Savages (I) (2012) User Reviews

Should have been a LOT better.

[tpaladino · 5/10 · 8 July 2012]

This was not a great movie. It could have been a great movie, but it was let down in two major ways.

First off, two of the three lead characters are awful. Blake Lively makes for good eye candy, but she just isn't a good actress. She's not bad in smaller supporting roles (like her part in The Town), but she simply cannot carry a lead. Unfortunately the entire film basically revolves around her (and she narrates), so her shortcomings are brought front and center. Every time her voice-over came on, I cringed. It really was not a good choice.

Taylor Kitsch is no better. Again... good eye candy, poor acting. Very poor acting. He just has no soul, and brings absolutely nothing to his character whatsoever. He should be in a brainless Fast & Furious movie playing opposite Vin Diesel, not an Oliver Stone drama.

The second major failure of this film is even more serious, and that is the story structure. We are never really given the opportunity to understand why the three lead characters (Chon, Ben and Ophelia) have such strong feelings for each other. We're told that they do, but never given any real reason to believe it. This is extremely important, because literally the entire premise of the film hangs on their relationship. If you're going to build a dramatic story around an unorthodox three- way relationship, you had better explain in more than one quick scene exactly how this relationship happened, otherwise the audience won't know why they should care about the characters. Especially when the actors portraying these characters aren't very good to begin with.

I know that I kept asking myself why these two guys share a girl, how they have absolutely zero jealousy, why they never once thought of double-crossing each other, and why either of them care so deeply for her -- to the point of being willing to risk their lives and commit horrible atrocities to save her. Where did all this love and loyalty come from? It was never adequately explained, and the entire movie suffers tremendously for it.

On a slightly more positive note, the veteran actors did a fine job. Benicio Del Toro was wonderful as a psychotic cartel underboss, John Travolta chewed the scenery to bits, and Salma Hayek was entirely believable in her role as well. Unfortunately, their competence only served to underscore the incompetence of the younger leads. It's telling that the best scene in the entire film was between Del Toro and Travolta, with none of the three lead actors anywhere to be found, and hinted at the promise this movie squandered.

A lot of reviews took issue with the violence portrayed in the film, but I didn't have a problem with that. You really can't make a movie about Mexican drug cartels without violence, so I didn't feel it was gratuitous. Unfortunately, however, it also didn't make the movie any more believable from a plot perspective.

Overall, I just don't think this was a very good film. I don't think that Stone felt entirely comfortable with what he was doing here, trying at times to be Tarantino but failing miserably. And likewise, I think that if this film had been in the hands of Tarantino or Robert Rodriguez, it likely would have come out much better, perhaps even great.

Good Action Movie

[nemisis_0 · 7/10 · 28 December 2013]

Reading the reviews i'm not sure why people were expecting this movie to be like an Oscar winner or something? Going in I wasn't expecting it to be an Oscar winner, if you were expecting this movie to be about a Mexican cartel and not have violence in it then you know zero about Mexican cartels and that is an understatement.

Funny thing was i was expecting this movie not to portray Mexican cartels in their real light, but after watching the movie, yup they are as ruthless as the movie portrays and glad Hollywood portrayed them like that instead of sugar coating the threat they pose to the world.

If you are looking for a violent action movie based on an American drug ring vs a Mexican cartel well you probably have one of the better movies when it comes to that. If you are looking for gone with the wind, sound of the music or something like that best look else where. Me, I highly enjoyed the movie, it delivered better than i thought it was going to deliver. People will complain about the violence but again this is about a Mexican cartel, not the boy scouts. There is nothing i hate more than a movie that isn't true to it's roots, but this movie stays true to what Mexican cartels are all about when it comes to business.

A well made film that shoots itself in the foot

[wewatchedamovie1 · 6/10 · 29 August 2012]

Best friends Chon (Kitsch) and Ben (Johnson) are genius pot dealers in Laguna. One of them is more of a "save the universe" type guy and holds a degree in Business and Botany. Yes, pot heads in High Schools everywhere just rejoiced "It's a real thing!" and the other one, suffering from anger issues stemming from tours in Iraq takes care of the "beating the crap out of people when necessary" aspect. Oh yeah, they also share a girlfriend. (Awkward right?), her name is O (Lively). No really it is I swear. Anyways, moving on because we have to, these two guys have made some of the best pot known to man and have made millions from it. (Still can't find their own girlfriend though, just saying). Everything is going great as they take turns with their shared girlfriend (still weird) in their huge beach house when the Mexican drug cartel decides they want to be partners. This actually stands for "We own you now and you know you like it." Ben and Chon don't really feel like being De-decapitated so they decide to make a go of living in a jungle somewhere until Elena (Hayeck) the ruthless lady leader of the cartel has O kidnapped.

So are you over the fact that our two heroes share a girl yet? OK good, because I'm not either. This is one of those films that can only be enjoyed if you can let go of a few things. The whole film is narrated by O in her stoned and lazy version of her "OMG you guys I am so high right now" voice. She is a lot like her role in The Town only without the Boston accent. She is really annoying as a character and it's kind of hard to feel bad for her much less root for her. This is one of the things you have to let go of to enjoy the film. Ben and Chon worked well because they are the exact opposite to one another yet somehow have the respect for each-other to get along despite their constant different point of views. Kill everybody or run away. Ben was almost as annoying as O because he was always whining and psycho-analyzing everything. I found Chon to be my favorite of the three because he seemed to be the only one who just wanted to actually get things done and blow up some stuff while everyone else talked and talked some more.

Villains make films though and despite the awkwardness and UN-likability of some of the lead roles the bad guys were sinister, relentless and kind of funny at times. One interaction between Elena's ruthless right hand man Lado (Del Toro) and out for himself FBI agent Dennis (Travolta) in particular was tense and humorous at the same time. Travolta was surprisingly great in this film as he looked like his old self and I was pleased to see he had a larger part in the film than anticipated. Elena had a well written back story as well as the bad guys, while certainly crude enough to hate were interesting enough to steal the flick.

