Movies: 19853 | TV Series: 3309 | Added today: 0 | Storage: 74765 GB

Genres: CrimeThrillerDr

Starring: Blake Lively, Taylor Kitsch, Benicio Del Toro, Gary Stretch, John Travolta, Shea Whigham, JoaquÃn Cosio

Available Quality: DivX, Hi Def, Hi Def

Country: USA

Year: 2012

IMDB Rating: 7.1

Entrepreneurs Ben, a peaceful and charitable marijuana producer, and friend Chon, 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. 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 and her enforcer, Lado, 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.

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Visitors Review

bennyisking (21 May 2013)

What a let down

Salma Hayek was great, Benicio Del Toro classic Travolta was OK. Theseother guys sucked.Absolutely no depth to the story.There is some weird love triangle with absolutely no context. Yet weare led to believe that these men are willing to do anything. Literallyanything to save this woman.The love triangle takes away a lot from the movie. I lost respect forthe characters and found myself wanting them to lose at every turn. Weare suppose to believe that 2 young good looking, fit millionairescannot find more then 1 woman to be in love with. We are also supposeto believe that 2 young, successful, handsome, American white men witha little bit of help are able to evade, out smart and take down andentire cartel on there own for some whore they are in love with. Thisparagraph sums up the movie.Could have been great with some context to the love story and some morerealism. Such as fear and panic, a harder drug then marijuana and amuch different ending. 3 attractive rich people going up against acartel should have ended with all 3 of the leads dead.

Boba_Fett1138 (20 May 2013)

Definitely has its moments.

Ever since Oliver Stone stopped writing his own movies, his movies havebeen some incredibly mediocre ones, this one included. But mediocrestill is far from the same as saying that it's also being a bad movieof course.It's definitely far from a great movie but as a genre movie it servesits purpose well enough and also has some pretty good moments in it.It's flaws and writing prevent this movie from ever becoming a truemust-see but it simply remains a good movie to watch, especially forthose who are into these type of crime-thrillers, involving drugcartels.It's not being the best written movie but I also do admit that it's notbeing the best told movie as well. The movie was definitely lackingsome focus and too often was all over the place with its differentcharacters and the movie didn't always had a good and pleasant flow toit. Besides, it was lacking some good, likable main characters. I mean,no matter how you look at it, the main characters are still somecriminals, who are not afraid to get their hands dirty and know verywell they are breaking the law. I just had a hard time liking them forwhat they were and therefore also never felt involved with anyone ofthem, causing me also to never feel involved with the movie or getgrabbed by any of its tension, emotions and plot developments.The movie is also going at some weird places with its story at timesand keeps changing directions. The one moment its being acrime-thriller, the other a romantic-drama and the other it suddenlyturns into a typical, over-the-top action flick. You could say that themovie keeps surprising you but it doesn't exactly do this in the mostconvincing or entertaining way.I wasn't too fond about its lead actors but luckily the movie doesstill have a solid supporting cast. Benicio Del Toro is always good inthis sort of roles and it was nice to see Salma Hayek as a tough'villain' for a change. John Travolta also shows that he can still becool in movie and age doesn't hinder him.This movie movie might still disappoint some Oliver Stone's fans butoverall this is being a good genre movie, that still has some hints ofa great movie in it. 7/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

headly66 (20 May 2013)

Pointless - Horrible - Waste of time

I like some Oliver Stone movies, he has made some great ones but Ithink he has run out of ideas. This one stinks from the get go, thesilly narration, the dopey relationship between the three leads, lotsof bad acting, a plot that doesn't make much sense and tons ofunnecessary violence. Blake Lively is boring, Benicio Del Toro does histypical over acting, Travolta is a distraction and Salma Hayek iscompletely unconvincing as a drug lord. There is some sub plot about anelection, some other thing about Travolta's dying wife, and oh whoreally cares. I have never seen the victims of a kidnapping hang aroundthe kidnappers so much before. The ending may be the silliest in a longtime. You have a fake ending just so you can stretch the movies outanother 5 minutes?AVOID

filmcritic3 (20 May 2013)

