Saw X Might Test Your Patience According To The Director - Here's Why - Exclusive

Since the release of "Saw" in 2004, the biggest attraction of this long-running horror franchise has been the agony that John Kramer, aka the Jigsaw Killer, and his various associates put their victims through. This is done via the sadistic torture devices and scenarios that Kramer (Tobin Bell) designs to impose a moral and always physically painful choice upon his targets.

The original "Saw" opened with Adam (Leigh Whannell) and Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes) chained inside a dank, decrepit washroom, faced with a viciously impossible decision and setting the template for every "Saw" movie since. Over the course of the next eight sequels, the series kept the gruesome action flowing with an act of violence every 10 minutes or so — arguably at the expense of things like characterization and emotional involvement, and certainly creating somewhat of a divide among critics and fans.

But the newest entry, "Saw X," is a different beast. Directed by Kevin Greutert (who has helmed two previous films in the series and edited six others), "Saw X" takes place between "Saw" and "Saw II" and finds John Kramer in a reflective, even empathetic mood, as he finds a cure for the brain cancer that is killing him — or so he thinks — via a medical procedure that can only be performed in Mexico.

Yes, there is a trap in the first few minutes of the movie, but even that is atypically handled more in line with Kramer's frame of mind. Greutert told Looper in our exclusive interview that the more thoughtful nature of the script convinced him to return to the director's chair. "I thought it was so well done," he says. "I kind of couldn't believe it, and had no doubt when I read it that it was going to be a great film."

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.