One of the highest grossing horror franchises of all time, SAW introduces the world to the infamous Jigsaw killer; a mysterious mastermind who rounds up groups of victims to play twisted games of life or death. Set between the events of SAW I and II, a sick and desperate John travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer – only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable. Armed with a newfound purpose, John returns to his work, turning the tables on the con artists in his signature visceral way through a series of ingenious and terrifying traps. A film by Kevin Greutert, starring Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Synnøve Macody Lund, Joshua Okamoto, Steven Brand, Renata Vaca, Michael Beach, Octavio Hinojosa, and Paulette Hernández.

A doctor (Dave Alfano) informs John Kramer (Tobin Bell) that he has only months to live due to his advanced brain cancer. He later attends a cancer support group meeting where he meets Henry Kessler, who claims he has been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer.

Four months later, John accidentally encounters Henry Kessler (Michael Beach) at a café while preparing his will. John is surprised to see Henry looking healthy and learns that he was cured by a groundbreaking drug cocktail combined with surgery by Dr. Finn Pederson in Norway. Henry doesn’t know if Dr. Pederson is still accepting new patients, but he writes down a website URL for John to contact the doctor directly.

John accesses Dr. Pederson’s website and discovers that Dr. Finn Pederson was forced into hiding by corrupt government and big drug companies. Pederson’s operation is now run by his daughter Dr. Cecilia (Synnøve Macody Lund). Desperately, John sends a message via the website. Moments later, Cecilia calls to say they are interested in his case and there is a spot opening in three months. When she learns that John may not survive that long, she offers to add him to a group of eligible patients to start treatment next week in Mexico.

Upon arriving at Mexico airport, John is greeted by Diego (Joshua Okamoto), a taxi driver sent to pick him up and drives him to their secret location. There, he meets Gabriela (Renata Vaca), a young woman who claims she was saved by Cecilia, and another patient Parker Sears (Steven Brand, who is just clear for release. Cecilia introduces John to her team, Mateo (Octavio Hinojosa), Valentina (Paulette Hernández), and Dr. Cortez.

John wakes up in a facility near Hospital Alto Prado after a successful operation. Cecilia informs him of the good news, and he tells her that he will wire the rest of the second half of the payment tomorrow morning. John is recovering quickly and feels hopeful again.

To surprise Gabriela, John buys a popular local tequila and returns to the clinic, where he finds it abandoned. Inside, he stumbles upon a DVD series of brain surgeries used to deceive him. John unwraps the bandage on his head, revealing a flawless scalp. He realizes that the entire operation was a scam and plots his revenge.

The sequel, technically a prequel since the events occur before SAW II, is a perplexing creation. Perhaps the filmmakers, unable to surpass James Wan’s 2004 original film, decided to travel back in time and conjure Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith to reprise their roles as Jigsaw and Amanda Young, respectively, despite their visibly aged appearances.

However, the plot and the supporting characters are unconvincing, with a formulaic and predictable story. There are almost no thrills or inventive kills, except for the first trap, in which a man’s eyes are sucked into tubes. The film is rife with flaws that would have been overlooked if it was made in the 2000s, such as the careless abandonment of a DVD and a working DVD player at the scene of a high-stakes scam involving hundreds of thousands of dollars. The amateurishness of the scammers is jarring, given the magnitude of the crime.

It is unclear why John plays the long game, even though he already knows everything. The film also feels longer than it should be, due to multiple irrelevant flashback revelations and excruciating screams from the victims.

SAW X was theatrically released in the United States on 29 September 2023, by Lionsgate. Tthe film grossed over $73 million worldwide against its production budget of $13 million.