Oliver Stone is back in ruthless form in this in-depth exploration of the war on drugs, drug dealing, and the inner workings of Mexican drug cartels. As a viewer who has seen his previous work, I wondered if some of the influence of the Iraq/Afghanistan war veteran character was a reflection of Oliver Stone's Platoon and his own experiences in the vietnam war. The torture scenes echo the brutality of that earlier film, and push the limits of grotesquery. But nothing is over the top. As someone who has read articles and studied the war on drugs, everything in this film is realistic. The performances are amazing, a surprising Travolta is electrifying. This is his best work since Pulp Fiction. Del Toro once again humanizes a horrific and unique character and Hayek holds her own. The younger leads, Kitsch and Johnson are also exceptional, at times I found myself forgetting they were acting on screen. The only downside to this film was Blake Lively, who seems to be acting like less of a bimbo-airhead-california blonde and instead just acting like her normal self. Her skills aren't really up to par but that's not to say it wasn't an adequate job, but in a film with powerhouse performances from Travolta and Del Toro, it is noticeable. Overall, the film was an exceptional thrill ride and exploration of the war on drugs. It's got Stone's subtle metaphors and hints and the "surprise" ending is one of the best endings I've seen in years. A warning, though - the film is exceptionally violent and ruthless. Savage, actually.… Collapse

Steer clear of this movie - it is terrible. I love action/suspense thrillers and went to see Savages after seeing an overall positive score for it on Metacritic. I have no idea how Savages got a score of 62 - I would give it a 2 at best. Save your time, brain and money and see something else.

If you liked The Town last year, you'll like this. It's the same perfect blend of tone: Action, melodrama, and humor. These are the kind of movies that hollywood action should be. It felt like a whole season of Breaking Bad, but with a great director and huge budget. SEE THIS.... I will buy it on DVD.

In his reversion to graphic, unrelenting brutality and incendiary sensationalism--elements found in his frenetically charged "Natural Born Killers"--Oliver Stone celebrates a trio of non-heroes against the backdrop of the pot industry; everything is well, even an unconventional menage a trois, until the consequences of their homegrown operation take a pernicious turn. Mixing an overtly expressed "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" love triangle with a ruthless ring of drug lords, Stone creates a flashy- meets-filthy-mess of a spectacle sure to satisfy fans of the summer caper, while too, alotting time on the soap box, pushing a political agenda--though not excessively--all while capturing the idiocy of current legislation. As for the characters themselves, it's the trio not mentioned that are the most effective; Del Toro, as Lado, is delightfully dark and chilling as the deranged assassin, a middle-aged, fatted, amorally disciplined Travolta is also worthy of mention, as he renders his best performance in years, delineating the greatly desperate family man, and arguably most entertaining of all is Hayek, the svelte Cleopatra-esque boss who avoids falling into camp thanks to her dexterous handle on the moral complexities that come from maintaining the facade of power on the outside with the melancholy ruefulness she holds privately behind closed doors. She nails the balance, and does so passionately. Though many will find "Savages" to be far too violent, and unwarrantably so, others voicing opposition in relation to its conclusion, all should be joyed to see Stone in his regular form: dauntless and headstrong. This, however, is not without noting the undeniable mess he creates and craftily "cleans up;" let's not deny, love him or hate him, Stone is one of the best in the business in that regard. At times taking the audience away from the film, (I'm sure I'm not the only one who was frustrated by Lively's intermittent narrative) "Savages" doesn't always immerse, as by the end of it all, one might question why they should care about the three uninterestingly woeful friends (Klitsch, Johnson, Lively). Further, "Savages," is energetic and entertaining, no question, but the closer the eye examines Stone's cunning skill for deception, and what lies beneath the elaborately stylish skirt he loftily casts, the more familiar this summer caper looks--the only difference being--this one has an eye for fashion.… Expand

Savages is a brutal, bloody mess and thats what makes it so entertaining. Benicio Del Toro is incredible as Lado, and delivers the best scenes of the whole movie. The ending was a bit strange and I wasn't the biggest fan of the "real" ending, but that was my only real problem. The plot is good, the acting mostly great and the Mexican Cartel torture scenes are pretty f'ed up.