Stone slips on SAVAGES, salvages style

SAVAGESOliver Stone's films are complicated and often difficult to digest. Ibrought several guests to the press screening of his latest filmSAVAGES and afterwords asked them what they thought. Both said theywere still thinking about it. Something happened, but it's not theimmediate gratifying sensation generally provided by most films. I doknow this, I'm glad I saw the film, but the only reason I might watchit again is to see Salma Hayek. She is an amazing woman who seems to bemore seductive and exotic as she matures. In SAVAGES, she is manic,bouncing from ruthless drug lord to pathetic parent in the blink of aneye. It's the type of performance that could garner Best SupportingActress nods.So, as I digest Stone's SAVAGES over my morning cup of Joe, allow me toshare a few observations. First, like many Stone works, SAVAGES is toolong. Clocking in at 2 hours and 15 minutes, this tale could easily becontained in 90 minutes. Blame Editors Joe Hutshing, Stuart Levy andAlex Marquez for dragging the tale out and causing lulling gaps in thesequencing.On the other hand, Cinematographer Dan Mindel made me feel quite athome. He incorporates shots and SFX techniques, like graining,posterization, racking focus and sepia, which were part and parcel ofshooting in the 70's and 80's. The style did nothing for the tale,though the shots did help the slow parts, but they did bring back fondmemories of my camera wielding days. Mindel's close ups of Benicio DelToro, as Lado, are also very effective in presenting him as a psycho,demented nefarious no-good.The subtle messages Stone delivers, as he always does, are conflicting.He establishes the Mexican culture as superior to American culture.This is evidenced in Elana's (Hayek) first discussion with O, played byBlake Lively. Her contempt for O's whining is apparent, though O ischanneling the air-headed mantras of the Net Generation. Sexual mores are called into question. The Mexicans, though theantagonists as murderers, rapists and drug smugglers present an almostPuritanical view on sexual relations. They may murder and rape, butthey immediately bless themselves and pray for forgiveness afterwords.Meanwhile, the Americans are presented as a Hugh Hefner hedonisticsexual miscarriage. Here again, the Mexican culture is utilized tolambaste the liberal tomes.Finally, seeing the two cultures clash in this fashion, Stone imparts asearing warning to close our borders and prevent America's invasion byMexicans, whether legal or illegal. While the folks in Arizona, Texas,New Mexico, Nevada and California may all agree with this sentiment,apparently the Supreme Court doesn't.KEY SCENES TO LOOK FOR: 1. THE FIRST ROBBERY 2. THE FIRST ATTACK 3. THEFLARE SEQUENCE The final message Stone delivers with authority is a version of WoodyHarrelson's "nut up or shut up". Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson playChon and Ben respectively, two polar opposites who are best friends.They enter the drug business when their college dreams of success fallthough. Ben is the pacifist, Chon the aggressor. Repeatedly in thefilm, Stone delivers the message that following the pacifist way leadsto destruction and death, while the more prudent and ultimately safermethod, would always be Chon's. Imagine if Chon's team would haveexecuted their plan during the first hotel meeting. The result wouldhave been a totally different story, maybe the script for Expendables3.Salma is Elana , a Mexican drug lord fallen on hard times. She is underattack by a strong competitor, her operation is crippled by DEA agentswho seem to have inside info into her procedures and she cannot producethe quality product Ben and Chon do. As a result, she decides to takeover their production method and distribution routes in a mostaggressive manner.Stone can either be complete genius (Natural Born Killers) or boringsoap box preacher (JFK). With SAVAGES, he is nestled in mid-ground. Anabsolutely insipid monologue by O in the film's final reel, trivializesall that precedes it. It's one sequence that should have been cut toavoid the WTF comments as the credits roll. SAVAGES is worth a look forthe camera-work and for Salma, but unless you're a hardcore Stone fan,the price of admission may be too high for this one. Sounds like VOD orDVD rental is a much better avenue.THE RATING FOR SAVAGES = C-30-Fiore Mastracci is Pittsburgh's longest running film critic and hasbeen secretly in love with Salma Hayek since a press conference held in1990.

