From 3-time Academy Award winner, Oliver Stone (Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon, Midnight Express), comes the new brutal action crime thriller Savages. The movie is based on Don Winslow’s 2010 bestselling novel of the same name and features a cast of greats including John Travolta, Salma Hayek, Benicio Del Toro and Blake Lively.
If you look back fondly on the freaky and violent Oliver Stoneof years past—think Natural Born Killers—this flick’s for you. It’s a violent romp into high action thrills and vicious criminals.
Californian peace-loving Buddhist Ben (Aaron Johnson) and former Navy SEAL Chon (Taylor Kitsch) are enjoying their booming biz growing and selling marijuana. They’re also both obsessed with a beautiful hippie-spirit (Blake Lively) who goes by the name of O, short for Hamlet’s Ophelia … and orgasms.
Then, oh no, O is kidnapped by Lado (Benicio Del Toro), a brutal enforcer in a Mexican drug cartel led by the ruthless Elena Sanchez (Salma Hayek) and Ben and Chon, are in way over their heads. Elena demands to be let in on their pot-generated profits and she’s not anybody one says no to. Enter a corrupt DEA agent played with mesmerizing flair by an au naturel (balding) John Travolta.
A high stakes wild ride of bloody plans ensues. The film is uneven though and Blake Lively is bland. Hayek and Del Toro make up for that a bit with their fiery performances and Travolta steals the show. Brace yourself for lots of badly-written wince-worthy dialogue. That way, if you go in expecting druggy and violent entertainment the way only Stone can dish it up, you’ll enjoy this.
Rated R for grisly violence, drug use, language and graphic sexuality. Opens July 6, 2012.
Written for the Examiner
