Review of Savages (2012) by Allan C — 31 Jul 2013

Oliver Stone is a pretty divisive figure in the filmmaking world, but regardless of what you think of his politics, this dude can direct a badass film! "Savages" is a flawed film, but it's refreshing to see Stone make a film that's not trying to be controversial or overtly political.

This film is more of a popcorn flick than most of Stone's films, which is not a bad thing considering Stone wrote the seminal 80s crime film "Scarface" and the very underrated crime film "8 Million Ways to Die.

" Still, it's a smart, fun crime film that takes the audience through an underworld drug economy that seems very real, though I'm hardly one to say what's real and what's not when it comes to the present drug trade, and I found it utterly fascinating.

The story itself involves a couple of California pot growers who run afoul of a major drug cartel who kidnap their girl friend. Events spirals out of control with a series of double crosses and wild bursts of violence where you really don't know who's going to live or die.

The film has a great ensemble cast, though I have to say Benicio Del Toro and John Travolta really steals every scene that they're in. It's not a film for all tastes, but for people who enjoy dirty, violent crime films (not action films) along the lines of "Badlands" or "True Romance" should dig this film.