Saw X
Kevin Greutert, 2023,
Tobin Bell’s lucid stoicism, facile as its moralizing may be, has always been the Saw series’ biggest strength, and after nearly two decades of coolly calculated carnage, Saw X finally puts his Jigsaw front and center with the full antihero treatment. Taking place between the events of Saw and Saw II, this one is uncharacteristically patient and character-driven, and by the time the stage is set for the the latest round of mayhem, Jigsaw’s victims seem more deserving than ever. Series vet Kevin Greutert returns with a more mature approach to directing and editing, and in contrast with most of the series, Saw X feels motivated more by storytelling than bloodletting (though it of course doesn’t shy away from the latter). However, some of its attempts to make Jigsaw sympathetic are at odds with what we already know about him (since when is he unwilling to endanger innocents?), one of the central plot twists requires him to make a gobsmackingly illogical maneuver, and the film continues the tradition of misplaced faith in the supposed charisma of one of his acolytes. So yeah, it’s not immune to the boneheaded trappings of being a Saw movie, but it’s nevertheless among the best of them.