"You Just Stabbed a Federal Agent!"
Savages, not to be confused with Tamara Jenkin's wildly different and superior film, The Savages, is a good, fun, riotous, twisty crime thriller with some exceptional direction from Oliver Stone. I've admittedly never been a huge fan of Stone's; never has it much excited me to hear of a new film of his, and I've never seen a film of his in the theatres. I liked W, mainly for the performances and the unexpected approach to the material (given Stone's well-known liberalism). In the past, though I was too young to see the films in the theatres, he made some phenomenal films: JFK, Born on the Fourth of July (still to-date my favorite of his), Platoon, Nixon. I absolutely hated Natural Born Killers, for a great number of reasons. That is an abhorrent, disgusting film, and I completely understand why Tarantino had his name removed from the film. To date that remains his worst effort, though there are quite a few of his films I never saw, like Wall Street 2. Anyway, back to Savages. The trailer did not impress me, and the reviews were even less impressive, so I didn't have much interest in it. But now I have seen it, and I can say this ~125 minute film moves like greased lightning, never lags, never bores, never fails to entertain, and never fails to live up to the best expectations you could possibly have based on the trailer.
The film regards a number of characters, all of whom are important and crucial to the plot, all of whom are evil in some way, and all of whom have a heart - somewhere. Just some more than others. Though, perhaps that statements needs some amendment - there may be one major character who is not evil in any way; that would be O (short for Ophelia, played by Blake Lively), the narrator and lover of the two main characters, Ben (Aaron Johnson) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch). Ben and Chon are best friends who grow and sell the "best" marijuana in the world. Chon is a war veteran, hard as nails, and handles the dangerous side of the business. Ben is practically the opposite; a Buddhist, who has never hurt anybody in his life. This isn't to say Chon is a bad person, but when it comes down to it, he isn't afraid to shoot someone. Ben's nice-guy, Buddhist sensibilities will come to test, however. If you aren't already a savage, you will be. Ben and Chon are best friends, and they both love and share O. As O puts it, "Chon fucks. Ben makes love." The result is one of the most interesting relationships to be put to the screen in a film like this in a long while.
Other key players include DEA Agent Dennis (John Travolta), the vile and ruthless Lado (Benecio del Toro, in yet another great performance), cartel kingpin Elena (Salma Hayek), and Elena's lawyer Alex (Demian Bichir). All of these characters are vital to the plot, and the screenplay never fails to effectively exploit their personalities, motivations, and secrets to create a twisted, fascinating labyrinth of betrayal, intelligence, and hidden agendas. Make no mistake - all of these characters are smart, in their own way. Even Lado, who Elena criticizes as being stupid for thinking torture will ever get the true answer from someone, has some good ideas.
A little on the plot, but not too much, as the screenplay's plot, driven entirely by the characters, is its most wondrous joy. Ben and Chon have been growing for years the best cannabis in the world. Chon smuggled seeds back from Afghanistan, where Ben then used his cultivation skills to create a small, million-dollar business. They sell legally to dispensaries, as well as some illegal operations on the side. They live in a beautiful house in Laguna beach. Laguna Beach, as O puts it, is "where they say God parked his car on the seventh day, but they towed him on the eighth." When Ben and Chon receive a video from the cartel of decapitated bodies, they agree to meet with lawyer Alex (operating on Elena's behalf) to make a deal. This isn't your typical "give us your business or you die" deal. Elena wants to make a legitimate deal with these guys. They stand to earn a good amount of money from it. Only thing is, Ben and Chon want out of the drug business. When they decide to flee to Indonesia with O to escape the cartel (because the cartel doesn't like to be said no to), the cartel kidnaps O, which is where the plot kicks off, and Ben and Chon's sensibilities and the extent to which they will go to get back their beloved will be tested.
This is a fun, entertaining, violent, and smart film. The performances are all around great (with a particular stand-out from del Toro). The screenplay is ace; never does it forget who its characters are or what they want, nor does it fail to keep moving and building tense momentum. When it comes to its climax, we get exactly what we want, in a way that we didn't see coming. It's splendid catharsis, and under Stone's direction and the superb screenplay, it's a catharsis delivered in uniquely wrapped box, rather than your standard shopworn, cardboard container.
I won't say this is a return to form for Stone, as I've never considered him to have much of a form. But it is a good film, an underrated film. And as a visceral piece of action-crime cinema, it is much better than Natural Born Killers, though with less style. But at least this style didn't make me cringe.
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