The observation is as disturbing as it is obvious: it is high time to put an end to the saga decadence once and for all, especially after giving us a particularly painful and dismissive tenth chapter.
Jigsaw is back. There was a time when this phrase filled lovers of hemoglobin and strong emotions with joy. But today we greet it with a long sigh and are disheartened to learn that we are still trying to extract juice from a saga that has already been bled dry.
We still start the machine a tenth time, just to bring back John Kramer, the man behind the nickname, and his barbaric torture mechanisms. And to achieve this, we go back in time to the plot of Decadence
Torture in Mexico
This is how we find Jigsaw flying to Mexico with the promise of a revolutionary treatment for his incurable cancer. But when he realizes that the initiators of this medical journey have betrayed him, he will teach them a good lesson with the help of his mechanics, of course with great torture and unspeakable physical torment.
The problem? This tenth chapter not only stirs up inconsistencies more than ever, but also fits more or less coherently into the narrative framework of the franchise. We quickly realize that this distortion of temporal space was ultimately just an excuse to bring back Jigsaw and Amanda Young, two main characters of decadence. A good idea on paper, but unfortunately poorly implemented.
Smell of warmed up
Worse, we feel tired – or laziness? – in the development of the traps faced by the victims of Decadence X; They smell rehashed here, some seem to us to be nothing more than vulgar variants or amalgamations of those used in the previous chapters.
Fans of Hemoglobin, however, will be pleased to learn that it’s cast abundantly and in more sinister circumstances than they’re used to in the Decadence series. Because the excesses of violence are even more barbaric and are presented with a sick persistence that strains even the most sensitive stomachs. On the other hand, these scenes are now free of any tension or emotional charge, as filmmaker Kevin Greutert is clearly trying to provoke disgust and discomfort at all costs.
Please let us resolve, once and for all, to let John Kramer – and his many henchmen – rest in peace.
Decadence X ★☆☆☆☆
A film by Kevin Greutert with Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith and Synnøve Macody Lund. To be seen from Friday.