Nesbitt10 (16 May 2013)

Stone returns to form, but with mixed results

A return to form for Stone's dark side,"Wall Street: Money NeverSleeps" and "World Trade Center" were almost insultingly faceless, adefinite problem for a director whose best films exude righteous anger."Savages" generates ruthless energy, a battle between good and evil,except that everyone in it is evil, and the momentum generated by thesavagery doesn't compensate for a lack-luster storyline. Californiadudes Ben and Chon (Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch) are dragged into aturf war with the expansion-minded Mexican cartel run by Salma Hayek'sdrug-war widow Elena, and her brutally amoral deputy, Lado (Benicio delToro). The Mexicans regularly show their power by creating anddisseminating videos documenting torture and lots and lots ofbeheadings. Eighty miles over the border, in Laguna Beach, Ben and Chonsupply their ultra-potent, genetically engineered strains to legalmedical dispensaries but make their real money illegally shipping outof state. The product and its profits fuel the boys' lifestyle ofneo-hippie decadence, embodied by the business partners' enthusiasticbedroom sharing of poor little rich girl turned eco- friendly, hippieOphelia (Blake Lively). Both sides consider the other to be "savages"-which we know because they say it aloud repeatedly just in case wedidn't catch it already. Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in anddemands that the trio partners with them. When the merciless head ofthe BC, Elena, and her brutal enforcer, Lado, underestimate theunbreakable bond among these three friends, Ben and Chon--with thereluctant, slippery assistance of a dirty DEA agent (John Travolta),wage a seemingly unwinnable war against the cartel. And so begins aseries of increasingly vicious ploys and maneuvers in a high stakes,savage battle of wills. Honestly, not that bad but not that goodeither, resulting in complete indifference on this one. A talented castthat doesn't feel fully utilized and a story that's not all thatcompelling. Soul is something "Savages" lacks and feels hollow, notleast because Kitsch and Johnson, who take on lead roles, register asblanks on-screen. In contrast, Hayek and del Toro, both sportingapparently intentionally terrible wigs, give over- the-top performanceswho command our interest while committing heinous acts, and setting arecord for number of beheadings in a single film.

marin-nestorov (16 May 2013)

The best movie in past several years

Not easy to find such a brilliantly directed film, with an originalapproach to the subject of clichÃ©. It is simply hard to believe thatthe Hijacking may have something that goes beyond the deja-vu effect.The story brings a lot of profound dialogs between good and badcharacters, as an equally balanced lucidity between followers of Budhaand Lucifer. As expected, Benicio del Toro is shining as negative, SalmHayek and John Travolta are average good. But Oliver Stone decided toput three less developed actors in main roles, and this made the moviemagnificent! They blended into characters abslolutely perfect, givingthe film modern and feel of freshness, and three starrs gave itstrength and seriousness. Playing easy with emotions of a viewer isconstant, from early beginning to very end, actually both ends, asmovie has two. Blake Lively successfully plays a role of coldest heartmelter, and Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Taylor- Johnson finally playedreally deep roles. Fabulous story of love and determination. Don't missit, never mind low mark here ;)

Jack M (14 May 2013)

Shiny and colorful, but shallow and boring.

Pretentious narration, an air-headed damsel you don't really care muchabout, and sets and props that are more colorful than the charactersmake the movie look like an Entourage version of Scarface. Especiallystupid were the IT "hackers" dressed in hipster fedoras.During my screening, the guy to my right actually fell asleep andstarted snoring around the two-hour mark.A movie that felt like it was penned by a 14-year-old, only heldtogether by what must have been millions and millions of dollars forproduction and castingÂall just lipstick on a pig.Very forgettable. 5 stars out of 10.

lorenzo212 (13 May 2013)

Oliver Stone the way we love

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

tpaladino (13 May 2013)

Should have been a LOT better.