Savages UN-intentionally gives us no-one to root for and may even get on your nerves for a moment or two with its anything goes mentality. There is no doubt however, that it has some great action sequences, well written dialog (minus a few horrendous lines by O's character), strong acting by a strong cast and is an all-around well-made film all the way up until it's absolutely dreadful crash and burn of an ending. I won't give anything away here but let's just say this ending is a problem. It felt as though the Director had a decent ending for a good film but wanted some attention so badly that he was willing to ruin his own movie to do so. You don't always have to be edgy and cute. Sometimes playing things straight up is what's best.

more flash than substance

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 25 August 2013]

Chon (Taylor Kitsch) and Ben (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) coexist in a drug filled love triangle with O (Blake Lively). They become successful high grade weed dealers north of the border. Their lives get complicated when the Mexican Baja Cartel leader Elena (Salma Hayek) muscles in on their business.

Oliver Stone is putting all his skills into making a flashy crime action. But it just seem more flash than substance. Mind you, I appreciate the flash. There isn't anything original to the story. Certainly Oliver Stone has done better. Yep, there is definitely better Oliver Stone works out there.

A violent crime thriller that manages to entertain despite its flaws.

[khanbaliq2 · 7/10 · 3 December 2013]

I got a kick out of reading the popular Hated It reviews about Savages. It's all very funny. It's the same with some other films that Oliver Stone made in recent years. But is Savages really that bad? In my opinion it's not that bad. It's a fine film actually. But its flaws can be irritating. When I began watching the film I wondered if I turned on a dirty movie. But no. That was just Chon (Taylor Kitsch) and Ophelia (Blake Lively) having their special time. Maybe it's not that special because later Ophelia has the same time with Ben (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). I hope Stone included these scenes just to show that these three are very close. Fine. A little later though viewers are treated to what passes as a commercial promoting the use of marijuana. Fine. The three lead actors show little range throughout the film. But I didn't think that this was a problem because it keeps the film entertaining instead of too dramatic. It's entertaining but it's not easy to watch sometimes. It's a simplified, glossy, watered-down and often violent representation of the War on Drugs and Mexican drug dealing. The Mexican Drug War is still ongoing and several dozen thousand people have been killed because of it. For anyone who doesn't know I'll mention that the war is just a result of America's economic policies. So-called free trade drove millions of Mexicans out of work and into poverty and crime. On the other side of the world, in Afghanistan, the Americans and the British have deliberately increased opium production for export to neighboring countries, especially to Russia. Genocide as a result of drug use and drug trafficking is an old British trick that goes back centuries. It's an interesting topic but I don't pay much attention to it. Savages is kind of a peek inside, though it doesn't get into the seriousness of the issue. Even if Kitsch, Johnson, and Lively aren't sympathetic leads the film still has memorable performances from Salma Hayek, Benicio del Toro and John Travolta. The screenplay by Shane Salerno, Don Winslow and Stone can be considered a cheat. It doesn't just raise a question mark at the very beginning of the film, which I didn't like. It also tarnishes the ending. I would have just preferred the upbeat version without the downbeat version. But, like I mentioned, it's an entertaining film that does have something to say. Its running time is a little over two hours, however the time goes by fast. For me Savages turned out to be an engaging film. Dan Mindel's appealing cinematography is a benefit too. I didn't think that I'd like it when I saw the trailer, but it's a well-directed crime thriller. I recommend it.

entertaining enough to be worth watching but the 2 guys were like cardboard and i hate to say it but Blake Lively is terrible in it .

[mbs · 6/10 · 23 August 2012]

It was OK enough---it was definitely well directed--but the film would've benefited a lot from three better actors in the central roles. Don't get me wrong--its not that Taylor Kitch or Aaron Johnson aren't decent enough--both play their roles with exactly the same kind of stiffness that i guess suit their characters' circumstance but neither really add anything beyond what the screenplay has already provided them.. like if this were made say 10-15 years ago and you'd of had Steve Zhan and Ben Affleck in it i'm not saying it would've been batter but the two of them would've made you care for what might happen to the main characters a bit more i feel like. I'd rather not get into the lack of any kind of convincing emoting from Blake Lively here--- (She's supposed to be afraid for her life here--and somehow its like she's barely miffed---its as if instead of her life that's being threatened its her wi-fi connection.) having read the book this was based on--the character O in the story was a lot more resourceful and a lot more crazy then Blake Lively ever suggests in the two hours of running time---would that they had cast literally anybody else in her part,just off the top of my head would Lauren Ambrose from six feet under have been considered too old??? would Krysten Ritter??? would Kirsten Bell?? hell Alexis Bidel might of been able to pull this off better (and as much as i love Rory Gilmore emoting was never exactly her strong suit) at least Blake Lively's narrating was OK...i just really wish they could've found someone who could have really put this movie over the top here. God again if this was made like 10-15 years ago--imagine what a younger Juliette Lewis or a younger Illeana Douglas could've done with this.

That's really all i actually wanted to say cause everything else was fine enough--i was kind of expecting it to be more over the top if anything given that its Oliver St one's first crime film in a little while but its definitely over the top enough to satisfy anyone looking for an over the top crime movie. Its good enough that it overcomes the somewhat major obstacles in its path to keep you watching and keep you entertained but again with a little different casting--this could of been first rate.

