• Director: Kevin Greutert
• With: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Synnøve Macody Lund, Steven Brand, Renata Vaca, Joshua Okamoto, Octavio Hinojosa, Paulette Hernandez, Michael Beach, Jorge Briseño, Costas Mandylor
• Music by: Charlie Closer
• Duration: 1h58
• Studio: Twisted Pictures / Lionsgate Productions
• Rating: 8/10

Review:

Warning!!!‼️ This review contains spoilers for the Saw franchise! Do not read if you haven’t seen all eight other movies (I know, there are nine, but this one doesn’t contain any spoilers for Spiral, as that’s more of a spinoff)

Saw X is a daring project that brings new life to the Saw-series by going back in time, bringing back Tobin Bell as John Kramer and Shawnee Smith as Amanda, Jigsaw’s apprentice.

After the events of Saw I, Kramer is looking to be cured from his terminal cancer. No one seems to be able to help him until he runs into someone of his cancer group who says he was treated with a new, unapproved, treatment. Kramer is very interested and eventually gets in contact with Cecilia Pederson. She offers him a quick treatment, if he can travel to Mexico.

John, who is very keen to be healed if only because he still has ‘a lot of work to do’, goes to Mexico, meets with the team and gets his treatment and operation.

Until a few days after he’s been discharged, he goes back to the place where they treated him… to find it empty, apart from a videocassette with a cranial operation tutorial on it! Kramer isn’t healed. He realises he’s been scammed! That’s when John thinks of some new traps. With the help from Amanda he kidnaps Matteo, Valentina, Gabriella and Cecilia!

They will be put to the test, to John Kramer’s test! “Live or die, you choose!”

Although this movie bears the nummer ten (X), it is actually Saw 1,5 as the events are between the first and second movie, on the Saw timeline. But I’d recommend to nót watch it after Saw I and follow its numeral chronology as it might contain some spoilers for the entire franchise after the first Saw movie.

Bell is back and he brings another great performance as the Jigsaw Killer. Although people end up dead, he is never the true killer. He gives people the choice. And okay, there will be blood (oh yes, I just referenced another Saw movie here!) but John punishes only when needed!

And for a first time ever in the franchise, he ends up in one of his own traps! Greutert took the franchise to a whole new level in Saw X! Is it better than the previous instalments? It’s equally good as the best of the franchise (the first five in particular!).

This is also the first time in the series a location is mentioned (before we always knew it was somewhere in the US but never specified) and it’s also the first time the franchise leaves the United States. (Ok, the other movies were filmed in Canada, but the story was set in the US)… This one was filmed almost entirely in Mexico, where the story is set as well.

Expect some new exciting traps, bloody scenes, a foe that can fight Kramer and a whole lot of new horrors, especially for those in the traps!

Saw XI is already in the make so we’re not done yet with Jigsaw! Jippieeeee!!!