This was not a great movie. It could have been a great movie, but itwas let down in two major ways. First off, two of the three lead characters are awful. Blake Livelymakes for good eye candy, but she just isn't a good actress. She's notbad in smaller supporting roles (like her part in The Town), but shesimply cannot carry a lead. Unfortunately the entire film basicallyrevolves around her (and she narrates), so her shortcomings are broughtfront and center. Every time her voice-over came on, I cringed. Itreally was not a good choice. Taylor Kitsch is no better. Again... good eye candy, poor acting. Verypoor acting. He just has no soul, and brings absolutely nothing to hischaracter whatsoever. He should be in a brainless Fast & Furious movieplaying opposite Vin Diesel, not an Oliver Stone drama. The second major failure of this film is even more serious, and that isthe story structure. We are never really given the opportunity tounderstand why the three lead characters (Chon, Ben and Ophelia) havesuch strong feelings for each other. We're told that they do, but nevergiven any real reason to believe it. This is extremely important,because literally the entire premise of the film hangs on theirrelationship. If you're going to build a dramatic story around anunorthodox three- way relationship, you had better explain in more thanone quick scene exactly how this relationship happened, otherwise theaudience won't know why they should care about the characters.Especially when the actors portraying these characters aren't very goodto begin with. I know that I kept asking myself why these two guys share a girl, howthey have absolutely zero jealousy, why they never once thought ofdouble-crossing each other, and why either of them care so deeply forher -- to the point of being willing to risk their lives and commithorrible atrocities to save her. Where did all this love and loyaltycome from? It was never adequately explained, and the entire moviesuffers 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, JohnTravolta chewed the scenery to bits, and Salma Hayek was entirelybelievable in her role as well. Unfortunately, their competence onlyserved to underscore the incompetence of the younger leads. It'stelling that the best scene in the entire film was between Del Toro andTravolta, with none of the three lead actors anywhere to be found, andhinted 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 movieabout Mexican drug cartels without violence, so I didn't feel it wasgratuitous. Unfortunately, however, it also didn't make the movie anymore believable from a plot perspective.Overall, I just don't think this was a very good film. I don't thinkthat Stone felt entirely comfortable with what he was doing here,trying at times to be Tarantino but failing miserably. And likewise, Ithink that if this film had been in the hands of Tarantino or RobertRodriguez, it likely would have come out much better, perhaps evengreat.

vivietta5 (13 May 2013)

"Savages" Movie Review

Among the many blockbuster films competing for your attention at thebox office this summer, Oliver Stone's latest flick "Savages" shouldnot be overlooked. In the midst of the big budget "Spider-man" rebootand upcoming "Dark Knight," this film feels refreshingly small. Cool,sexy, and entertaining from start to finish, "SAVAGES" satisfies anadult in ways a comic book adaptation can not.Watching "Savages" is like reading a sun-soaked pulp noir. It nevertakes itself too seriously and does not attempt to make a statement forlegalization. It's reminiscent of "Scarface" meets "Beach BlanketBingo" with Sergio Leone undertones.To read the full review go to www.canyon-news.com Be sure to like us onFacebook to get all the latest movie reviews atwww.facebook.com/canyon.news.la OR Follow us on Twitter @cnewspaper

scottmccollum (12 May 2013)

Medellin

I can just see Oliver Stone pumping his fists like Billy at the end ofthe movie....Other then that....I didn't mind following the story and all the dialog.. but doesn't seem like anyone in the theater was enthused at the end.I wasn't but didn't hate it. Tried to be like True Romance, but lacked the humor and the bizarreaction scenes.Benicio Toro - believable and awesome.Acting was pretty good overall, just some tough scenes to pull offbecause the story didn't seem to pull anyone in...movie tried to be alittle too intense and laid back at the same time.

mattbaxter72 (11 May 2013)

Please, just make the voice-over stop

There are many bad things about this movie, but let's list the goodthings first. The plot makes sense, kind of. It's nicely shot, and thebeach looked pretty. And... I guess John Travolta looked as though hewas having fun? Which is more than I could say for the poor buggers whohad to sit through this mess.Your two leads, ladies and gentlemen, are Aaron Johnson, last seenbeing upstaged by a preteen girl, and Taylor Kitsch, who Hollywoodkeeps casting as the lead in blockbusters which then tank spectacularlyat the box office. You know why that is, Hollywood? It's because TaylorKitsch has no charisma. None. The furniture was more interesting thanhe was, and had more emotional range. Even he's better than Johnson, ablack hole of tedium from which nothing interesting can escape. Theseare two of the blandest leads I've ever seen, and I've seen movies thatstarred rappers.But dear God in heaven, they are much, much better than Blake Lively. Ihaven't seen much else of her acting, so I can only think she can domuch better than this. But here she's playing a 40-year-old ingÃ©nue, awoman-child who knows Shakespeare but doesn't know what 'savages'means. She's meant to be sexy and alluring, but she comes across as soboundlessly stupid that no man could seriously find her attractive. Idon't think that's her fault, but the no-nudity clause that made thesex scenes in this movie so absurd? Yeah, that was her fault.Even that isn't the worst. There's still... that voice-over. Thenarration that infests this whole movie, but especially the earlyscenes, 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. Andnow, even if you haven't seen the movie, it'll haunt your nightmares,too. You're welcome.

rivertam26 (09 May 2013)

Yes Oliver Stone is back!

