairly standard for the franchise, with an ending and final shot that might be laughable to some fans. There are some fun franchise character cameos, and viewers should be sure to stick around for a fun post-credits scene, which further hints that Bell and co. can still come back and make a few more fun games to play. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

Saw X is now in theaters.