It’s been nearly twenty years since Saw first cut into the minds of audiences and made the morally complex Jigsaw/John Kramer (Tobin Bell) a horror icon. Since then, we’ve witnessed all sorts of games played, twists that have left us breathless, and gory kills that have had us squirming in our seats. Now, the franchise has reached an important milestone in Saw X, with director Kevin Greutert (Saw VI) returning behind the camera. For the sake of Saw-heads everywhere, I’m happy to report that this sequel is one of the best in the franchise. Written by returning series writers Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger (both of whom wrote Jigsaw and Spiral), Saw X takes viewers back to a time between Saw and Saw II. Still hanging onto hope that his cancer can be cured, John Kramer learns of a supposed miracle treatment being conducted by a group of doctors hiding from the pharmaceutical companies in Mexico. It sounds too good to be true when team leader Cecilia (Synnove Macody Lund) promises John that they will cure him. Turns out, it is, when he discovers that it was all a con, the surgeon’s blade never even touching his scalp. Too bad for the con artists, they’re about to understand why John Kramer is the last man on earth they should’ve trifled with. From the opening moments, Saw X isn’t like the others. Usually, we meet an unfortunate player about to play a bloody game in the beginning of these films, but not here. This time around, it’s not a group of potential victims or one person tasked with saving their loved ones and themselves through a trial of pain that we focus on; It’s Jigsaw himself. Not the world-renowned “killer”, but the man. The cancer patient. The human being who wants nothing more than to live, John Kramer. The first act tracks John as he goes through frightening scans, shares his torment with others, and hopes beyond hope that he may have actually found a solution to his disease…only to be taken advantage of. Saw X slices into John’s emotional depth deeper than any sequel has before. We’ve seen him struggle in the relationship with his wife. We’ve been there when they lost their baby. We’ve even witnessed John die. But what we haven’t seen is the vulnerable man behind the traps, and that is the meat of what puts this sequel on a level above many of the others. Pairing that with a heartfelt performance from Shawnee Smith returning as Amanda is just the icing on the blood-soaked cake. Nine previous films, and I’ve never once cried during a Saw movie, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t tear up a little during this one. A tragic story wrought with devastation and bringing to life the person that is John Kramer, this is far and away Tobin Bell’s best performance yet in the series. Yes, he still delivers that intimidating calculation behind his eyes that we’ve come to know so well, but there’s a pain to the character that bleeds off the screen as well. Wherever you stand on Jigsaw’s methods, it’s hard not to want to reach out and hug him. Before some of you start to worry this sequel isn’t the sort of slaughterhouse you expect with these movies, don’t. Oh yes, there is blood. Gallons of it. Ten films in, it can’t be easy to conceive inventive new traps, but the filmmakers do their best with what is ultimately a mixed bag in that department. Visually, each and every device gives off that industrial house of horror element that is so key to the look of the franchise. While there’s not quite anything here that I’d say is as memorable as The Rack or The Reverse Bear Trap, all of them will nevertheless have your jaw hanging open as characters cut, drill and smash their body parts on their way to a (possible) freedom. That last part is another piece of the puzzle that separates Saw X from previous sequels. A far cry from Hoffman’s (Costas Mandylor) inescapable devices, Greutert takes us back to the moralistic roots of Jigsaw, with players than can and actually do save themselves. Knowing that these people have the potential to live adds an extra bit of tension to already nail-biting trap scenes…as well as added heartbreak when some of them don’t. The big disappointment here? What you’d hope would be the most satisfying sequence doesn’t quite deliver on the gruesome justice you’ll be craving, nor does what I’d call the franchise’s most telegraphed twist to date. One other aspect of Saw X to die for is the sequel’s villain, Cecilia. Since John is our anti-hero, the film needs a villain to take his place, and Lund offers that in a deliciously malicious performance. The actress plays up the camp of it all as far as she can go, allowing for an entertaining battle of wits between she and John as well as laugh out loud moments of absurd villainy. Saw X is a surprisingly moving story that reaches into the guts of John’s humanity, the good, the bad, all of it. Couple all of the above with that hallmark grimy lighting and series composer Charlie Clouser’s banger of a score, and the film is a triumphant return for Jigsaw. Fans will be delighted to play this game. Lionsgate invites you to play a game with Sax X in theaters September 29th. By Matt Konopka
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
March 2023
|