Oh how lucky you are Blake Lively. And not just because you get to havesex with gorgeous hunks like Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch butbecause you get to be in a real Oliver Stone flick not the fake craphe's been releasing over the last few years. Savages is a welcomereturn for the director to much darker material after years of genericHollywood throw aways like World Trade Center, Alexander, W. and WallStreet 2. In the vein of his classic flicks like Natural Born Killershe returns with a vengeance. The film tells the tale well actually isnarrarated by the central female character O short for Ophelia playedby Gossip Girl Blake Lively who recently impressed in Ben Affleck's TheTown. It concerns two best friends who are also indie drug dealers andin love with the same woman. A Mexican drug cartel run by Salma Hayekmakes them an offer they shouldn't refuse and the chaos ensues as O iskidnapped and the boys will do whatever it takes to get her back.Brutalviolent setpieces, inspired plotting and a surprisingly original lovestory that makes the love triangle feel believable in the sense that ifyou dig a little deeper the guys love each other and O's character isjust the binding material that holds them together. It's a bromance for2012 and done with a surprising amount of appreciated mucho zest andsome truly steamp sex scenes. i remember films like these in the 90'sTrue Romance, Natural Born Killers, hell even Pulp Fiction. they don'tmake them like this anymore. It's a vicious jolt of cinematic energyand artistic integrity folded into grade A American entertainment. Thatbeing said even though it's a big step in the right direction forStone. I'm not sure if it was studio intereference but the film doescut away from some scenes that could have lingered for effect as wellas a somewhat sappy finale. As for the performances Taylor Kisch does asolid job of proving that he actually has plausible range as an actorand Aaron Johnson of Kick ass is utterly unrecognizable and has some ofthe films most emotionally resonant moments. Salma Hayek has herjuciest role in possibly her career as the central villain and BenecioDel Toro, John Travolta and Emile Hirsch come along for some solidsupport. And as for our Gossip Girl although she has moments I'm justnot sure she's ready for this much of a movie. That being said sheisn't bad but promising and likable. The movie moves along at a kineticpacing and is engagingly suspenseful the small faults of the somewhatunnecessary narration and repettive reminding of the movies title areeasily overlooked because of the sheer bad assedness the movie possessone of the best of the year!

nama chakravorty (08 May 2013)

Another Winner by Stone!

Oliver Stone is amongst the bravest & most influential storytellers ofCinema. His magnificent body of work speaks in volumes & is sure tolast a legacy. With 'Savages', Stone delivers a Yet Another Winner! Itstwisted, gory, potty-mouthed & utterly delicious! 'Savages' Synopsis: Pot growers Ben and Chon face off against theMexican drug cartel who kidnapped their shared girlfriend.'Savages' works big time because the Screenplay is so well-written,despite its paper-thin plot. Shane Salerno, Don Winslow & Stone'sAdapted Screenplay is hard-core & undeniably arresting. Of course, itwon't appeal to the faint-hearted, but, 'Savages' isn't even meant forthem. Stone's Direction is masterful, as always. Cinematography ismagnetic. Editing is fair. Art & Costume Design are proper. Performance-Wise: Benicio del Toro is mesmerizing. The Oscar-WinningActor plays the monstrous villain with rare ease. Taylor Kitsch isdecent. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is first-rate. Blake Lively & Salma Hayekare excellent. John Travolta plays the sly cop, superbly. Emile Hirsch& The Marvellous DemiÃ¡n Bichir are admirable in cameos.On the whole, 'Savages' is a knockout!

naomil-416-634738 (08 May 2013)

Oliver Stone drug movie

I rushed out the door to see this Oliver Stone movie. I was hoping fora cool gangster type movie. Maybe similar to Scarface. What a let downit was. It just did not add up. Blake Lively is gorgeous but she is notmeant for this part. John Travolta was great but not enough to makethis watchable. Benicio Del Toro is a killing machine with no reason.What a mess! Salma looks ridiculous as the head drug cartel. I wasready for a movie I could sink my teeth into. This was inedible beyondbelief. The graphic violence feels like something out of a Friday the13th movie. In the theater I was in everyone seemed to leave therequite disappointed.

Christine Yau (07 May 2013)

"Savages" leaves a little to be desired at certain points, the movie supplies us with a quest for love, acts of betrayal and deceit, and a fair amount of action.

