Savages

One thing one can expect from an Oliver Stone film is plenty of in-your-face action, topics, information, and messages. He is a man with a lot to say and being the passionate artist that he is, he makes sure he grabs you by the juggler and doesn't let go until he 'says' what he feels he needs to say. Look at his past resume and you can see how this plays out. So considering that he strives to get his point across the way that Stone knows best, why should "Savages" be presented in a different way than his predecessors.

Entrepreneurs Ben (Aaron Johnson), a peaceful and charitable marijuana producer botanist who is 99% of the business, and best friend Chon (Taylor Kitsch), a former Navy SEAL, finishing several tours of duty in Afghanistan who is 1%-- the brawn of the business, run a lucrative, homegrown industry-- raising some of the best weed ever developed. They also share a one-of-a kind love relationship with Ophelia (Blake Lively) or O as she prefers to be called.
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 (Salma Hayek) and her enforcer, Lado (Benicio Del Toro), underestimate the solvent bond of the three friends, Ben and Chon-- with the reluctant assistance of a corrupt DEA agent, Dennis (John Travolta) wage a seemingly unwinable war against the cartel. As the cartel hold O hostage, a series of increasingly vicious and brutal ploys and maneuvers begin in a high stakes, savage battle of wills.

Others to round out the cast are Emile Hirsch as Spin, a techno geek friend of Ben and Chon's, Demian Bichir as Alex, one of the cartel, Shea Whigham as Chad, a supplier of the cartel, and Joaquin Cosio as El Azul.

This was intensely and brutally directed by Oliver Stone ("Platoon" '86, "Wall Street" '87, "Talk Radio" '88, "Born on the Fourth of July" '89, "The Doors" '91, "JFK" '91, "Natural Born Killers" '94, "Nixon" '95, "Any Given Sunday" '99, "Alexander" '04, "World Trade Center" '06, "W." '08, "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" '10). He really knows how to pull that intensity, anger, fear, etc. out of his actors in such effective ways. This was adequately written by Shane Salerno, Don Winslow and Stone based on Winslow's novel.

I must say, the chemistry between Johnson and Kitsch as Ben and Chon was well established. One could really feel the camaraderie between these two. They came across as two buddies that have known each other since high school which was the case here. Where this starts getting somewhat a downer is that it was truly difficult to feel sorry for just about anyone in this film, because they all were so screwed up. And also I believe that a screenplay can be written putting across the horridness of the drug world without all of the extreme gratuitous violence and with the gratuitous sex involved. It was almost like watching a soft-core porn film in some ways. The up side is that with all the graphic violence, drugs that create wars, and gratuitous sex abound which ultimately causes them to question their relationship, hopefully this will sink into certain people's heads that this is surely a nowhere world which leads to a nowhere life. Truly the title "Savages" says it all for this film.

Out of 4 stars: 2.5                   Rated: R                      130min.