John Kramer

This page is similar in name or subject to other pages. See also John, Jigsaw for a complete list of references to clarify differences between these closely named or closely related articles.

John Kramer
John Kramer
Aliases:	Jigsaw
Continuity:	Saw
Notability:	Antagonist
Type:	Serial killer
Gender:	Male
Location:	New Jersey Manhattan, New York City, New York
Relations:	Jill Tuck (ex-wife) Gideon Kramer (unborn son)
Status:	Deceased
Died:	2006
Introduction:	Saw
Actor:	Tobin Bell

John Kramer is a fictional psychopath and the primary antagonist featured in the Saw film franchise by Twisted Pictures. Played by actor Tobin Bell, he has appeared in nine installments of the series even though the character is killed off in Saw III. His appearances in the subsequent films are all courtesy of flashbacks and audio recordings, but are instrumental in fleshing out the entire psychological profile and history of the character. John appears as a supporting character throughout a majority of his appearances up until Saw X, the first film that sees John serve as the main protagonist.

Biography

Saw 3D: The Final Chapter

John is first seen in a flashback, confronting Bobby Dagen at his book signing when he first starts his con about being a Jigsaw survivor.

During the film's ending, we learn that Lawrence Gordon has been a secret accomplice of John's following the events of the first Saw. John discovered the weakened Gordon in the tunnels, nursing him back to health and fitting him with a prosthetic foot. Ever since then, Gordon remained loyal to John and would help him with his various test subjects, using his medical skills in the process. A tape left to Gordon in John's will thanks Gordon for his loyalty over the years but tasks him with watching over Jill Tuck and acting on his behalf should anything happen to her.

Spiral: From the Book of Saw

This is the only film where John does not make a physical appearance though he is seen in a photograph during the Metropolitan Police Department's investigation of a copycat killer using John's modus operandi to test corrupt police officers.

Saw X

Set between the events of Saw and Saw II, the film sees John attempting to undergo an experimental Norwegian surgery to cure his brain cancer at the suggestion of a fellow member of his cancer support group, Henry Kessler (the same operation John had previously mentioned to William Easton in flashbacks during Saw VI.) John travels to Mexico City and has the operation performed by Cecilia Pederson and her medical team, only to learn that the whole operation was a scam when he returns with a bottle of tequila to thank them and finds the clinic they were operating out of completely empty with a video simulating his brain surgery operation playing on the TV. Enraged and vengeful over having his hope of survival ripped away from him, John seeks revenge against the scammers, starting with a cab driver named Diego who posed as his neurosurgeon during the operation. John abducts Diego during one of his shifts and interrogates him, learning the names of everyone involved before placing Diego in the pipe bomb trap which he ultimately survives.

John tells calls Mark Hoffman to get locations on Cecilia, Gabriela, Valentina and Mateo who are all abducted with the assistance of John's apprentice, Amanda Young. John holds them captive in the factory they were operating out of and tells them that they are all going to be tested for the wrongdoings of giving dying people hope only to rip it away from them and rob them of their life's savings. Glimpses of the disagreements Amanda and John would have throughout Saw III are shown here as Amanda refuses to test Gabriela after Valentina fails her test when she learns that Gabriela is also a drug addict and sympathizes with her as well as her disagreeing that Cecilia deserves a second chance due to how monstrous her crimes are. Before Mateo can be tested, the games are interrupted by the arrival of Parker Sears, who is angry over the scam and demands his money back from Cecilia. Parker is then caught by Amanda and tied up in the room upstairs where John instructs him to follow the rules and to use no guns, he is freed by John and Amanda after gaining their trust and showing his compliance to do what they say. After Mateo fails his test and Gabriela successfully passes her, Parker holds John and Amanda at gunpoint to go downstairs and free Cecilia, revealing himself to be Cecilia's lover and apart of the scam itself. Parker forces John into the trap meant for Cecilia (the bloodboarding trap) and forces Amanda to shackle herself. Cecilia then kills the suffering Gabriela in front of John and a hysterical Amanda despite his pleas to get her to a hospital, reveling in her victory over John which is even sweeter when she realized he is Jigsaw. Just as Cecilia and Parker are going to force Amanda into the trap with John, Carlos (the young son of a groundskeeper that John befriended after helping him fix his bicycle) is heard kicking a ball outside the factory and is captured by Cecilia, being forced into the trap alongside John even though he pleads for the boy's release as he is innocent and not apart of the games.

