Saw X is finally here. Fans have long awaited the return of Tobin Bell’s John Kramer to the forefront. Most of his recent appearances have been relegated to small cameos or, in the case of Spiral, a photograph. But Saw X focuses almost entirely on John Kramer, while the post-credits scene does feature another fan-favorite character.
A number of characters and suspenseful plot threads have been introduced in the sequels to Saw over the years. As Saw X takes place between Saw and Saw II, it allows for some of these plot threads to be explored in a natural way. Fans can finally see a movie where John Kramer fully interacts with Shawnee Smith’s Amanda Young in addition to another one of his apprentices.
Other than Amanda, many fans will remember that Kramer had Costas Mandylor’s Detective Mark Hoffman as another apprentice. The character was formally introduced as an antagonist in Saw IV and he continued to act as the antagonist in Saw V, Saw VI, and Saw 3D. Kramer uses Hoffman several times throughout Saw X to locate the scammers that lied to him about curing his cancer.
Of course, given Hoffman’s access to police resources, it makes sense that he’d have the ability to make that happen for Kramer. It also makes sense why he wouldn’t be able to get as physically involved as Amanda. For diehard fans, however, he does make an appearance in the post-credits scene for Saw X.
The scene reveals Henry Kessler, the man that suggested the scammers to Kramer in the first place, in a unique trap. Kramer watches as the trap is set into motion, and furthermore, so does Mark Hoffman. “Of all the men to cheat,” Hoffman begins, “You choose John Kramer?”
It’s a great bit of payoff as Hoffman’s presence has been teased all throughout the movie. Best yet, it could even set the stage for another Saw midquel, one where Kramer gets to team up with Hoffman this time around. Of course, we’ll just have to see how well Saw X does at the box office.
Kevin Greutert, director of Saw VI and Saw: The Final Chapter, returned to direct this new installment of the franchise. He previously edited the first five Saw films as well in addition to Jigsaw.
With Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith portraying their respective characters from the franchise, the film also includes newcomers Renata Vaca, Paulette Hernandez, Joshua Okamoto, Octavio Hinojosa, Synnøve Macody Lund, Steven Brand, and Michael Beach.
Fans can currently see Saw X in theaters. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional Saw franchise updates as we have them.