Review of Savages (2012) by Harry W — 08 Apr 2014

Although I think that Oliver Stone is an idiotic film director for creating such awful pieces of sh*t as Alexander, Natural Born Killers and W., there was something about Savages that peaked my interest.

Like many of Oliver Stoneâ(TM)s films, Savages is a bit of a clunky film. It has so many characters to tell its story about but never really rests on the most interesting material. It covers Blake Livelyâ(TM)s character Ophelia âOâ? Sage as she faces the growing intensity in the criminal world around her which she has fallen into and refuses to get out of. Unfortunately though, of the many characters in Savages, Ophelia is one of the least interesting, if not the single least interesting of all of them. This is a mix of things, such as the fact that she is not as directly involved in the criminal world as the other characters and the fact that she is not written to be that interesting or deep. This means that Blake Lively can do pretty much nothing with the role but the same generic thing that every damsel in distress can ever do, as well as stand around looking attractive. Also, Blake Lively is a really limited actress who hasnâ(TM)t developed well over the course of many years. The last film I saw her in was Green Lantern and her performance was the obvious low point of the entire film in terms of cast, and most of the actors in that film were crap so that is really saying something. And in Savages her performance is better but still is of no interest, and when she announces at the start of the film that it is likely her character will not survive to the end I felt that it wasnâ(TM)t worth getting attatched which was reinforced when I saw the lack of power in her performance stemming from her blank facial expression and the fact that it is clear she does not know half of what she is saying. Blake Livelyâ(TM)s lead performance is a very generic one which is too obviously rehearsed and rehearsed poorly, and so she is miscast in Savages because she doesnâ(TM)t have the same feeling of dark grit that the film takes on and is more of a model than an actress at all. There is no telling how excellent the film would have been if Jennifer Lawrence had stayed in the role, but nobody can honestly argue that Blake Lively did better than whatever Jennifer Lawrence could have done with the role. It is unfortunate that she dropped out and left us with Ryan Reynoldsâ(TM) replacement for Scarlett Johansson because Blake Lively is not an actress yet.

So since one of the key aspects of the story in Savages is following a bland character who isnâ(TM)t worth really caring for, it has one serious story issue. The ambitious scope of what Oliver Stone was trying to achieve is admirable and his direction is some of his best in years, but he does make the mistake of not keeping the focus of the story on the more thought provoking aspects of the story. There is a very high concept in Savages, but considering that the story is largely dominated by listening to Blake Livelyâ(TM)s senseless narration and lack of acting talent, it doesnâ(TM)t exactly go about unfolding its story in the strongest way. So in some ways, Savages faces a flawed execution of its high concept plot and the fact that its focus and pacing is very scattershot. Savages doesnâ(TM)t contain consistent interest, and overall it has quite a few good moments due to Oliver Stoneâ(TM)s fearlessness into exploring dark territory, but as a whole the experience of Savages is rather rudimentary. Still, it is some of the best direction Oliver Stone has put out in a long time. While the script isn't the finest because the narration from Blake Lively is tedious and some of the dialogue fails to transcend some occasional weaknesses, it at least manages to stay effective enough to keep the material sufficient until the end.

Savages has a lot of visual appeal. Boasting an awesome aesthetic appearance which combines a lot of great scenery with plenty of colour, Savages boasts some great cinematography which keeps a certain distance from the characters and gives audiences the idea that they are experiencing everything form a third person perspective. While at times it feels like Savages uses the Dutch Angle technique a little much, it is still appealing and nowhere near as bad as the excessive amount of use of the Dutch angle used in John Travoltaâ(TM)s career killing worst film Battlefield Earth. The cinematography in Savages finds a fairly good balance between stability and some atmospheric shaking, and it is consistently good at capturing the broad colour palette of Savages. And it is edited well and features an intense musical score, so Savages is a rather atmospheric piece which makes the experience of the film more positive. And it is never short on showing the blood and ogre which makes the experience more brutal and difficult to watch yet still entertaining.

And when it comes to the cast, Savages boasts a lot of talent except for Blake Lively. But Iâ(TM)ve explained her flaws so Iâ(TM)ll move onto the more positive aspects of the acting.

Aaron Taylor-Johnsonâ(TM)s lead performance has some occasional bumps, but overall he is an intense and gritty lead for the dark material in Savages. Instantly separating himself from his iconic performance in Kick-Ass, Aaron Taylor-Johnson dives head on into the dark and rough material that Savages goes through and never looks back. His fierce way of conveying the intense drama that he is facing is very strong, and it makes the experience of Savages more intense than it already is. Aaron Taylor-Johnson makes a compelling effort in Savages and it shows his ability to work rough material seriously.

Taylor Kitsch manages to supply a fairly effective lead performance as well. While he doesn't have the same tense emotional edge that Aaron Taylor-Kohnson boasts, but his lead effort is a strong one in which he boasts a really constructive chemistry with Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The two make a really good team with Taylor Kitsch supplying a lot of support to the story in a fairly good effort. And while his lead performance feels somewhat routine, he still managed to make an effective cast member who had some fairly powerful moments. Him and Aaron Taylor-Johnson carry their side of the story together well, and it makes sure that they make up for the damage caused by Blake Lively's performance.

Salma Hayek's performance is just terrific. Taking on the high profile crime role of Elena Sanchez, Salma Hayek combines her natural sex appeal with her skill at playing strong female roles and works a manipulative tactic into her character. Although she has her bumps along the way, you can see the powerful emotions within her expressed through the intensity in her facial gestures and the flare in her eyes, and when she brings it in together with her rough emotional line delivery she creates a very complicated character. She turns Elena Sanchez into a figure who is powerful yet emotionally weak, and as she comes into conflict with the other characters the interest in the story rises. Salma Hayek's performance in Savages is some of her finest in a long time because it returns her to more dramatic material which is less commercial, and she takes the opportunity head on. It is great to see Salma Hayek out and actively doing her best again, and she is a truly genial presence for Savages to boast as a cast member.

Benecio del Toro is an actor than anyone can associate with drug themed crime films due to his Academy Award winning performance in Traffic and his bominated performance in 21 Grams. And in Savages he pulls out the same skills and gives a strong antagonistic performance as the not so merciful Miguel "Lado" Arroyo which is both tense and intimidating. He proves a viable cast member to Savages due to his natural ability to get into dark territory and work his way around which is exactly what e does in Savages where his unflinching performance reminds us what makes him such a great actor in the first place.

John Travolta gives one of his finest efforts in a long time in Savages. He has proved many times that he is a great actor, but lately he hasnâ(TM)t been able to play the lead in a film and do it all that well which has left films such as Wild Hogs, Old Dogs and Battlefield Earth featuring some of his lesser skills as an actor. Conversely, during the past decade he has proved his skill at playing villainous parts such as his lead in Sword Fish and his large supporting performance in The Taking of Pelham 123. In Savages he has a small but pivotal role in the story and takes the role on with ease l, and in his small screen time he manages to deliver the dramatic material with a feeling of genuine realism which shoes him getting back to the basic elements of what makes him a good actor. John Travolta's honest performance makes Savages even better, and it is good to see him returning to lucrative form.

So while Savages suffered from scattered focus and a messy story structure as well as the fatal flaw of giving a lead role to Blake Lively, it takes Oliver Stone back to the dark and lurid material that made him great in the first place and tackles a complex high-concept story with a very talented cast and sufficient script.