Oliver Stone directs this 131-minute crime thriller, based on the highly-acclaimed novel of the same name by Don Winslow. Young actors Taylor Kitsch (the idiot from "Battleship") and Aaron Johnson, play Chon and Ben, two young men who grow the best marijuana in California, and they both seem to have a noticing, two-timing relationship with a very gorgeous Blake Lively, at the same time. At one point, a Mexican cartel led by Salma Hayek, wants to end up working with these two. After they reject the offer, everything goes haywire after the cartel has decided to kidnap Blake Lively hostage, until they take the deal, but that won't stop these two from trying to rescue her. Sadly, a talented cast isn't enough to make anything terrific from this empty and formulaic thriller. Although decently directed by Oliver Stone, and has a bunch of impressive performances, "Savages" is not one of those insanely dark thrillers that I was expecting from the trailer, when instead is a bloated and routine story that kind of bored me for the most part. But there are plenty of positive aspects that make the film worth watching for the most part. The first two acts are somewhat decent, but Oliver Stone delivers his noticeable trademark of dark and graphic violence, gritty sex, and insanely disturbing torture scenes. But the one silver- lining of this movie is provided by three performances, from three professional actors in the supporting cast. First, Salma Hayek delivers an electrifying performance as the cartel leader, mixing her native Spanish language, with the already written English dialouge, making the best out of this material. Second, John Travolta sends off a wickedly funny role as the corrupt DEA agent, with no idea which side to choose. But, of course, Benicio del Toro brings a crazy and psychopathic performance, playing one of the scariest sick-heads to ever roam the planet. Watching these three actors perform on screen is always fun to watch. But as for the main ensemble, filled with the young actors, is nothing engaging. Although I will admit that Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson deliver decent-enough performances, I wasn't impressed with Blake Lively. Although she looked attractive, I bet that that was her only soul purpose. An uninteresting character aside, her delivery in narrating the film seems a bit too distracting, and mostly uncomfortable to listen. Some cheesy writing was involved, and Lively just went way too overboard with the material. Most moments in the plot felt a bit drawn out and unfinished, and there are times when it feels too routine, that you can actually spot the next plot point coming miles away. But what angered most audiences, especially myself, was not only the jumbled third act, but the film's conclusion left a major "let-down" to people who were expecting a bloody and intense conclusion, when we end up getting a bland one. Although there are great performances to be had, and some entertaining moments, I expected much more, but I was sadly disappointed! But, overall, for it's many flaws including a cluttered script, uninteresting main characters, and a bland finale, this film works when it succeeds, but fails when it doesn't. "Savages", in my review, "sadly unsatisfying, with forgettable thrills".
Review of Savages