Violent film about a peculiar trio , including action-packed , drama , glowing cinematography and uninhibited performances

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 28 October 2013]

Entrepreneurs Ben (Aaron Taylor , though Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Garrett Hedlund and James Franco were considered to play him) , a peaceful and charitable marijuana producer, and friend Chon (Taylor Kitsch received training from real Navy SEALs as a part of his preparation and he performed his own stunts) , a former Navy SEAL, run a lucrative, homegrown industry - raising some of the best weed ever developed. They also share a one-of-a-kind love with Ophelia (Jennifer Lawrence was originally cast as O but she pulled out ,Blake Lively was subsequently selected , Director Stone instructed her to take firearm training for her role ; despite not being experienced at the gun range, she hit center mass in her first three shots) . Life is idyllic in their Southern California town... until the Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in and demands that the trio partners with them. When the merciless head of the BC, Elena (Michelle Rodriguez and Zoë Saldaña were considered for the role as Elena, but Salma Hayek got the role instead) and her enforcer, Lado (Benicio Del Toro) , underestimate the unbreakable bond of the three friends, Ben and Chon - with the reluctant assistance of a dirty DEA agent - wage a seemingly unwinnable war against the cartel. And so begins a series of increasingly vicious ploys and maneuvers in a high stakes, savage battle of wills.

This thrilling film contains noisy action , lots of violence , sexual scenes , plot twists and unpleasant characters . Acceptable protagonist trio , Taylor Kitsch as Chon , a violent and tough ex-Navy SEAl , a gorgeous Blake Lively and the best acting is given by Aaron Taylor-Johnson as a sensitive young who turns into violent one to save his girl . Good support cast plenty of nasty , ominous villains well played by Mexican actors such as Demian Bichir , Benicio Del Toro , Antonio Jaramillo , Joaquin Cosio , though bear offensive racial stereotypes . Special mention to Salma Hayek , whose character of Elena is loosely based on Mireya Moreno Carreon who's known to be the first Mexican female boss cartel . Colorful cinematography by Daniel Mindel , this is Oliver Stone's first film in nearly 17 years to be photographed with Panavision anamorphic lenses . Adequate and lively musical score by Adam Peters .

The motion picture was well directed by Oliver Stone , though includes excessive violence , sexual scenes and unpleasant issues . Stone appears in a cameo as a dancer on the France cardboard skit . Oliver Stone began working on the screenplay adaptation before the book was published . So confidant he was of this story that he himself contributed to investing in the project . ¨Savages¨ is realized in frenetic style and fast-pace , similarly other Stone hits such as ¨Natural born killers¨ or ¨U turn¨ . Oliver Stone is a good professional , though usually panned by mostly critics , nowadays is best considered . Stone returning from the Vietnam war did his first film , it was a student film entitled Last Year in Viet Nam (1971), followed by the gritty horror film Seizure (1974) for which he also wrote the screenplay . The next seven years saw him direct two films: Mad Man of Martinique (1979) and this The Hand (1981) . He also wrote many screenplays for films such as Midnight express (1978), Conan (1982), and Scarface (1983). Stone won his first Oscar for Midnight express (1978), but his fame was just beginning to show .

A good thriller that delivers

[jij98111 · 8/10 · 5 December 2012]

In reading some of the very negative reviews posted here, I sensed that some of those writers were more interested In Oliver Stone then the actual contents of the movie. I am not such a great fan of Oliver Stone and thought Wall Street 2 was not well done. Savages, on the other hand, was quite close to the book, gritty, and well done. If you have a problem with the portrayal of Seals or the realism of the scenarios then lay the blame on the book not Mr. Stone. Some of the scenes were certainly quite gory, an increasingly common occurrence in many films these days. So if that turns you off then don't watch the movie. On the other hand if you want to see a good thriller that will keep you entertained and are comfortable with the topic area, drug dealing and violence, then by all means see this movie and do not be put off by the any bad reviews.

As for the ending, it was changed from the book and I think for the better. That's my personal opinion and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, despite my dislike for Mr. Stone.

Unoriginal but entertaining.

[funtasticfour · 7/10 · 1 July 2018]

The story here is ok, but the cast is pretty good. Everything feels good- action, scenery and sound. But nothing is special about it. And who in their right mind would share Blake Lively? There were two endings, and I believe I preferred the first one because it fit the tone and title better.

A painful watch

[michaeldally · 1/10 · 26 July 2020]

As soon as she said 'war-gasms' I should have turned it off as I knew no good would come from this film.

But I didn't. Despite my better judgment I sat through the whole thing.

They clearly thought the title sounded cool and then had to figure out a segway for Blake to explain it in the tedious narration.

The only saving grace was the ending, which they chickened out of in favour of a lame one, but kept both just to rub salt into the wound.

Im sad it was made and I'm sad I didn't turn it off sooner.

I'm off to kick a tree stump

One of my new favorite movies. I don't understand all the negative reviews

[kwalt1989 · 10/10 · 15 August 2013]

I honestly feel like this movie's rating should be way higher than what it is. I thought that the movie was incredible and is definitely one that kept me on the edge of my seat! From the beginning, you get great character knowledge and some back story as to where things are going in the story. The plot line is just amazing! I loved the whole inside look at legal marijuana in California as well as the Mexican cartel portion. Some parts of this movie were absolutely terrifying! And some were quite heart warming.. Overall, it was just a great mix that really kept me entertained the entire way through! I've always been an Oliver Stone junky and he really nailed this one to the wall. I created an account just because I looked up this movie and saw that it's rating was under a 7! The problem with IMDb is right here, people writing their opinions unknowingly persuading someone else to not go out and see an awesome movie. People - if you haven't seen this, it is definitely worth your time and money, at the very least, you will be entertained. With all of the new movies coming out and worthless remakes appearing everywhere, this movie restored some of my faith in Hollywood. Lastly, I thought the cast was brilliant! Really liked John Travolta and Benicio Del Toro's rolls in this! Please don't let the bad reviews fool you, this movie is fantastic and a MUST-SEE!