Instead of reviewing a well-known movie, that I'm sure everyone hasseen, I decided to cover "Savages", a neat little adventure film thatwasn't quite so widely released.The film has an intriguing plot, great cinematography, and is certainlynot short of notable acting talent, with John Travolta playing acorrupt DFA agent and Salma Hayek the leader of a notorious MexicanDrug Cartel.This cannabis caper was directed by Oliver Stone Â well known forhighly-acclaimed movies 'Platoon' and 'Natural Born Killers' Â andfollows two large scale pot growers (Aaron Taylor- Johnson and TaylorKitsch, also better remembered as the guys in "Kick-Ass" and "JohnCarter" respectively) as they are blackmailed by a nasty Mexican drugcartel.Although the movie is certainly a thriller, it has very romanticelements Â we see the rather complex, yet intriguing relationship thetwo men share with their girlfriend (played by the wonderful BlakeLively), and we even see Salma Hayek, as "The Red Queen", receive herown share of the audiences' compassion as she skillfully portrays depthof character.My favorite elements of the movie were Benicio Del Toro's performance(he was entrancing on screen, you could really feel his sleaziness) andthe imagery and colors of the movie itself were so mesmerizing!Although the flow of "Savages" leaves a little to be desired at certainpoints, the movie supplies us with a quest for love, acts of betrayaland deceit, and a fair amount of action. If you haven't seen it yet,it's definitely a must!

Chris_Pandolfi (06 May 2013)

Stone's Cinematic Plea for Legalization

Although the convoluted plot, the shocking depictions of violence, andthe heavy reliance on dialogue and character all suggest a rich,complicated film, the message of Oliver Stone's "Savages" is in factprofoundly fundamental: Marijuana should be legalized. Without anyonedirectly saying it, we're being told that its demonization by theAmerican government alone has only given more power to drug cartels,specifically in Mexico, which currently dominates the wholesaleillicit- drug market and controls 90% of the drugs that enter theUnited States. We don't actually see kidnapped Mexican men gettingdecapitated with a chainsaw in a dimly-lit warehouse, but we do see theaftermath; we also see people getting bullets in their brains,stabbings, and even one person being set on fire. We don't have to betold that this is needless and inhuman, but we are made wise to thefact that it stems from drug- related money and territorial disputes,which wouldn't be if certain laws were changed.Adapted from the novel by Don Winslow, the central character is a youngwoman named Ophelia, who prefers to be known as O (Blake Lively). "Justbecause I'm telling this story," she says during the opening voice-overnarration, "doesn't mean I'm alive at the end of it." It seemed like adecent, if ominous, introductory line, although we're hard pressed tounderstand the logic behind it, even after the film has ended andeverything has been explained. Regardless, we watch as her carefreelife in Laguna Beach, California is irrevocably altered when she'skidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel under the leadership of ElenaSanchez, locally known as Elena La Reina (Salma Hayek). This came topass when her two lovers, high school pals and marijuana growers Ben(Aaron Johnson) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch), not only refused to make abusiness deal with the cartel but also insulted Elena.Although they are friends, Ben and Chon come from completely differentplaces. The former, a business and biology major from UC Berkeley,never went into the marijuana racket for money or power, and he sure ashell doesn't want to kill anyone or even see to it that someone iskilled. A pacifist and environmentalist, he actually uses his sizeableprofits to fund clean water projects in destitute African villages. Thelatter, a U.S. Navy SEAL who has served tours of duty in Iraq andAfghanistan, has been trained to be a killer and believes not in idealsbut in survival, where you take each individual moment as it comes. Theonly thing they have in common is their love for O, who they obviouslydon't mind sharing. Love is precisely the reason they're driven todesperate extremes in their rescue attempt. In ways he never thoughtpossible, Ben will be tarnished by the experience.So will O, who has essentially been living in a privileged fantasyworld. I would wager she never really knew the lengths to which cartelscan and do go in order to get a point across. She Â and, to an extent,Ben and Chon Â was comfortably nestled in a fool's paradise this sideof the border, sated by a beautiful beachfront house, extravagantshopping sprees, relaxing dinners, and ample supplies of homegrown pot.Her imprisonment is a bizarre series of contradictions: She's chainedby the ankles, yet she's provided a bed, a toilet, toothpaste, andfood; she's under threat by the ruthless Elena, who in due time revealsher maternal side, prompted by the deaths of several of her childrenand the scorn of the two that survived, most notably her daughter(Sandra Echeverria). Elena claims that she inherited her late husband'sbusiness, although that doesn't account for perpetuating subhuman actsof vengeance. It's about power, and nothing more.As Ben and Chon work towards rescuing O, which involves obtaining verylarge sums of money in short periods of time, they have encounters withseveral side characters. One is Elena's right-hand man, Lado (Beniciodel Toro), who uses a gardening business as a front for offing peoplein cold blood. Another is Dennis (John Travolta), a corrupt DEA agentwho, in the name of coming off as a big shot, always has to be one stepahead of everyone else. Although he makes it clear that he has twodaughters and dying wife, we know that he's in it for no one other thanhimself. Then there's Spin (Emile Hirsh), who isn't an accountant inthe traditional sense of the word but still manages the finances.O's continuous narration gradually reveals a romanticized vision oflife around drugs. It doesn't become abundantly clear, however, untilthe final sequence Â or, more accurately, the first part of the finalsequence. I honestly don't know how appropriate this part of the movieis; because each revelation yields the same passionate legalizationmessage, it comes off mostly as a cinematic trick, a way for thefilmmakers to indulge in pure technique. "Savages" is a competentlymade crime drama with very good performances, although I didn't find itparticularly compelling. It inundates us with twists and turns andintentionally disgusts us with horrendous acts of violence, and yet themessage it ultimately delivers is so simple that one wonders if Stoneneeded to go to the lengths he went. That the message directly relatesto a hot-button issue is a topic for another day.-- Chris Pandolfi (www.atatheaternearyou.net)

