Directed & Edited By: Kevin Gruetert

Written By: Peter Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg 

Cinematography: Nick Matthews 

Cast: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Synnove Macody Lund, Steven Brand, Octavio Hinojosa, Michael Beach, Renata Vaca, Joshua Okamoto, Paulette Hernandez 

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.

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These films have certainly come a long way to be the 10th film. This is a franchise that I never quite foresaw making it this long, but the company behind it, Lionsgate seemed determined to keep going as long as they can.  

Some films in the series are better than others, most of them have been pretty solid and admire that film that at first seems to be a one-off of shocks that as the films have continued through various different directors. Each film helps to mythologize not only the main character behind it all but has allowed it to grow and spread into a weird kind of movement throughout these films.

While the films have at certain points become a little predictable, they still manage to shock with either their gore or how it all ties together.

Unlike a franchise like Friday the 13th where it seems like more of the same with a few curves thrown in but still the same blueprint this at least tries with each film to have its own flavor even though like Friday the 13th franchise I prefer the sequels, but respect the first one after all it is the original.

This sequel is better than the one that came before it. Which was SPIRAL actually had Samuel L Jackson, and Chris Rock in those films so some of the bigger names in the franchise. That comes across more like Friday the 13th part five. When a curveball is thrown, that could set the films on a different path.

Who knows the future of the franchise as this one is actually a prequel to where it all started even before the original saw movie started.

This has all the requisite things you would expect from a movie plenty of plenty of traps and plenty of tension. What’s this one a little bit apart other than characters who have perished in previous sequels, is the return of Tobin Bell, in the lead role, and Shawnee Smith as his assistant.

Here we get the requirements of the film the film does offer Tobin Bell, more of a dramatic arc throughout to see and get into the mindset of what set him off and the consequences.

So it gives him a kind of respect as he has been the face of this franchise for so long, as well as of course the voice here he gets a chance to stretch his drama muscles and be in the film throughout not just in pieces.

As well as bringing him back, there is a certain better quality of the film, where it feels a bit more grounded and going back to basics, rather than stretching the believability and managing to keep it small scale. 

Watching this film reminded me that while most of the sequels, and the first one seem to be based on revenge that might be the catalyst, there is a message behind it, and truly in its own twisted ways it shows more of the evilness of the characters who were caught up in the game and their selfishness he does give them a fighting chance even if seemed rigged to fail it’s never quite personal. That involves characters who have a history with one another.

This would be a fine starting point though it is better maybe to watch them in order. 

The film gives the franchise fans exactly what they want and expect only here it go back to basics. 

Grade: C+