Entertaining, If A Bit Lackluster

[cadillac20 · 6/10 · 6 July 2012]

Oh, Oliver Stone. There was a time when Stone was a gigantic name in cinema. When a Stone movie came out, you knew what your were getting. But in the past several years since Any Given Sunday, things have changed. Where a new Stone film was something of an event, Stone being one of only a couple handfuls of directors who were really recognized in major cinemas, now we get films from the director that are fairly forgettable. Alexander, World Trade Center, W., Wall Street 2. These films all have one thing in common: mediocrity. Sadly, Savages can get added to that list. Now don't get me wrong, it's an entertaining film, but it's also wholly forgettable.

Firstly, I will say that Stone is still a master of the craft. Savages is directed with purpose and Stone brings out the best in his actors. But it's the story he's working with that never really shines. The film feels a bit slow. There's never any real tension involved, even if it isn't all that predictable. When we expect that there should be more action, the film barely has any. When we expect that we should anticipate more envelope pushing, the film shy's away. Where I expected to wince, grip the edge of my seat, and wait in anticipation of the next event, I found myself somewhat lulled by the lack of anticipation and tension. It really just does not exist, which is sad, because this is a film that had a lot of potential to be very exciting.

Now, I realize this is based on a novel, and having not read it, it's possible the film plays out the way the novel does. And we certainly get some great scenes and actors out of this. Our leads are likable, particularly Ben. Yes, they're criminals, but you never really feel like they're trying to do any real evil. In fact, Ben is such a likable guy that when you see what he inevitably has to do, you don't want him to make those choices, even when he has to make them. Chon is played almost polar opposite, and it works just as well. Even though he's cold and brutal, he's still likable in his loyalty to his friends and his realism. He's not the nice guy Ben is, but he's definitely the second half you know both Ben and O need. I'll get to O in a minute, but both Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch, two of the three youngest of the cast do a respectable job in their characters and are enjoyable to watch as they feel like a real family, much less friends. The rest of the cast bring their A game, with Travolta playing a dirty cop and Benecio Del Toro playing up his brutal, yet laid back enforcer. However, the truly shining star here is Salma Hayek, who gets the best character. Hayek's Elena is the most well rounded character, showing the sides of a brutal crime lord, a woman who still seems like she needs to prove herself while being surrounded by men, and a vulnerable mother who both wants a relationship with her estranged daughter, yet is proud to see her shun the family business and build a life of her own. It's a complicated role and Hayek excels in it.

This brings me to the one, glaring issue: O. Now, I like this character to an extent. As played by Blake Lively, she is a great anchor between the two lead males. However, she plays the character so inconsistently that I couldn't really get behind her. For one thing, throughout the entire film, we had to listen to her monologue and voice over the events going on. I don't mind a little narration here and there, but there's far too much and none of it is all that fantastically written. O is also an inconsistent character. She seems fairly level and grounded early on, but once she's kidnapped, we find her a whiny, rich brat making demands. She also seems to accept her situation a little too graciously. Of course, she's also treated with quite a bit of hospitality. Now, I don't know what other people's idea of the Mexican Cartel is, but the civility demonstrated here is not nearly as brutal or frightening as I'd expect it to be, especially in a film called Savages.

Of course, the worst criminal here is the story. Now, throughout it's decent. It's entertaining and there are a few, scattered exciting moments, but for the most part, it lacks tension or suspense. This is a film about the Mexican Cartel. The Cartel is one of the most ruthless criminal organizations operating on the continent today. And yet, I never truly felt our characters were in real danger. I was never entirely that scared for them and even Del Toro, who is certainly intimidating, comes off as vulnerable. I like Chon and Ben, but I don't really buy that they would have the kind of sway they had with the Cartel and I feel like there could have been a lot more tension involved here. There's also one massive issue in the final 15-10 minutes. I won't spoil it here, but suffice to say, it's a massive eye roller and it really does sour the entire experience a bit. It's not the deal breaker I think a lot of people have made it to be, but it is fairly glaring and really unnecessary.

Please, just make the voice-over stop

[mattbaxter72 · 3/10 · 25 September 2012]

There are many bad things about this movie, but let's list the good things first. The plot makes sense, kind of. It's nicely shot, and the beach looked pretty. And... I guess John Travolta looked as though he was having fun? Which is more than I could say for the poor buggers who had to sit through this mess.

Your two leads, ladies and gentlemen, are Aaron Johnson, last seen being upstaged by a preteen girl, and Taylor Kitsch, who Hollywood keeps casting as the lead in blockbusters which then tank spectacularly at the box office. You know why that is, Hollywood? It's because Taylor Kitsch has no charisma. None. The furniture was more interesting than he was, and had more emotional range. Even he's better than Johnson, a black hole of tedium from which nothing interesting can escape. These are two of the blandest leads I've ever seen, and I've seen movies that starred rappers.

But dear God in heaven, they are much, much better than Blake Lively. I haven't seen much else of her acting, so I can only think she can do much better than this. But here she's playing a 30-year-old ingénue, a woman-child who knows Shakespeare but doesn't know what 'savages' means. She's meant to be sexy and alluring, but she comes across as so boundlessly stupid that no man could seriously find her attractive. I don't think that's her fault, but the no-nudity clause that made the sex scenes in this movie so absurd? Yeah, that was her fault.

Even that isn't the worst. There's still... that voice-over. The narration that infests this whole movie, but especially the early scenes, is some of the worst writing I've ever heard. 'I had orgasms, he had wargasms' is a phrase that will live with me until I die. And now, even if you haven't seen the movie, it'll haunt your nightmares, too. You're welcome.

