There’s an old saying that roughly goes revenge is a dish best served cold. The first time I heard it was in the film “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” where it was supposed to be of Klingon origin. However, a quick internet search shows it comes from the 17th or 18th century. It also has a couple of accepted meanings but generally it is more satisfying when one has had time to prepare vengeance that is well-planned, long feared, or unexpected. I can’t say I’ve ever exacted revenge. I’ve certainly felt wronged to the point that I wanted to be vengeful but lack the killer instinct and cunning to plot and carry it out. Cinema is filled with the vengeful and their nefarious schemes to exact retribution. A recent example is in “Oppenheimer” with a character waiting years to put himself in a position to destroy the scientist’s reputation and career. In the movie “She-Devil,” Rosanne Barr’s frumpy housewife takes revenge on Meryl Streep’s romance novelist character for stealing Barr’s movie husband Ed Begley, Jr. In “The Sting,” following the murder of a mutual friend, aspiring con man Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) teams up with old pro Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) to take revenge on the ruthless crime boss responsible, Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). Another internet search provides a list on IMDb.com of the 50 best revenge films featuring titles such as “Leon: The Professional,” “Man on Fire,” the original “Old Boy,” “V for Vendetta” and both “Kill Bill” movies. Revenge is often served with cold steel, hot lead and punches. However, it is rarely served with a side of engineering and require a knowledge of gear ratios. That brings us to the subject of this review, “Saw X.”

John Kramer (Tobin Bell) is dying of a cancerous brain tumor and has only a few months left. He tells his doctor he has a lot of work left to do before he shuffles off this mortal coil. The doctor doesn’t understand the “work” Kramer speaks of is the “games” he plays with those that hurt and take advantage of others as the “Jigsaw Killer.” Kramer has been attending a cancer support group and runs into former group member Henry Kessler (Michael Beach) at an outdoor café. Kessler was dying of pancreatic cancer, but tells Kramer a doctor has this new, non-FDA approved treatment that has him in full remission. Kessler gives Kramer a website address as the only way to contact the doctor as they work out of the country. Kramer goes to the website, uploads his records and sends an email. The next morning, he gets a call from Dr. Pederson (Synnove Macody Lund). She tells Kramer about the drug cocktail her father invented and, when used with surgery, she believes can cure his cancer. He will have to travel to the clinic just outside Mexico City. She claims “big pharma” is constantly looking for them to shut them down. Kramer arrives at a home and is greeted by Gabriela (Renata Vaca) and shown to his room. There he is met by Dr. Pederson who takes him on a tour of the facility and introduces Kramer to Valentina (Paulette Hernandez), Mateo (Octavio Hinojosa) and Dr. Cortez (Joshua Okamoto), the team that will provide his care and conduct the surgery. He also meets a patient, Parker Sears (Steven Brand), who has received a clean bill of health after treatment. Following surgery, the next day Kramer wakes up in a hospital and is given bloodwork results showing he’s cancer free. After leaving the hospital, Kramer wants to give a bottle of tequila as a thank you gift to Gabriella. Kramer, an engineer, triangulates the location of the hidden clinic thanks to some radio towers on a hill he can see from his room. Arriving at the clinic, he finds it abandoned. Where the surgery took place, Kramer finds a video on a computer called “Surgery of Tomorrow” and sees it’s the video he thought was live during his brain procedure. Kramer knows he’s been swindled out of a great deal of money and sold false hope, along with countless other desperate cancer patients. Kramer contacts his helpers to find those responsible, builds his “games” and prepares to teach the swindlers a lesson as the “Jigsaw Killer.”

I haven’t seen all the “Saw” films but, outside of the original, what I’ve seen I didn’t like. “Saw IV” was a bit messy and all over the place. However, referring to my review from the time shows I gave it four stars. I thought the contraptions were fun and, while the film defied logic, it was good for some Halloween gore. On the other hand, “Spiral: From the Book of Saw” featured uninspired traps, a manic performance from Chris Rock and an all-around amateurish attempt to revive the franchise in its ninth outing. “Saw X” steps back in time between “Saw” and “Saw II,” hoping the return of star Tobin Bell sparks some interest in the franchise. Bell is very good as the dying Jigsaw Killer. His hope of being given another shot at life is reflected in a scene where, after his alleged surgery, he designs one of his games then rips the page out and throws it away. Maybe he plans on giving up being the angel of painful lessons. It’s a small glimpse at his plans for a longer future than he expected. Of course, those plans are set aside once the scam is discovered. The script, by Peter Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg, gives some depth to the violence and gore that’s to come. It’s a horror film with a brain, both literally and figuratively. Bell makes the most of his role, giving us a desperate man on a mission, his body succumbing to the ravages of his disease, whittling away at what time he has left to teach those that need a lesson.

It also helps that “Saw X” has a twist putting Jigsaw and his accomplice in the crosshairs. This came as a genuine surprise. I won’t spoil anything, but the chance for Jigsaw to be hoisted up on his own petard renewed my interest in the film. You can only watch so many amputations, gutting and bone breaking before you start to get bored. Having the stakes raised by putting Jigsaw in danger made me sit up in my seat.

Of course, the film requires you to suspend your disbelief as each of the contraptions in “Saw X” would require a long time to build. Kramer may use the available machinery in the abandoned factory where his prisoners are kept, but it still requires time for fabrication and construction of the unique puzzles. The finishing puzzle also requires Jigsaw to predict the future and anticipate precisely what his targets will do. If one thing happens outside of his planning, everything falls apart. There is one minor glitch but, in the end, Jigsaw teaches the lessons that need to be taught.

“Saw X” is rated R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, language and some drug use. I don’t want to ruin the surprise of the traps, but, if you’re squeamish, you probably want to see something else. The movie is filled with blood and gore, self-mutilations, decapitation, and more. Drug use is limited to seeing a drug addict swallowing pills. Foul language is common in spots.

I wasn’t expecting much from “Saw X” and left the theater pleasantly surprised. For the tenth chapter of a horror franchise, “Saw X” has a surprising amount of depth, an engaging story, interesting characters and fascinating traps. The kills are appropriately gory, and the final resolution is satisfying. I can honestly say you won’t want to gouge your eyes out after seeing “Saw X.”

“Saw X” gets four stars out of five. I know, I’m surprised too.

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