Anees Raja (05 May 2013)

Let's start by saying this movie is filled with clichÃ©'s. Every scenewas easily predictable. I felt like this movie was excruciatinglyboring, the only original idea in the movie was the peculiarthree-person couple they had. The whole idea of the movie being basedaround drugs was an easy escape for the producer, and the viewers werethe one's who had to bear the bitter fruit. Yes I gave this movie a2/10 because I cannot fully express how awful I felt watching it. Thismovie could bore anybody, I would rather have watched paint dry on mywall. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT, take my advice, and don't waste yourmoney or time.

coiffuremixte (05 May 2013)

revel in glorious horror

Savages is an elegant and highly engaging film. The subject matter isviolent and shocking and yet the film itself jumps off the screen inbright and beautiful color and strangeness. The actors are very important in Savages, whether new or old faces weare treated to the best and the actors themselves are graced withextraordinarily energetic and brilliant filming, we are accustomed toOliver Stone producing gorgeous and powerful films but Savages has afreshness which is exciting even by his standards. The virtuosity of Stone's talent has rarely served such a suspensefuland thrilling narrative, this could be his rawest gutsiest work sinceSalvador, even excesses in narrative conceit in the controversialending(s) are handled with admirable composure and remain entertainingand true to its noir-ish originality.The glory of a stoned erotic daydream and the violence of a bad acidtrip. Take the ride. Revel in glorious horror!

eclauditza_20 (04 May 2013)

awful and sick

If you're having a good day and you want to ruin it , just go see thismovie. If you're having a bad day and you want to feel worse, go seeit.Let's be serious the movie is pretty disturbing and sick to say theleast. I am not talking about the love between the 3 main characters,that is not my concern. They love each other and live peacefully, sofar it is OK. But to make a point and to try to be such a great work ofart this movie desperately tries to shock. The sex scenes start fromthe beginning of the movie and then you have the sick violent scenes.If you are the psycho type who enjoys watching people die, beingtortured, pain, vivid images of people being shot, a whole throughsomeone;s head as the guy gets shot, OK, then you will enjoy the movie.But if you are a normal sane person with no pro violence attitude, boyyou're in for a "great" time. I felt like throwing up several times.spoiler The scene where they torture one of the cartel guys ishorrible. He is being whipped until his eye comes out and they actuallyshow that, this movie really raised my blood pressure and made my hearthurt. But then again, I should have known from the first 10 minuteswhen you see some heads that were recently chopped off their bodies...A good action movie can be made without being extremely visual anddisturbing... Unless the target of the movie is psychopaths and serialkillers, in that case they have to show such stuff to make their day...Sarcasm aside, I would def not recommend this movie to anyone and def.don;t take your kids with you... A total waste of time, full of plotholes and pretty bad acting too... The only one who deserves somecredit is Benicio del Toro, he plays his role very well because youtruly hate him throughout the movie.

Review total: 20, showing from 1 to 20

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