Entertaining Adventure

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 5 July 2013]

In California, the former Navy SEAL Chon (Taylor Kitsch) and his best friend, the peaceful botanist Ben (Aaron Johnson) are successful entrepreneurs producing and dealing high-quality weed. Chon brought seeds from Afghanistan and Ben used his knowledge to develop the best marijuana in the country. Chon and Ben share the pothead lover Ophelia (Blake Lively) and she loves both of them since they complete each other - Chon is a powerful and strong lover and Ben is a sensible and loving lover.

Their comfortable life changes when the Mexican Baja Cartel demands a partnership in their business. Chon and Ben refused the deal and the leader of the cartel Elena (Salma Hayek) sends her right-arm in America, Lado (Benicio Del Toro), to abduct Ophelia to press the American drug dealers. Chon and Bend ask the support of the dirty DEA Agent Dennis (John Travolta) and get inside information to begin a secret war against the Baja Cartel to release Ophelia.

"Savages" is an entertaining adventure about a war between drug dealers. The plot is a sort joke with the modernization of "Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid", with two charming drug dealers and one gorgeous mistress. Inclusive there is a reference to this movie when O is talking to Chen and Ben after a threesome. And maybe this is the greatest flaw of the plot, with apology for drugs and giving glamor to two drug dealers and one promiscuous woman. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Selvagens" ("Savages")

Love triangles are always a hard sell, but you may like it.

[JohnRayPeterson · 7/10 · 13 November 2012]

Love triangles are always a hard sell, but you may like it; I can say I managed to get past the hang-up I have with the idea, though I did like the sex scenes with Blake Lively. There are no real good guys in this movie, unless you romanticize drug dealers. If you do, then the movie to see is the 2001 movie Blow with Johnny Depp; I've seen just about all the drug dealing based movies and few come close to it. Getting back to Savages, I have to say that despite a not so original scenario, the movie keeps the pace upbeat enough and has sufficiently interesting scenes to garner a slightly better than average rating (by average I mean a 6).

I watched it to the end and to be honest, it was because Benicio Del Toro played a supporting role. For some reason, I watch all the movies he plays in even if half have been a disappointment; the good ones seem to make up for the bad ones. I have nothing much to say about Travolta anymore, not until he starts acting; he hasn't since Primary Colors, though he's had a bunch of terrific parts that made him look good. In this movie, you may realize that Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Taylor Kitsch who play the two lead men are talented enough. I recommend it if have the time and watch an inordinate number of movies; if you don't, you can skip it.

Less Action More Soap Opera

[rgkarim · 7/10 · 7 July 2012]

Another weekend, another set of movies to review and this time I'm starting with the latest "action" flick to grace the theaters. The movie I'm talking about is Savages, which stars Taylor Kitsch as Chon, Aaron Johnson as Ben, and Blake Lively as O, who are three lovers involved in an odd romantic situation. Perhaps what is even more unique about their lives is the business the three of them work in, which is none other than making illegal drugs to sell to various people in California. Although life seems to be great for the trio, and fairly hippy like, a wrench gets thrown into their gears when a big time drug cartel led by Elena (Salma Hayek). O's two lovers then decide they must do everything in their power to rescue her, or die trying as they set out into the drug underworld.

Now if you're like me and you saw the trailers, this movie was made to look like an Army of Two tribute where two guys go in and overthrow Hispanic drug lords. Unfortunately I was fooled by the trailers yet again, since this movie is more a soap opera than anything else. Yes my friends those looking for shoot them up action are going to be disappointed as the only action in this movie comes from a couple of sniper shots, and few explosive blasts that look like something a teenage Michael Bay would dream up. The movie instead decided to swap the action with bloody torture scenes instead, which were a little grueling to watch as they really left no bloody details out. Now many might be ready for blood since the modern horror movie movement has desensitized most audience members. Unlike those movies though, the blood and dismemberment looks real and isn't a result of some cheesy, imaginary kill that takes away from the fake blood. There are also a few graphic rape scenes/sex scenes the crew was happy to show, which were a little more uncomfortable for this reviewer.

Although a key aspect of this movie is torture and blood, there are some other features to this movie that are worth mentioning. For one thing the acting for most of the cast was excellent, most of them capturing the emotions and mannerisms of their characters. Kitsch for instance captures the soulless, ruthless, outlaw type of a soldier returning from war. Using his pent up emotions to drive his actions, Kitsch played the cold blooded hunter ready to take any steps to obtaining his price. Unlike John Carter though, most of his scenes involve him wearing a shirt, so sorry ladies you'll have to make due. Helping to counterbalance the aggressive fighter is Ben the negotiator, whose morals for making drugs are noble and admirable. Johnson had the right characteristics for the part; the calm eyes, the mellow persona, and the nervous energy during crucial decision were all well combined to give his character a conscience. Like the chemistry in X-men first class, Kitsch and Johnson are another dynamic duo that work well together to create tension and suspense in the scenes. As for Lively, well this role was a little more mellow and drug dependent for me, as her poetic lines and sullen mood were a little bland for my tastes. As for playing the victim, well she did a decent job playing a victim on the brink of giving up hope, yet at times she was a little one dimensional for a character. The bad guys however were actually well designed and crafted to help drive the plot and bring the audience's hatred to a boil. Lado (Benicio Del Toro) in particular was a villain who had the look and actions worthy of an enforcer, yet also had another side that gave his character a twisted edge that made him even deadlier.

The character development was not the only thing that was well done. For me, the drug underworld was brought to life in this movie in both setting and storyline. The seedy nature and treacherous faces of the cartel were integrated and portrayed to show just how fragile the trust between members is. At any point you wonder who the heads are going to kill next, or wonder what means they are willing to take to get their goals. Like a chess match between two champions, the strategy and resourcefulness of the parties involved is realistically portrayed, though sometimes overstretched, to help keep the power struggle interesting. Yet, with this realism comes some graphic and heartbreaking kills that can take its toll on your emotions. Numerous shots to the head, various characters killed without remorse, and a soulless execution of savage acts gets a little old and tedious as the movie goes on. If the ending had been stronger and a little less vague, perhaps this violent killing over illegal drugs would have been a little more tolerable. Yet, the monologue at the end leaves the movie open for another sequel, and left me a little disappointed.

