At the Theater - Savages - Fantastic performances from Benicio Del Toro and Salma Hayek (and a very good one in support from John Travolta) are nearly undermined by the awfulness of Blake Lively (Green Lantern) and Director Oliver Stone's inability to choose between two endings- he uses them both where he should have stuck with the "initial" ending. Strange, given his history, but he simply wimps out. As it is, it's a good film- but far from a great one.
Stone showcases a bit of his mid-career penchant for camera tricks and wild film effects in this tale of California pot growers duking it out with the Mexican Drug Cartel, though it's usage here is far more restrained than in Natural Born Killers or U-Turn. I must admit that I've never been too much of a fan of the Director- my favorite Stone film, by far, is Platoon; it's his career highpoint and I don't think he'll ever match or surpass it. Savages is appropriately violent and bloody as one would expect from a film looking to convey a realistic tale concerning the subject matter- expect a centerpiece hijacking/shootout complete with RPG and IED induced mayhem, head shots galore, several decapitated noggins lying around in one scene, a man being burned alive and an eyeball dangling from the socket of a screaming victim of Cartel-style torture. Just don't act surprised or miffed with what you're walking into...
Taylor Kitsch (John Carter, Battleship) and Aaron Johnson (Kick Ass) are the Laguna Beach pot-growing duo that the Cartel wishes to muscle in on, while Blake Lively is their common love interest. Kitsch once again conveys a substantial amount of presence and believability as the battle-scarred, Iraq-war vet and brawn of the tandem, while Johnson shows a depth that hints at a long and fruitful career (I find myself wishing that he would steal EVERY role that comes Shia LeBeouf's way) as the contrasting, sensitive intellectual. Lively is pretty to look at but damned-near insufferable as a serious actress - her opening voice-over (it seemingly went on forever) is so light, airy and vapid that I found myself literally wincing. Furthermore, her "No Nudity" contract clause is ridicuously evident and out of place here. A few lovemaking sessions where she remains fully clothed are real eye-rollers.
Salma Hayek gives one of the absolute best performances of her career as the head of this particular story's Cartel while Benicio Del Toro is excellent as her "Enforcer"- both are highly memorable here and deserve some serious consideration come Oscar time. Fans of both respective actors should be pleased. John Travolta portrays a crooked DEA agent- a scene involving a conversation between his character and Del Toro's is gold. Other faces you may recognize- Emile Hirsch (Speed Racer) as a computer whiz, Shea Wigham (HBO's Boardwalk Empire) as a Cartel victim and Demian Bichir (Showtime's Weeds) as a Cartel lawyer.
It's entertaining enough and somewhat involving- with a few tense moments, bits of humor here and there and a couple of great performances. Ultimately, Savages owes a little bit too much of a debt to Tony Scott's True Romance- if you loved that film, you should like this one.
7.5 out of 10
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