"Savages" is Oliver Stone the way we like him - gritty, sexy, and oh-so-violent. This film starts as a simple story of a laid-back crew of Southern Californian pot dealers, but develops into and all out warfare between them and notoriously ruthless Mexican drug cartels, fronted by a very mean Selma Hayek. This is a Hayek we have not seen before - so gritty and dirty, yet so beautiful and elegant. And who is Hayek's backup - the dirtier than ever Benicio del Toro - in a magnificent performance. Yet the gang still has their hopes with John Travolta, and he steals the show. Drama in every scene, nothing is predictable, a statement from Stone on living in Southern California, which could be anywhere, in this day and age. We are all subject to the whims of the world, as Stone proves, we are perhaps too connected, too much. The world is not a large place anymore, but a terrifyingly small area, where unscrupulous people create havoc. A great storyline, great acting, depth, drama - all top of the line. Do see this one, it is fresh and new, exciting, and will leave you breathless. The 'ultra- violence' of the Droogies in "Clockwork Orange" have nothing on Stone's vision of violence in this masterpiece.
Review of Savages