Savages is definitely a movie that lives up to its title with its bloody tortures, shots to the head, and emotionless threatening games. The glorification of the synthesis and selling of illegal drugs for the right reasons is also a little disturbing to see. However, the great character development, setting, and portrayal of a drug cartel are definite strengths of this movie. As a result, my scores for this movie are the following: Crime/Drama/Thriller: 8.0 Movie Overall: 6.0 My suggestion, rent it and avoid the theater as there are no special effects or story lines that make it worth a trip to theater. So until next time my friends enjoy the movies and as always leave feedback to help me get better.

Not as bad as people are saying

[pdmaynooth · 6/10 · 4 May 2019]

It doesn't quite live up to Don Winslow's original work but it's not bad and is an entertaining watch . I enjoyed it.

Your wives and your children

[nogodnomasters · 8/10 · 17 January 2018]

Chon (Taylor Kitsch) is an ex-Navy SEAL. He grows some fine pot with his close friend and botanist Ben (Aaron Johnson). They share a girlfriend in Ophelia (Blake Lively) who fills in the plot points with narration and claims just because she is telling the story doesn't mean she will be alive at the end. I found her story telling irritating at times.

As fate would have it, the evil Mexican cartel wants to combine businesses. Our guys tell them, they want out, and they can have the whole thing. The Mexicans didn't like that answer. In order to ensure cooperation the cartel kidnaps Ophelia as the guys form a rescue plan. Ben must quickly learn to kill without the aid of any training or a music montage. Our heroes must walk a fine line between disrupting the cartel while working for them.

I liked Oliver Stone more when he made his historical films with a "truthiness" aspect to them. Now he thinks he is Tarantino. The film was certainly watchable and made very well. I believe it was beneath Stone to have done the film. The ending I thought was a mess and needed better developing...but at the same time if Tarantino did it, it would be genius. This is a love it or hate it type of film. I will take the middle ground.

PARENTAL GUIDE: F-bombs, sex, nudity, brief rape, torture.

Savages- loved the book, CONTAINS SPOILERS

[kellvall · 13 July 2012]

I loved this book so much so I knew I was going to have to be forgiving. However, I was a little disappointed by the casting of Blake Lively because she seems to old and is definitely too tall to play O. But I feel that she still could have captured the character- the direction of Oliver Stone prevented that.

O is a fun-loving young lady who doesn't take anything seriously, not even during the first part of her kidnapping- she wants her own reality show. In the movie she is melancholy and the music is too. The book is hip and fun- what the hell was with the opera music. This story is not an epic drama-it's more like Chon should have been the narrator if there had to be one. This book has a matter-of-fact tone to it. The only character the reader really has sympathy for is the young kid in charge of O during the kidnapping.

Don't get me started on the ending. Two separate endings? Why? The whole point of the book is that it's either all 3 or none- there was never any other option.

With all of that said, I thought Salma Hayek was amazing and that the other actors did what they could with the tone they were given by Stone. Still glad I saw it.

Who is this Oliver Stone?

[bowmanblue · 6/10 · 23 March 2015]

I know of acclaimed director, Oliver Stone, who released one stylish, deep-thinking, gritty classic film after another. Now, we find that someone else has only gone and stolen his name and is releasing films, pretending to be him... oh, wait, my mistake - it IS Oliver Stone.

Perhaps, Oliver Stone has suffered a nasty knock to the head recently and been duped into taking on this film when he wasn't thinking straight? Or maybe he was kidnapped by aliens and replaced with an identical clone who makes this sort of movie. Either way, it's hard to believe that the man who made Platoon, JFK and Natural Born Killers would stoop so low. Actually, that's unfair. If you're into gangster-type films and you just so happened to watch this, you may think it wasn't that bad. Nothing brilliant, but certainly not rubbish. And you'd be right. However, it's an OLIVER STONE film, therefore with that sort of quality name attached to it, you just expect much more.

It's about a trio of drug dealers (two men and one woman), all of which are 'in love.' Then, one day their threesomes are interrupted by a nasty ol' Mexican cartel demanding they take over their business. Then, to make matters worse, the Cartel Cliché only go and kidnap the two guys' girl, leaving them with no one for their ménage a trois. Therefore, they have to go on a rampage to get her back.

Now, this set-up leaves us with some awkward questions. First of all the three 'heroes' are all drug dealers. They live a carefree and lavish lifestyle and it's hard to give a damn whether they get completely wiped out by the Mexicans or not. Secondly, the girl (or Blake Lively) is possibly the most annoying on-screen character this side of Jar Jar Binks. The whole first half hour of the film is taken up with her voice-over, making her come across as a voice in your head which just won't go away. Then, even when she does get kidnapped, she starts complaining about the accommodation and food the drug dealers are offering. Seriously... if I was those two guys I would have placed an add for a new threesome partner online and left her to the Mexicans a long time ago!

Plus the film is long. It tries to be epic, but it does drag in places. Then you have John Travolta, popping up occasionally to majorly overact. To counter this you have the - normally excellent - Benicio Del Toro coming across as if he's half asleep.

Don't get me wrong, the film isn't bad. There are a few cool scenes to make you sit up and take notice, but the whole package just seems a bit underdeveloped and not worthy of Oliver Stone's name.

If you really like gangster/drug deal films, then give it a go - you might like it. But, a lot of criticism has been poured on its ending. I won't give anything away, but I'll certainly say it's novel. You'll either love it or hate it.

Truly awful...Oliver Stone what happened to you?