Carlos and John begin to play the bloodboarding trap where John instructs Carlos not to pull the lever on his side, instead pulling the lever so that he will be bloodboarded and spare Carlos though Carlos does temporarily pull the lever to save John in one instance. As the pair undergo the trap, Parker and Cecilia go upstairs in order to retrieve the money where Parker questions who was supposed to be on the other side of the plank with Cecilia if she was the last player remaining. Cecilia goes to grab the money bag which triggers a timer upstairs, revealing the upstairs room to be the actual trap meant for Cecilia and Parker. As Cecilia and Parker are trapped upstairs, John and Amanda release themselves and Carlos from the bindings. In flashbacks, it is revealed that John knew about Parker's involvement the entire time from his interrogation of Diego earlier and that Amanda placing Cecilia's cell phone on a cart in the middle of the room was bait for Cecilia to call Parker to the factory once the group thought nobody was watching as Hoffman had been unable to locate him. Cecilia and Parker's trap involves poison gas entering the room with only one hole for ventilation which means one person has to kill the other in order to survive. Cecilia ultimately kills Parker and wins the game, only able to watch as John gives all the money Cecilia received in the scam to Carlos as Amanda, John and Carlos leave the factory.

In a mid credits scene, John and Hoffman capture Henry and hang him up by his wrists in the infamous Saw bathroom with the disembowelment trap attached to his torso. John remarks that Henry's stomach scar he had shown him previously is gone, revealing him to also be apart of the con as well as the other person Hoffman mentioned locating during the flashbacks regarding Parker. Hoffman taunts Henry over his epic bad luck trying to cheat John as Henry pleads for John not to kill him. John remarks that that's the last thing Henry should worry about as the trap activates, leaving Henry's fate unknown as the credits resume.

Notes & Trivia

• The character of John Kramer was created by writer/director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell.

• John Kramer is unique from other cinematic killers in that he does not actually commit murders himself. At best, he may be considered a serial kidnapper, who places people in situations where there is a strong likelihood that they will kill themselves through self mutilation.

• John's first name was revealed in an early flashback scene in Saw where he is seen as a random patient of Doctor Lawrence Gordon. His surname is revealed in the first sequel Saw II.

Jigsaw's victims

Incomplete

• Cecil Adams - Knife trap; Survived when trap breaks but killed after falling into barb wire trap while attempting to attack Jigsaw.
• Logan Nelson - Bucket room trap; Survived after John removes him from the trap after initially failing and makes him a new apprentice.
• Mitch - Cycle trap; Deceased
• Ryan - Shotgun key trap; Deceased
• Paul Leahy - Barb wire trap; Deceased
• Amanda Young - Jaw-extension trap; Survived
• Lawrence Gordon - Ankle lock imprisonment; Survived
• Diego - Pipe bomb trap; Survived
• Valentina - Wire saw trap; Deceased
• Mateo - Brain surgery trap; Deceased
• Gabriela - Radiation trap; Survived (killed by Cecilia Pederson shortly after)
• Parker Sears - Gas chamber trap; Deceased (killed by Cecilia Pederson)
• Cecilia Pederson - Gas chamber trap; Survived
• Henry Kessler - Disembowelment trap; unknown
• Michael Marks - Death Mask trap; Deceased
• Obi Tate - Furnace trap; Deceased
• Laura Hunter - Nerve gas house trap; Deceased
• Addison Corday - Razor Box trap; Deceased
• Daniel Matthews - Nerve gas house trap; Survived
• Danica Scott - Freezer trap; Deceased
• Timothy Young - The Rack; Deceased
• Lynn Denlon - Shotgun Collar trap; Deceased

See also

Saw Saw films Saw pages

Saw characters Saw cast & crew Saw miscellaneous

References

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