Overall the movie was more good than bad. It achieved goal #1 of any movie: be entertaining. The story was a little slow to start, but once it got in the swing of things I was very interested to see what would happen next. The cast was good for the most part, but the story didn't really give much room for character development outside of maybe Salma Hayek's character. It had a very stylish look to it, and the vibrant colors gave it a trippy feel, which worked well considering the subject matter. Despite this, there were two things that really annoyed me about this movie, and that was Blake Lively's multiple voiceovers, and the horrible ending.… Expand

"Savages" was a very entertaining piece of work that i enjoyed from the moment it started all the way to the trip out ending! i had read the book right before i went to see the movie, which gave me a better appreciation for the story and characters. I suggest you go out and see this bloody, thrill ride because its one of the better and story-driven movies to come out this year.

Benecio Del Toro's performance as Lado was "Savages" primary saving grace. The brief time the film does devote to familiarizing the audience with the protagonists only generates feelings of aversion. All of the 'good guys' are part of a peculiar, domestic love triangle that consists of two men (Ben and Chon) and a woman (Ophelia). Ben comes off as a naive, Pseudo-Buddhist stoner; Chon comes off as a bitter, depraved Veteran; and Ophelia comes off as a bland, irritating bimbo with an undeserved sense of entitlement. In a scene shortly after her capture, 'O' is shown complaining to Hayek, the leader of the cartel, about not being given healthier food such as a salad. Pretty sure if I just almost had my fingers cut off after being captured by a Mexican drug cartel that would not be my priority. We won't even get into … Expand

It is the typical movie you do not know if you liked it or not.

It's a wild ride of a movie with a bit of a cheat ending. Selma Hayek clearly steals the show, and she exposes Blake Lively as a relative lightweight. In fact, if I had to point to a single true negative about this film, it's Lively - or the director's focus on her. It would be like focusing on a cotton ball that rolls across the floor when there are so many other interesting elements to the story. It's strange to say it, but Lively is actually a pretty solid actress, given a good role. She's certainly better in Gossip Girl. But the "look at me! I'm sexy! Everyone wants to have sex with me!" crap that this film serves up for her is just repellant.… Expand

The movie was a fine effort by the director and the actors but the subject matter was sick, really dark....the most likable character was a corrupt DEA agent. Maybe a little too close to reality is the problem. Another scary commentary on society.

Two great performances by Selma and Benicio as really bad guys. They seem to have a great deal of fun with their parts. It's hard to care at all about the good guys, whose story is convoluted and not all that interesting. Blake Lively is hot, but her character thinks she is smarter than she is. Basically, the bad guys are really interesting and sadistic and the good guys are a little boring (one is an annoying tree hugger; the other is a vicious Iraqi vet), There is a buried legalization of weed story. But this is mostly about the implied torture porn angle. The bad guys make the movie entertaining. It is not as preachy and pedantic as Oliver Stone movies tend to be. Though, the movie would have been way better with more interesting protagonists.… Expand

Stone sets up a interesting plot but then takes it absolutely nowhere. Once O is kidnapped, the story moves nowhere. I have never seen "dangerous "drug cartels" where the leader goes on her own to meet or where her daughter is basically unprotected. How more unrealistic could this be! Travolta character was typical. An important player but no major development in the story. The story just was not plausible and it really dragged out. Also, why did it take over two hours to tell? I like a good long movie but this story could have been told in one hour at the max. The other thing that keeps disturbing me is the substitution of good story telling with graphic violence. Violence can add to a movie but it seems to be the focus too many times now. Another disappointing night out at the cinema.… Expand

Oliver Stone applies his distinctive directorial style to a by-the-numbers drug plot. Two men (Taylor Kitsch & Aaron Johnson) are ying-yang partners in a pot enterprise: one is a hot-blooded vet and the other is the Buddhist business head. The only real twist: they share a girlfriend. Their lucrative business is challenged by a Mexican cartel that results in kidnapping, deception, murder and more. While there's nothing original here, Stone has given the film a muscular force that propels the action. There are a few violent or gruesome moments and some of his signature flashy flourishes, but nothing to make this film standout. The ending (which I hated) feels like it was tacked on after focus groups. But overall, it's brassy and full of fun performances.… Expand