[erikjaded-417-840635 · 1/10 · 7 July 2012]

I went to see 'Savages' today with a friend. The movie was truly a pathetic waste of celluloid and talent. The script seems to have been written with a crayon.

Benicio del Toro and Selma Hayek are capable of much better than this dreck. Blake Lively was horribly weak and miscast as a poor little rich girl who is in love with two professional pot growers in California. The two guys live and share her with each other, all like a big happy family. Ridiculous.

The only thing even remotely reminiscent of Oliver Stone's finer works is the realistic graphic violence (Platoon, Natural Born Killers). Unfortunately the violence is ham- handed and boring.

SPOILER:

At the very beginning of the movie the two protagonist pot-growing-buddies receive a video message warning from the South American cartel headed by Selma Hayek's character. The video is so shocking, so disturbingly violent, that how the main characters react to it is completely non-believable. Attached to the video is a place and time the cartel wants to meet the expert growing duo the next day to force them into a contract with the cartel.---Any normal person receiving this video warning would disappear/pack up and flea immediately. But no, instead the guys chill out, smoke pot, and have sex until the next day as if their lives aren't in mortal danger...this is just one of the major weaknesses in the plot.

Emile Hirsch is completely underused as a bicycling expert computer hacker who is capable of hacking into the credit card companies and international bank accounts of the cartel; he would have been better cast as one of the two main male characters.

John Travolta phones in a lackluster performance as a crooked DEA agent who just happens to have a wife dying from cancer. Whenever he brings her up (we never see her) he is always lighthearted and smiling; he might as well be discussing his golf handicap...

The ending seems to have been decided "by committee." Seems like the studio couldn't figure out how the movie should end so they give us two endings; the film literally rewinds and shows the second, alternate ending....just pathetically bad. There were audible groans from the audience...

The movie is 2 hours 15 minutes; could have been trimmed by a half hour or more...

The plot is a train wreck; Oliver Stone said in a recent interview about the film that the book this is based on had 120 different scenes; he trimmed that down to 30. He said he was more inspired by rather than actually trying for a faithful adaption. This is a real tragedy and the movie suffers for it. Mr. Stone basically was too lazy to get it right; this movie could have been a classic like the Pacino/De Niro masterpiece, Heat. This is too bad as the source book material for 'Savages' is highly regarded.

Truly a bad, poorly written movie. Stupid and logic-defying.

I was excited to see this; I was hoping for a Pulp Fiction/Natural Born Killers vibe (that's what the preview falsely promises).

This is Oliver Stone's low point; he can only go up from here. Please don't waste your time, energy, or money on this bloated, overlong, waste of talent, piece of crap. A true raspberry. Insulting to fans that have come to expect realistic and compelling films from Mr. Stone.

There are lapses in logic within this film that are worse than cheap 'Friday the 13th' films; things that no rational human being who values their safety/life would ever do. And this is inexcusable as this movie portends to be a serious and realistic tale. 'Lethal Weapon' is more plausible. So is 'The Dark Knight.'

'Savages' plays like a cheap, second-tier comic book of a film. Putrid and sad.

On a positive note, my friend and I had a pretty entertaining discussion on the way home from the theater discussing the colossal absurdity of what we had just sat through...I wish I could say 'this movie was so bad it's good.' Unfortunately it's just plain BAD. Very disappointing.

Stylish, entertaining, but gritty Oliver Stone thriller

[Screen_Blitz · 8/10 · 14 October 2015]

Oliver Stone, the amazing director behind the Vietnam War flicks Platoon (1986), Born on The Fourth of July (1989), and Heaven & Earth (1993), makes a credible return on his dark, gritty film style with this violent, grim crime-thriller showing a bleak portrayal of international drug exchanging set on the sun-soaked side of southern California. Aaron Johnson plays Ben, a soft and peace-loving entrepreneur who owns a pot-growing business, selling some of best marijuana in the world, with his best friend Chon (played by Taylor Kitsch), a former NAVY seal veteran with a less merciful and more ruthless character who is often involved in violent confrontations against drug lords, unlike Ben prefers to live a life without violence and brutality. These two share a smoking, hot girlfriend named O a.k.a Ophelia (played by Blake Lively). However, when the two receive a business offer from a sadistic Mexican drug lord Lado (played by Benicio Del Toro) and his partner Elena (played by Salma Hayek), O is kidnapped and held hostage by Lado and his henchman. Ben and Chon must come with the money to save her from the vicious drug cartel, with the help of a corrupt DEA agent Denis (played by John Travolta).

This movie doesn't quite hike up the peak of Oliver Stone's previous films, but its still entertaining as it needs to be; despite some of its flaws. With this film set in a coastal city of Laguna Beach, California, the cinematography uses some very high saturation to give the environment a sharp, colorful look. The plot is starts off a pretty solid note as we are introduced the backgrounds of the main characters Ben and Chon with Blake Lively's character's narration, including the story of Chon acquired the seeds to grow the marijuana plants. After that, the development of the characters stops there. While the plot moves pretty well more most of the first half, it eventually descends into an inconsistent mess in the second half. From there on, the story leaves a few plot holes here and there. However, the film still manages to be compelling and gritty in a way that still keeps the plot going. As the film goes on, it gets darker and more sinister, and progresses into a very mean atmosphere. With their girlfriend held hostage, the main characters get involved gunfights against cartel members that get quite bloody and gruesome at times. There is also a horrifying torture scene with some grisly results. So the film can does a bit brutal and tough to watch, but is still entertaining for the least.

Savages may not be one of Oliver Stones's best films, but it still manages to be captivating. Salma Hayek and Benicio Del Toro are great in this, as well as Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch, even though their characters are a bit underdeveloped. However, this movie is extremely violent and brutal, and it is not recommended for those with weak stomachs.

