Movie Review: ‘Saw X’

Review by James Lindorf

Twenty years ago, a rough but well thought out short film would lead investors to take a chance on a pair of 26-year-old Australians, Leigh Whannell and James Wan. A year later, when the team turned the 1 million dollar investment into 103 million at the worldwide box office, it launched them and their film “Saw” into superstardom that shows no signs of slowing down. In those 20 years, we have seen dozens of projects from Whannell and Wan and nine additional entries into the Saw franchise. The latest, “Saw X,” just hit theaters this weekend with Wan and Whannell returning as Executive Producers. Writing partners Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg are back for their third Saw film. At the same time, Kevin Greutert has returned to the Saw franchise for the 9th time, and his third go around as director.

Understanding the timeline of the Saw franchise may be one of the most complicated things in all of cinema. Best estimates are that the events of “Saw X” take place between “Saw” and “Saw II.” Tobin Bell is back as John Kramer, alive for the first time since “Saw III,” but gravely ill and desperate for a way to fight back against the disease ravaging his body. Thanks to a cancer support group tip, John travels to Mexico for an experimental procedure in hopes of finding a miracle cure for his cancer. His hopes are crushed when the entire operation turns out to be a scam perpetrated by a group of con artists promising time in exchange for large sums of money. His usual frustration with people who don’t appreciate their lives is replaced with anger and a determination unlike ever before. If they hope to survive, the con artists must play a game with John and his ingenious and terrifying traps.

“Saw X” suffers from some of the issues seen in previous Saw films. The timeline is a bit silly, overlapping on itself and with actors who are 20 years older playing the characters like a day hasn’t gone by. It works for Tobin Bell because the added age makes it easier for you to believe the brain tumor is decimating his body. The other problem is that John continues to be nearly omniscient in his ability to plan and anticipate the actions of others. It is written like a clever twist when it is an impossibility that is more distracting than shocking.

However, those shortcomings are overshadowed by the good elements this time around. In the first nine Saw films, John Kramer/Jigsaw had about two hours of screen time. “Saw X” is a more character-driven film than later entries, with Tobin Bell on screen for 90% of the 118-minute run time. Much like the second film that had a group of characters in a building playing John’s games, “Saw X” finds all the con artists in a single large room, forced to watch each other be tested in John’s games. It allows you to see more than just their fear. Courage, empathy, teamwork, and cruelty all get a chance to shine through as they face this ordeal together.

As with all ensemble films, the quality of performances varies, but Greutert has never done a better job at getting consistently good performances from a cast. Renata Vaca, as Gabriela, is a relative newcomer with less than a handful of credits to her name, and she is entirely believable and natural. Synnøve Macody Lund has a little more experience than Vaca but also turns in a surprisingly good performance. Tobin Bell easily gives his best performance as Kramer and perhaps the best of his career. Surprisingly, on the other end of the spectrum is Shawnee Smith, whose performance and hair are at an all-time franchise worst. Her look and acting are distracting at worst and forgettable at best.

The new setting for “Saw X” allows for some beautiful scenic shots and provides a lot of unrealized potential since most of the film takes place in a dark warehouse. The traps may not be the most memorable, but with most of them being medical-themed, it does add a new layer of interest. When the good and bad elements are all weighed out, as hard as it may be to believe, we are looking at the worst, the third-best entry in the franchise. Most people consider the original the best, while I prefer the group dynamic of the second. “Saw X” combines the best elements of those two by having it be a gritty personal story while preserving the group setting. “Saw X” earns a 3.5 out of 5. It is not groundbreaking or award-worthy, and yes, the dialogue is inconsistent and the plot a little convoluted. Still, the character-driven story with several quality performances makes it a must-see for franchise fans. It is also the first entry in a decade that will excite audiences for what comes next.

Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Mystery & thriller
Original Language: English
Director: Kevin Greutert
Producer: Mark Burg, Oren Koules
Writer: Pete Goldfinger, Josh Stolberg
Release Date: September 29th, 2023
Runtime: 1h 58m
Distributor: Lionsgate