Wargasms? Are you kidding me man? I had to turn this film off. It's trying far too hard to be cool. Not gritty at all. Over the top in the extreme with the music, editing, even to the point of glamorizing the violence. Not a good idea to have a woman shot in the head followed by some cool music with a bunch of gangsters strutting along looking all bad!ass. This film might be trying to say something good, who knows. I just couldn't hack the style. Ok so Scarface is over the top, but it had atmosphere, mood, and it was intense, The violence was necessary but not gratuitous for the sake of it.… Expand

when I saw the trailer for this film was one of the ones I get excited to see in 2012, and I saw the 2/3 of the movie seemed good but not magnificent or memorable, compared to masterpieces like Traffic. But the end ..... blessed end! I dare say that between the 3 worse end was I seen in my **** life, that way to **** a movie.

This is just what the doctor ordered. A movie with an easy to understans story that has the momentum of a 1,000,000 ton train moving at 1,000,000 mph. It's a combination of modern filmaking and 70's pretentiousness. And that's great. This destroyed my theater made blues. Awesome.

This was a very great movie all the way up to the frustrating ending. The acting was better than expected. Benicio Del Toro was fregen awesome and Blake Lively was hot, what more can you ask? Haha, but really the story was perfectly written with a engaging script and a perfect cast. This movie was suspenseful, it was funny, it was gruesome and in the end its exactly what you want in a film, great entertainment. If you don't like gruesome scenes or alot of smoking and drugs than stay away, but if you can deal with those and love a great story and a hell of an entertaining film with action, story and the whole nine yards then you'll love Savages, the only reason it isn't a 10 is because the ending bothered the crap out of me, theres nothing more frustrating than a movie ending with a good scene and then there like "but that isn't what really happened", and then it rewinds and gives you a different ending. It's frustrating and annoying, and it was definitely worth me negating 3 points. 7/10… Expand

Brutal, bloody, and ruthless. Savages was worth the rent, however it lacked the realism that makes most movies in the crime drama genre great. Blake Lively's( "O") over the top stoner got annoying after about 15 minutes of the movie----which made it more aggravating that her character was the narrator. Still other performances, especially Del Toro, picked up the movie. That being said I came out with that feeling of not knowing whether or not I truly liked it. It was nothing compared to Ted Demme and Johnny Depp's "Blow".… Expand

Surprisingly good effort from director Oliver Stone, in a territory that his fellow peers Martin Scorcesse is famous for: the crime drama. The younger casts are quite good, while both Hayek and Del Toro again showed us their acting chops. Typical of this genre, there's the usual ultra violence and gore. Too bad the ending felt tacked on. Otherwise, a pretty good crime flick.

This was a good movie but it was nowhere near the type of movie the previews led on. The trailers made it seem like almost a Taken style of movie but with a love triangle and drugs. Instead, it was a much slower style film. The acting was great and the politics and plot development was solid but I just was expecting a different vibe.

The intent of Savages is to make a case for the legalization of marijuana. That's all well and good. But ideas should never trump narrative. Similiar to horror films, Savages has one-dimensional characters making moronic decisions because the plot needs them to. The events following the setup require Ben to be naive and Chon to be suicidal. Ben and Chon are guilty of hubris, and O pays the price. But if only there were a reason to care what happens to O. The problem here is that Savages is asking us to care about O because she's in trouble, rather than making us care about her first, and putting her in danger second. The film's third act treats the audience with disdain, twice over. You'll be lied to, and then cheated. Some payoff, eh? Full review on my blog.… Expand

"Savages" was a pretty entertaining violent drug cartel tale. I may be alone in stating that the all-star cast detracted from the tale because it lent a saccharin celebrity-fest tone to it. Again alone here, but I didn't like Salma Hayak in that role, she doesn't come across as ruthless, at all, she's too feminine and dainty, totally miscast. That role, along with most others, should've gone to up and coming unknowns to give them a breakout film. I supposed Oliver Stone wanted his A-list buddies in it, so it's tainted for his personal choices. Otherwise, the storyline and pacing are good and you get several perspectives on savages throughout with an ironic twist just before credits roll.… Expand

There was too much violence for me - some of it gratuitous violence. But I guess with news stories of the drug-related killing in Mexico, it must be realistic. Sad to see that this is reality. Good acting by the principals.

