Saw X Might Test Your Patience According To The Director – Here’s Why

The first act of «Saw X» finds an uncharacteristically somber John Kramer facing his own mortality, then actually experiencing hope and optimism when he travels to Mexico for a new treatment under the care of Dr. Cecilia Pederson (Synnøve Macody Lund) and her team. He brings his doctors gifts, befriends a little boy who lives nearby, and almost seems prepared to turn over a new leaf.

Kevin Greutert agrees that the opening scenes are not characteristic of the franchise. «It’s a little bit of a slow burn by ‘Saw’ standards,» he said. «Traditionally, we always make it a point to never go more than nine or 10 minutes without having some kind of iconic set piece. In this one, we’re asking for a little bit more patience from the audience, but once it starts paying off, it delivers at a pretty relentless pace.»

Indeed it does: Once Kramer discovers, to his horror, that he has been the victim of a grift — his cancer has not been cured, and the treatment is a fraud — he summons victim-turned-accomplice Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith) to help him round up the Pederson crew and teach them a lesson in the strongest possible terms. That involves, in classic Jigsaw fashion, everything from dismemberment to amputation to radiation burns and more. John may be the story’s protagonist this time, but he’s no hero.

Still, as production designer Anthony Stabley noted, it’s that initial stretch of time that we spend with John Kramer — and not his Jigsaw persona — that makes the rest of «Saw X» satisfying. «Yes, that investment in John and his journey — there’s so much of a payoff in the back end of the film,» he assured us.

«Saw X» is in theaters now.