A good time for fans of the franchise
The 10th in this franchise and, according to many, the best, Saw X takes place between the first and second film and sees psychotic life coach (of sorts) John Kramer travel to Mexico for an experimental treatment that will supposedly cure his cancer. But when it is revealed to be a scam, this Saw film becomes a Saw film as Kramer challenges those that wronged him to survive his grim death traps. So what makes this one the best of the bunch?
Almost serving as the missing piece in the Saw franchise, Saw X firmly positions Kramer, normally the villain of these films, as the protagonist. Through a slow but effective burn of a beginning, Tobin Bell makes us feel sympathy for this character we have seen do horrible things in previous entries as he is given a terrible diagnosis and looks for any chance to survive. The victims of Kramer’s death traps in this film are awful people so, more than ever before, the audience is happy to see them suffer his unique brand of justice, which goes a long way in helping us understand Kramer’s warped worldview.
But, why is this the best Saw film? Well, seemingly just the aforementioned. Beyond the neat perspective twist and the slow-burn beginning, Saw X still features all the blood, the gore, the torture porn that critics apparently hated from previous entries. The traps themselves are inventive, darkly humorous, and gratuitously gruesome. These are not for the faint-hearted but will surely please the gore-hounds in the audience.
It won’t win over any non-converts, but Saw X is a bloody good time for fans of the franchise and brings more depth to our favourite demented puzzle-maker, while delivering all the gory detail that is expected.
Rating: 7/10