Savages (B or 3/4 stars)
Chon (Taylor Kitsch) & Ben (Aaron Johnson) are marijuana developers/best buddies in 'Savages' (directed by Oliver Stone, JFK, Wall Street, Natural Born Killers). Chon is a passionate, yet cynical Navy SEAL/Afghanistan vet with deadly ex-military mercenary connections. His pal, Ben, on the other hand, is a soft-spoken UC Berkeley-educated botanist who follows Buddhist teachings & uses his share of the profits to fund overseas philanthropic enterprises. Both men are in love with beach-blonde rich girl, Ophelia (Blake Lively) ... and she is in love with them. See, the trio cohabitates in a state of unconventional domestic bliss, where threesomes happen regularly, & everything occurs through a haze of marijuana smoke.
Ben & Chon's high-potency weed is in great demand. Their Laguna Beach lifestyle is idyllic. That is until a Tijuana-based Cartel, led by crime lord Elena Sanchez (Salma Hayek), demands that the the duo partners with them. Elena sends her lawyer (Demian Bichir), to secure the deal. But after consulting with a corrupt D.E.A. agent (John Travolta), the duo decides to turn down the offer. Unwilling to let go of the lucrative opportunity, Elena unleashes her dogs; sending ruthless psychopath Lado (Benicio Del Toro) & his cohorts kidnap Ophelia! From here on out, Ben & Chon will have to debase themselves in order to get "O" back from the savages. But in doing so, they must become savages, themselves; abducting Elena's daughter to use as a pawn in a hostage-exchange plan. Craziness ensues.
'Savages' is a marijuana-fueled, down & dirty crime thriller that offers a watchable, if volatile blend of violence, gore, hysteria, & amorality. It's all a bit .... much. Really. Eccentric is a good word. Many of the characters are cartoonish. Some of the dialogue is truly atrocious (in a fun way). Some of the plot scenarios are 'out there'. The movie is never boring, although there are some narrative halts, here & there. The editing is flashy. The cinematography jumps from slick to black & white to grainy and back again. And that ending! See, Oliver Stone plays with his audience's expectations from the beginning of the movie until the end, 2(!) endings to be more precise. He keeps dropping hints about what's gonna happen & then plays games with the narrative based on those hints.
Thematically, 'Savages' shows how even the most laid-back men can be ruled by their primal instincts when circumstances dictate it. This film appeals to those looking for a visceral experience (rival drug dealers, corrupt law officials, abductions, murder, big $$, explosions, switches in allegiance, a Mexican standoff), and you're never sure how things are going to turn out in the end - it's very unpredictable. The operatic/black comedic ending may dissatisfy some viewers; viewed as either a smart case of misdirection (based on O's narration) or a cheat. I didn't really mind it. It is gratuitous, but also adds a bit of flair to the way the movie resolves. As for the script, it's hit & miss. And when it misses, it's fairly hilarious. i.e., O describes sex with Chon, "I have orgasms, he has war-gasms".
As Chon & Ben, Taylor Kitsch & Aaron Johnson are serviceable. Their full-on 'bromance' makes things ... interesting. Blake Lively is fine; though it's sometimes hard to accept that her Ophelia is the kind of sex kitten that would inspire Ben & Chon to do what they do to get her back. Salma Hayek gives us a juicy, over-the-top performance; and yet she's also able to earn our interest & empathy; even while committing horrific acts of villainry. Another scene-stealer is Benicio Del Toro; who is scarily good as sociopathic Lado. You can't tear your eyes from him or Hayek. 'Savages' stays afloat until it starts to overstay its welcome. But I like that Oliver Stone doesn't let anyone off easily. The movie is sexy, wonderfully grisly, refreshingly non-political and, well ... fun (in a trashy kind of way).
Ben & Chon's high-potency weed is in great demand. Their Laguna Beach lifestyle is idyllic. That is until a Tijuana-based Cartel, led by crime lord Elena Sanchez (Salma Hayek), demands that the the duo partners with them. Elena sends her lawyer (Demian Bichir), to secure the deal. But after consulting with a corrupt D.E.A. agent (John Travolta), the duo decides to turn down the offer. Unwilling to let go of the lucrative opportunity, Elena unleashes her dogs; sending ruthless psychopath Lado (Benicio Del Toro) & his cohorts kidnap Ophelia! From here on out, Ben & Chon will have to debase themselves in order to get "O" back from the savages. But in doing so, they must become savages, themselves; abducting Elena's daughter to use as a pawn in a hostage-exchange plan. Craziness ensues.
'Savages' is a marijuana-fueled, down & dirty crime thriller that offers a watchable, if volatile blend of violence, gore, hysteria, & amorality. It's all a bit .... much. Really. Eccentric is a good word. Many of the characters are cartoonish. Some of the dialogue is truly atrocious (in a fun way). Some of the plot scenarios are 'out there'. The movie is never boring, although there are some narrative halts, here & there. The editing is flashy. The cinematography jumps from slick to black & white to grainy and back again. And that ending! See, Oliver Stone plays with his audience's expectations from the beginning of the movie until the end, 2(!) endings to be more precise. He keeps dropping hints about what's gonna happen & then plays games with the narrative based on those hints.
Thematically, 'Savages' shows how even the most laid-back men can be ruled by their primal instincts when circumstances dictate it. This film appeals to those looking for a visceral experience (rival drug dealers, corrupt law officials, abductions, murder, big $$, explosions, switches in allegiance, a Mexican standoff), and you're never sure how things are going to turn out in the end - it's very unpredictable. The operatic/black comedic ending may dissatisfy some viewers; viewed as either a smart case of misdirection (based on O's narration) or a cheat. I didn't really mind it. It is gratuitous, but also adds a bit of flair to the way the movie resolves. As for the script, it's hit & miss. And when it misses, it's fairly hilarious. i.e., O describes sex with Chon, "I have orgasms, he has war-gasms".
As Chon & Ben, Taylor Kitsch & Aaron Johnson are serviceable. Their full-on 'bromance' makes things ... interesting. Blake Lively is fine; though it's sometimes hard to accept that her Ophelia is the kind of sex kitten that would inspire Ben & Chon to do what they do to get her back. Salma Hayek gives us a juicy, over-the-top performance; and yet she's also able to earn our interest & empathy; even while committing horrific acts of villainry. Another scene-stealer is Benicio Del Toro; who is scarily good as sociopathic Lado. You can't tear your eyes from him or Hayek. 'Savages' stays afloat until it starts to overstay its welcome. But I like that Oliver Stone doesn't let anyone off easily. The movie is sexy, wonderfully grisly, refreshingly non-political and, well ... fun (in a trashy kind of way).