Savages (2012)
Released: September 21st 2012
Cert: 15
Dir: Oliver Stone, Writing Credits: Oliver Stone, Shane Salerno & Don Winslow (Screenplay) Based on Don Winslow’s Novel
Cast: Blake Lively, Aaron Johnson, Taylor Kitsch, Salma Hayek, Benicio Del Toro and John Travolta
Plot Summary
Ben and Chon’s idyllic existence with shared girlfriend ‘O’ is thrown in to chaos when the Mexican Baja Cartel decide to muscle in on their lucrative independent marijuana growing business. As events escalate, the stakes are raised to deadly levels.
Review
A strange film, Savages opens with a voice over from ‘O’ (Blake Lively) who warns us that just because she is telling us this tale, it does not mean that she has survived it. She hints that like her namesake ‘Ophelia’, tragedy awaits setting up the events that are to come.
At the heart of this movie is the central relationship between ‘O’, Ben (Johnson) and Chon (Kitsch) living together in Southern California. A strange relationship, in that ‘O’ loves both men equally and that both men love her without jealousy, it is this bond between the three and in particular our male protagonists that drives the actions of the story.
The film takes delight in normalising the use of marijuana, making a point of referencing legal dispensaries and the ‘comfort’ that their product brings to people (the terminally ill or the chronically sick) even going to great lengths to show Ben (the self styled healer of the group) as a charitable pot kingpin bringing clean water and schools to Indonesian villages.
Chon is not shown to be so charitable, the dynamic of these two brothers in arms is summed in one sentence: ‘Ben’s philosophy is Buddhist, Chon’s – baddest’. Chon is the enforcer in this crew, a former Navy Seal and veteran of two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not shy about dealing in violence and intimidation, his philosophy is hitting hard, hitting first and taking no prisoners.
The main cast is rounded out by Salma Hayek, Benicio Del Toro and John Travolta. Hayek is impressive in a role that gives her an opportunity to be both seductive and terrifying that she has not really had since Santanica Pandemonium in From Dusk Till Dawn. As Elena, the leader of the Baja Cartel, Hayek is controlled, ruthless and with very little effort, able to make grown men sweat with fear. The film however follows drug movie convention and as fearsome as Elena is, the real villain of the film is Del Toro’s perverse enforcer Lado.
Del Toro brings a perverse enjoyment to his role as the sexually deviant, violently caustic Lado. In scenes of brutal and at times graphic torture Lado is at his most alive, a true sadist who takes pleasure in the pain (both physical and emotional) of others. Whether he is carrying out brutal intimidation or ‘firing’ a fellow member of the cartel for being ‘too sensitive’ Lado carries the film's biggest threat.
Travolta brings a suitably slimy quality as Dennis, the crooked, double-dealing DEA officer. He is refreshingly without his seemingly obligatory and ridiculous hair-piece favouring the natural look which (as superficial as it sounds) really helps to bring an authenticity to the character, as his vanity lies not in his physical appearance but his position. A weak man, Dennis plays every side against each other and it is difficult to pin down if he has any loyalty other than to himself.
The performances of Hayek, Del Toro and Travolta are particularly strong with the standout scene being a showdown between Lado and Dennis. The film lags somewhat when these characters are off screen and that is one of the fundamental problems with Savages.
Given that the film is ostensibly about the polyandrous relationship between ‘O’ and her two lovers and the lengths that these two men will go to for love, it is disappointing that the relationship never fully rings true. The performances lack chemistry and do not sell the relationship and most importantly we never learn enough about the back story of Ben and Chon to sell the friendship and the love they have for each other as ‘brothers’ who could share their lover without even a hint of jealousy.
This is film that has so many tangents that could be explored such as the effect of active service and the damage it has done to Chon’s psyche, the drug trade in the USA both legal and illegal, or even the pitfalls and benefits of non-conventional relationships.
A film-maker as outspoken and intelligent as Oliver Stone could have used the ‘war on drugs’ as an allegory for the war on terror or the US Governments foreign policy for the past half century. With the super-pot originating in Afghanistan via seeds smuggled back by Chon and the use of IEDs (again Afghan in origin) the film could have really explored the effect on the USA of the long term occupation of Middle East and its impact on home soil, yet none of this is present and the script ultimately descends in to a by-the-numbers thriller that has very little to say.
Given that the script was in part adapted by Don Winslow, whose book this film is based it is disappointing that more of his experience and research did not make it in to the end result and it’s even more disappointing that Winslow’s characters do not feel as rounded as they did on the page.
As you would expect from an Oliver Stone film, violence is a constant source of both drama and terror, with several particularly difficult and shocking scenes. Sadlyy, it is in the violence that Stone brings this film to life. The effects of violence on Ben in particular provide some of the most compelling drama of the film.
Violence is an ever-present reality in this world and the depths with which the characters are able to sink, gives the film its title. In a climate where video calls threatening decapitation and torture are accompanied by comedic Mexicana ringtones the contrast between the realities of those who suffer violently in the real world and the ‘cool’ violence presented to the viewer as entertainment is never more clear.
This film is a missed opportunity and sadly not a return to form for Stone. The sex scenes lack chemistry or the thrill that the unusual relationship hinted at. The story lacks any real emotional punch and with a bizarre ending the film seems intent on both having its cake and eating it, leaving the viewer to ponder what might have been had the film focused more attention on the dynamics of Travolta, Hayek and Del Toro.
If you want to watch a film that has something to say about the drug trade you would be far better off watching Traffic or Blow, both of which have drama and impact on a level that Savages can only aspire to.
My Rating: 5.8 out of 10 Kevin Williams
