Savages Movie Review

When it comes to a filmmaker with such a successful body of work as Oliver Stone, it is pretty safe to assume that almost any of his films are worth seeing.  However, that is not to say that the man has not made a couple of duds (*cough cough* Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps *cough*), but his films always seem to offer something that you won’t find anywhere else.  And Savages is no exception.

This drug crime thriller stars Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as two pot growers known for their high-grade product.  After the two refuse to go into the business with the Baja cartel, their girlfriend Ophelia (Yes, you read it right, they share a girlfriend), played by Blake Lively, is kidnapped, and the two will do whatever it takes to get their “O” back.  The film was directed by Stone and is based on the novel with the same name by Don Winslow.

As a drug crime movie, Savages is pretty solid.  It has some nail-biting suspense, gruesome violence, and a kidnapping aspect which adds to the thrilling and sometimes dramatic plot.  This film also offers a great ensemble cast.  The three leads each have their moments, but my favorite characters in the movie are those of Salma Hayek and John Travolta.  Hayek being the wealthy and beautiful yet lonesome queen of the cartel and Travolta as a crooked DEA agent.

Directing-wise Stone did a good job building suspense.  I was certainly sucked in.  Though, the ending is a little lengthy and the character struggles are not necessarily relate-able but are intriguing.  And the action sequences and savage violence (pun intended) has that classic Stone feel.

Here is my problem with the film…. This bizarre love triangle between Kitsch, Taylor-Johnson, and Lively was really hard for me to get past.  Basically, these two men have a relationship with the same woman.  They both know it, and they are both totally cool with it.  The situation is briefly explained in the beginning of the film but is still a very confusing concept to grasp, and it is certainly difficult to figure out who to root for.  I mean, it is as if the two botanists are supposed to both be one protagonist, but they are too individually flawed to really feel sympathy for either one.
 
Overall, I think that those who have enjoyed Stone’s other work, particularly Natural Born Killers, might find enjoyment in this one as well.  It does have its moments, though a slightly more realistic movie on the same subject might be more effective.

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