Take away the violence, mostly gratuitous, the sex scenes, a lot of needless voice over and this 2 hour and 10 minute movie would be an hour shorter and faster. Oliver Stone is out to prove that all people are evil, in other words savages, and in his directing appears to be the most savage of all.

The story takes place in Laguna Beach plus other areas of Southern California and North Mexico, with some beautiful shots of the Laguna Beach coast. The film goes out to the desert for stunning vistas but people and gunfire keep on messing it up. It as if Oliver Stone is trying to make up for all the violence he couldn… Expand

Quite frankly, I am at loss for words. Not because the film didn't deliver enough content to speak of. Surely, enough people get shot, blown up, stabbed, beat senseless, raped, smacked around, set on fire, flagellated, and even spat on the face, to just mention a few. It's just that I feel completely unaffected.
A case could be made for the fact that in modern times violence has become daily bread in all media, and also having watched way too many movies at this point, I might have grown numb to all this violence. But then I think back to movies like Black Swan, or TV shows like Breaking Bad, where I definitely feel something. And it's not that I am making a case of those films being better than this one. It's just that I am at a loss for words, and I am not used to experiencing this in an Oliver Stone film.
I am a big fan of this director's work. Not just his efforts commanding a picture, but also his writing, and most projects he's produced. I can count a large percentage of the Stone trademark holding a spot in my list of favorites.
Perhaps it was the actors involved. No doubt they are fantastic to look at. But their performances, again, I am at a loss for words. However professional were their deliveries, I'm pretty sure any other competent dramatist could have done no less.
Now, I'm sure some of you out there are saying, "Hey! how about Benicio!? He was great..." Yes. He was. But he was doing Benicio as Benicio does Benicio. So it's already built in in the expectation. I thought the idea was to give your fans something to be surprised by. You know, like Salma Hayek's performance. Now, there's some acting with balls. The problem is that she is the only strong delivery in the entire film, and no war is won by a single soldier.
Which brings me to that narration by Blake Lively... Wow... I don't think we needed so much of it. The visuals gave plenty. Specially when she sounds like she is reading off a teleprompter. No heart into the words whatsoever. Next time. Just keep her in a bikini instead of kidnapped in a corner in a full dress. Get your money's worth when you are hiring a super hot lady.
The plot was clearly intertwined with some skill. And, in fact, I noticed no less than three writers took credit on that script. They really had a go at it. It's just that, well, I'm at a loss for words... Maybe they should have called in that fourth writer to give us a better version of something we have seen fifty five times by now.
By all means, go watch the film. You will probably like it. Contrary to what you might think reading these words, I did enjoy it. It is fun and will help you kill two hours plus with no problem. Just don't expect to remember it next week, or maybe even by tomorrow.… Expand

I don't know what to say. It was a captivating movie, with the most brutal scene I've ever seen on a commercial film. It kept my attention and focus from frame one till the end -- which folks should be debating, and about which I would love to hear from Stone. IF you can take a very dark movie, this is one of the best of that genre.

Every time Oliver Stone comes to the big screen, the nostalgic thought comes to mind, (Wall Street), which is a great made film, and (Platoon) which won stone his first oscar win for best director. With a fantastic resume, Can Savages live up to the expectations of previous stone films? Chon, played by (Taylor Kitsch) is part of a drug rising and selling business with his best friend Ben (Aaron Johnson). Together, they have an empire of marijuana. Also, in their empire, they are both in love with O (Blake Lively, who plays a true slut, Haha). Mexican Cartel leader Elena, played by the ever so beautiful, (Selma Hayek), who plays a very passionate cartel leader, who when seeing her on screen, you know she has complete power. Elena wants to work with Chon and Ben, and use their knowledge of the drug business to make one huge profit. Along the way we are introduced to Lado (Benicio Del Toro), who steals every single scene in the movie with such a charismatic style, and Dennis performed by (John Travolta), who personally I… Expand