Saw X is a 2023 American horror film and the tenth installment in the Saw film series, and serves as both a direct sequel to Saw (2004) and prequel to Saw II (2005). It is directed and edited by Kevin Greutert and written by Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger. The film stars Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith reprising their roles from the previous films, with Synnøve Macody Lund, Steven Brand, Renata Vaca, and Michael Beach. Set between the events of the first two films, John Kramer (Bell) travels to Mexico in hopes an experimental procedure may cure him. Before long, however, the operation is proven to be a scam, leading him to kidnap those responsible and subject them to his trademark death traps.
A tenth installment was reported to be in development with Twisted Pictures in April 2021, with Stolberg and Goldfinger, writers for the previous two entries of the series, confirmed the script was completed in December 2021. Filming took place from October 2022 to February 2023 in Mexico City.
Saw X was theatrically released by Lionsgate on September 29, 2023. It received generally positive reviews from critics, with many describing it as the strongest entry since the first film and praising Bell's performance.[6]
Plot[]
John Kramer is told that, due to his advanced brain cancer, he has only months to live. He attends a cancer support meeting, where he meets Henry Kessler, who claims to have also gotten a terminal diagnosis. A physically destitute John later encounters a seemingly healthy Henry, who claims to have been cured by an experimental Norwegian cancer treatment conducted by a group led by Dr. Pederson. A desperate John contacts the doctor's daughter, Cecilia Pederson, who refers him to her clinic in Mexico City.
John is driven to the clinic by taxi driver Diego, and meets Cecilia and her team – Mateo, Valentina, and Dr. Cortez – as well as a young woman named Gabriela who claims to have been cured by Cecilia, and another patient, Parker Sears, who just underwent surgery. John also meets Carlos, a young boy who lives nearby, and the two bond when John fixes his bike. John goes under for surgery, and he wakes up to Cecilia informing him that he is now cancer-free. Finding a new lease on life, John purchases a gift for Gabriela; however, upon returning to the clinic, he finds it abandoned and realizes that the whole operation was a scam.
Deducing "Dr. Cortez" was Diego in disguise, John kidnaps him and places him in a trap where he must remove explosives wired to his arms by cutting through his flesh. Diego survives the trap and gives up the information of everyone involved in the scam. Jigsaw's apprentice Amanda Young then kidnaps Cecilia and her team; the four wake up in the clinic, where John and Amanda greet them as the subjects of Jigsaw's latest game.
Valentina is tasked with severing her leg with a Gigli saw and extracting enough bone marrow to release a key and free herself. Although she succeeds in removing her leg, her time runs out and she is decapitated. Cecilia is able to call for help, but Amanda shocks her into submission and confiscates the phone. Parker breaks into the clinic, claiming he wants his money back. Amanda restrains Parker while Mateo is forced to drill into his own skull and remove a portion of his cerebral tissue to obtain another key. After taking too long, a heated mask closes on his face and kills him. Gabriela is next and is suspended from shackles around her wrist and ankle while being subjected to ionizing radiation and must use a sledgehammer to break her shackled limbs and escape. She succeeds and John orders Amanda to take her to a hospital. However, before she can, the now-free Parker forces them at gunpoint to free Cecilia.
Cecilia breaks Gabriela's neck and reveals she called Parker, who is part of the scam, to free her. She forces John to chain himself in her trap. She hears Carlos outside of the facility, and having noticed John befriend the boy, chains him up opposite John on a seesaw like trap which waterboards them with blood. Parker and Cecilia leave to retrieve the bag of stolen cash from John's control room; however, a tripwire is activated that seals Parker and Cecilia in the room and frees John and Carlos. John reveals Diego gave up Parker as one of the scammers, and he tricked Cecilia into luring him to the facility. A deadly chemical gas begins filling the room, with the only respite being a ventilation hole large enough for one person's head. Cecilia stabs Parker to death but can only watch as John, Amanda, and Carlos (to whom John gave the money) leave the facility while she is left imprisoned.
Some time later, Henry awakens in a dilapidated bathroom with a new trap strapped to his stomach, overseen by John and Mark Hoffman.
Cast[]
- Further information: List of Saw characters|{{{2}}}
- Tobin Bell as John Kramer / Jigsaw
- Shawnee Smith as Amanda Young
- Synnøve Macody Lund as Cecilia Pederson
- Steven Brand as Parker Sears
- Renata Vaca as Gabriela
- Joshua Okamoto as Diego
- Octavio Hinojosa as Mateo
- Paulette Hernández as Valentina
- Jorge Briseño as Carlos
- Costas Mandylor as Mark Hoffman
- Michael Beach as Henry Kessler
- Isan Beomhyun Lee as a custodian
- David Alfano as a doctor
- Katie Barberi as cancer support group leader
- Donagh Gordon as Dr. Finn Pederson
Production[]
Development[]
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Casting[]
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Filming[]
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Post-production[]
Most of the gore was done with practical effects, with CGI only being used for touchups.[7] The filmmakers considered to use some VFX to de-age Bell and Smith due to the fifteen years that have passed since they first appeared in the original Saw trilogy, but they ultimately desisted and Greutert was glad that they didn't de-age the actors, as "some of the films that have de-aged their actors, it puts some distance between the character and the audience", feeling that Bell and Smith have some emotional close-ups that should not be altered.[8]
Release[]
Saw X was released theatrically in the United States by Lionsgate Films on September 29, 2023.[9] The film was set to be released on October 27, 2023, before Lionsgate announced at the San Diego Comic-Con that it would be moved up to its current date.[10][11]
Reception[]
Box office[]
As of October 4, 2023[update], Saw X has grossed $19.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $11.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $31.2 million.[5][4]
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Critical response[]
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References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 [TBA SAW X (18)] (September 14, 2023).
- ↑ [TBA2 Saw X (2023)].
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<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedGreutert - ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2023-07-20). [TBA Lionsgate Gets Excited About Saw X: Horror Pic Moves Earlier In Fall; First Look Unveiled – Comic-Con].
Further reading[]
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External links[]
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