Movie Review: Savages

It's not easy being a drug-dealer, or so I've learned thanks to watching controversial director Oliver Stone's latest flick. Based on the best-selling book by Don Winslow, Savages is a brutal, messy, disjointed (no pun intended) thriller about a few friends who get in over their heads with their successful Laguna Beach-based cannabis growing business. A strong cast and clever plot twists help this overly violent film be worth watching, although it is surely not for everyone.

The movie is narrated by O (short for Ophelia, and played surprisingly well by Gossip Girl star Blake Lively) as she takes us through the details of the brutal story. She tells us about her two best friends, Ben (Aaron Johnson of Kick-Ass fame) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch of Battleship, John Carter), the founders of a drug business - and also her two lovers. These two guys are long time buddies who have everything they could ever want, and live mostly peaceful lives in an ocean-front home. This all is turned upside down when a Mexican drug lord (Salma Hayek) kidnaps O because Ben and Chon won't lend their skills to an expanding drug-dealing venture.

There is so much going on in this movie, it's hard to recount every storyline. Benicio Del Toro plays a sadistic gun for hire, John Travolta shows up as a corrupt law enforcement agent, and Emile Hirsch has fun with his small part as a money laundering cyclist. This film reminded me of Traffic, not only because of a similar topic, but because of the style of gritty film-making and multiple story-lines.

Before the opening credits are finished rolling, we get multiple murders, a sex scene, and some of the peppered dialogue that will ultimately accumulate over one-hundred 'F'-words by film's end. The violence in this movie is far more graphic than most action thrillers – when someone gets shot in the head, the 'splatter' factor is visible and emphasized. It's not just guns – it's machetes, knives, grenades, and a variety of other killing devices we see used in full force. If you have a weak stomach or have a hard time watching an episode of Grey's Anatomy this is not the movie for you. If on the other hand you can put up with the violence, the movie really does work quite well. It's a thrilling story that moves along quickly and keeps you on the edge the entire time. I love a movie where you don't know which characters are going to make it out alive, and this is exactly that type of movie. This film also has a love it or hate it type of ending...I loved it and found it maddeningly creative, while others have complained it's too gimmicky.  You can decide that for yourself.  I would give Savages a 7 out of 10.  Did you see it?  What did you think?