Nearly two decades on, the tenth Saw film sees many of the original band reuniting, and it ranks almost up there with the original trilogy and is certainly much better than any of the subsequent entries. The idea of presenting a 'lost chapter' from early in the series works extremely well, not least for the fact that it gives Tobin Bell the opportunity to play John Kramer as a living character and in more than just cameo form - indeed, he is on screen most of the time and gives a wonderful controlled character performance, as he wreaks moral vengeance on the team who scam him with an alleged cancer cure. The personal stakes make this entry more compelling than most (no random insurance agents here), storytelling is focused, tight and particularly smart in the final act (even an apparent big Plot Hole actually plays out very well in the final stages, but one random discovery remains unexplained), Amanda (the great Shawnee Smith) gets a good arc to play, the signature uneasy green/blue grading with pops of red lighting works well, and Charlie Clouser provides an excellent score/soundscape. The first act may be a little slow yet sets up the story well, but the traps/games this time are pure Grand Guignol and suitably unpleasant, and overall Saw X marks a real return to form for the franchise. The fan-pleasing end credits scene also wraps up one of the film's dangling character storylines nicely.
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