Well Benicio Del Toro at least stood out...

[KineticSeoul · 6/10 · 5 September 2012]

This is a decent effort to make a violent and controversial movie that doesn't go with all the Hollywood elements. But it does have flaws and after the next day after seeing this movie, it just doesn't seem like that good of a movie. It tries to be realistic but the direction and the character decisions and mentality doesn't make much sense sometimes. Maybe further explanation might have worked cause some parts just didn't make sense realistically. When it comes to the cast only 2 characters put on a good or even impressive performance. The rest who are like the main characters in this movie just didn't stand out and there just wasn't anything memorable about them. Hollywood is probably trying to make Taylor Kitsch the next big thing in movies or something, he wasn't awful in this but he wasn't memorable either. Well at least he wasn't as awful as Blake Lively, I am not sure if her character is suppose to be dumb to the point her reactions look so darn fake. But it just didn't work in this and her narration was crap but wasn't good either but yeah her acting was painfully annoying to watch. Aaron Johnson the guy from "Kick-Ass" is in this and there is nothing special about his character either. So this trio who are not the heroes but not the villains either are the ones that didn't add much to this movie. The two main dudes are pot head and pot sellers that make a ton of profit off what they do, one being the brains of the operation when it comes to supplying. The other is the muscle that is brash at getting the money from their clients. But when it comes to the villains such as Benicio Del Toro who plays a creepy and yet very intimidating and vile character that is ruthless and evil. I was sold with Del Toro's performance, such a not likable character and yet it upgraded this movie since there is some tension when he is on screen. Salma Hayek seemed to enjoy playing the queen of the drug cartel business and her performances is enjoyable to watch. John Travolta plays a crooked cop and he does that slightly crazy and obnoxious role that he does well. If you want to see a movie with very very terrible morals and values this might be for you. The ending in this just seemed more cheap than controversial. There is quite a bit of gritty violence in this though that sometimes come out when you least expect it. But for all the way through there is a high chance the audiences that view this won't give a crap what happens to any of the characters in this.

6.3/10

Absolutely awful.

[tubamonkey09 · 1/10 · 10 July 2012]

Oliver Stone has a reputation of excellent film making (Natural Born Killers, Platoon), but what I saw in the movie theater last night was easily one of the worst films I've ever seen in my entire life.

First the characters are two dimensional. The two male leads are introduced as basically "the tough guy" and the "sensitive guy". Their performances were mediocre at best. Taylor Klitsch was dry and brought nothing special to the role. The female lead "O" (Blake Lively) seems to have nothing particularly interesting about her, and her voice narrating makes the sound of a root canal suddenly more appetizing. Stone wants the audience to view these three characters as heroes, but I don't see it. The characters don't do anything significant they just grow weed, smoke weed, and have sex. Stone tries to get the audience on our side when he presents the benefits of marijuana but instead it comes across as 20-30 minutes of "legalize" propaganda followed by 10 minutes of renewable energy information.

Speaking of propaganda, the political and social themes in this movie are about as subtle as prison rape. It seems that instead of making a film about a group of people who live an alternative lifestyle, Stone has created a film about alternative lifestyles featuring some people. Blake Lively narrates a sort of montage of the marijuana industry, where all the minor characters are young, wealthy, and attractive, not to mention that marijuana is portrayed as a lifestyle, dare I say religion. Was this movie supposed to be realistic at some point? I don't know if I should have been eating popcorn in the theater or weaving a hemp bracelet.

AHHH but the trailer has guns! It features violence! Well... sort of.... just when you think the movie will redeem itself with some guns blazing action it simply doesn't deliver on this either. There are a few explosions that any high-schooler with an M-80 could pull off in their garage, some CGI blood, and the only good violent scene is so late in the movie that the audience doesn't react.

I don't understand where these millions of dollars went because they weren't in this movie, either Oliver Stone is a terrible film maker or an awesome crook. Terrible acting, terrible action, terrible script, absolutely TERRIBLE. Save yourself the aggravation and skip this movie. I haven't been this upset with cinema since Bill Murray did Garfield. I feel so strongly about this film that I will never spend my money on another Oliver Stone movie ever again.

Surprisingly not to bad.

[jordangross · 7/10 · 9 July 2012]

A movie that didn't truly interest me until the last second somehow surprised me with how good it was compared to what I thought it would be. The trailers for this movie were not the interesting to me which made me not want to go see the film. I am glad I decided to still go and see it because I was pleasantly entertained.

This film stars Aaron Johnson (Kick-ass, The Illusionist), Taylor Kitsch (Battleship, John Carter), Blake Lively (The Town, Green Lantern), Benicio Del Toro (Snatch, The Usual Suspects), John Travolta (Pulp Fiction, Face/Off), and Salma Hayek (Frida, Desperado).

Best friends Ben (Aaron Johnson) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch) work together and sell the best pot there is. They also both share a girl, O (Blake Lively), who they both love equally and don't mind that they both have her. A Mexican drug cartel starts to move north and wants to partner up with Ben and Chon's methods and will not take no for an answer. Once they turn down the order, the cartel kidnaps O and forces Ben and Chon to work for them, but they have a plan to try and get her back.

I honestly really liked this movie because it was not what I was expecting going in to it. This film surprised me with every twist and turn it throws at you. When the action scenes came the were well done and very brutal, which is something I really enjoyed. I thought for the most part everyone did a good job at acting, there were just a few who couldn't make me believe their character and you can obviously tell who they are when you watch the film. The one major problem with the film that really disappointed me was the ending. They tried to pull a bait and switch and if they didn't do that then the film would have been better how it should have originally ended. If you have an interest in seeing the film then I suggest you do so, it was fun to watch and had some really awesome action scenes.

Rating: 7/10

Thank you for reading my review, any feedback is greatly appreciated!