Saw X (2023)

One imagines that when the initial Saw film was released way back in 2004, the creators (and audiences) would have found it hard to believe that almost twenty years on, the series would be releasing its tenth installment. That initial film was a stripped down, gritty, well made thriller, that captured the public's imagination with its gruesome predicaments the characters found themselves in, and a lust for blood that hasn't abated in two decades. The franchise has made a staggering amount of money and will undoubtedly continue to do so with this installment, with many critics calling it a return to form for the series. So what exactly does a Saw film need to do to justify a tag of being a 'return to form?' Well, Saw X certainly ticks the box of being better than its predecessor, the almost unwatchable Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) where Chris Rock blundered about like an imbecile for ninety minutes desperately attempting to wake us from the deep seated slumber that was initiated after about ten minutes. Since the series has tinkered with the timeline to a point where none of it makes sense or needs to, Saw X has no shame in setting itself just after the events of the 2004 original, with Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) finding out he has incurable brain cancer, before he's told about a black market miracle cure over the border in Mexico. If you remember, there was attempted surgery on Jigsaw's cancer in Saw III (2006), a film in which he ultimately met his demise, but naturally the series did not; this is in fact the seventh Saw outing since Jigsaw technically died. His accomplice Amanda (Shawnee Smith), first introduced in Saw II (2005) is back here helping dish out punishment to those pesky doctors who told John he could be cured; it's no surprise to us that once John has crossed the border and shelled out for his treatment, he realises it's a scam. What you make of Saw X will really depend on what you want from a Saw film. Chances are if you're going to see it, you've seen at least a few of them and therefore you'll get exactly what you're going for. From a strictly critical and personal point of view, this was a slight disappointment, whatever that really means. Having been to the cinema to see every release since Saw IV (2007), I go now for some sort of completest reason, and the only time I remember being genuinely pleasantly surprised was Saw VI (2009) although I haven't the faintest recollection of why. Saw X certainly doesn't scrape the bottom of Jigsaw's barrel in the way Spiral or the abysmal Saw 3D (2010) did, and it's certainly refreshing to see Tobin Bell take center stage for the duration instead of being sidelined or heard mostly through voice recorders, and he makes the most of it. It's not as nasty as many have claimed, certainly not as bone crunching as Saw III, but after the perfectly reasonable re-hash of Jigsaw (2017) followed by the near crucifixion of the series as a result of Spiral, Saw X is, technically I suppose, a return to form. 5.0/10