Saw X (2023)

I have seen the first few movies in the Saw franchise. After a very long break since then, I ventured into the theatre to see Saw X. This episode tells the story of John Kramer/Jigsaw, who is sick and desperate and goes to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure, hoping for a miracle cure for his cancer. He soon realises that the whole thing is a fraud designed to steal money from the most vulnerable people. John places each member of the group into bloody traps for their redemption.

Saw X arrives at a time when we have seen a resurgence in the popularity of horror movies. Some of these are Hereditary, Midsommar and X. All of these have been successful with audiences. But Saw X doesn’t come anywhere near the quality and sophistication of this new breed of horror. From what I can tell, nothing much has changed from the earliest Saw movies, nor, in my opinion, come close to the cleverness of the original Saw film. Saw X feels tired and uninspired and rehashes the same old formula.

The plot of Saw X is convoluted and nonsensical, with the twists and turns feeling contrived and forced. There was a moment when I thought the themes of redemption and forgiveness were going to be explored in a bit more depth than usual. And there was even a hint of questioning the ethical appropriateness of John Kramer’s approach to “rehabilitating” criminals. But any exploration of these themes was quickly lost amongst the gore and violence. And the tone of the film veers between dark and campy without much rhyme or reason.

The acting in Saw X is generally mediocre, with the performers bringing very little depth to their one-dimensional and poorly developed characters. It’s hard to care about these individuals because we know so little about them and their backstories. Everything about the film is competently delivered, but it is uninspiring, lacks visual flair or imagination, and is riddled with cliches and cheesiness. I expect diehard fans of the Saw franchise will find the movie relatively effective, but it is hard to understand how, after so many episodes, one could find it as shocking or original as the earlier films.

The central philosophical assertion that Saw X tries to explore is that humans have genuine free choice and are responsible for whatever they “choose” to do. The assumption that humans are free to choose alternative paths is asserted several times by John Kramer in Saw X. The problem is that the movie deals with this issue in a very simplistic way. The film presents a very black-and-white view of free will, with the victims of Jigsaw’s traps being forced to make impossible choices that will often result in the death of themselves or others. This view of free will is not very realistic, and it doesn’t take into account the complex factors that influence people’s choices in everyday life.

The “exploration” of redemption is also simplistic. The film suggests that the victims of Jigsaw’s traps can only be redeemed if they make the difficult choices that Jigsaw has presented them with. However, this view of redemption is superficial and ignores the fact that people can be redeemed even if they make mistakes.

Saw X is a tiresome and frustrating movie. To say I was disappointed would imply I went into the cinema with high expectations. I didn’t. And my low expectations were met. So I wasn’t really disappointed. I wouldn’t recommend Saw X to anyone. If you are a fan of the franchise, you may be interested in seeing it, but I would recommend keeping your expectations low. If you are not a fan, especially of over-the-top blood and gore, I’d suggest avoiding it.

(In cinemas — check your local movie guide for show times.)