Savages

[Ben]

Release Date: July 6, 2012
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Oliver Stone
Screenwriter: Shane Salerno, Don Winslow, Oliver Stone
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Johnson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Benicio Del Toro, Salma Hayek, Emile Hirsch, Demian Bichir
Genre: Thriller
MPAA Rating: R (for strong brutal and grisly violence, some graphic sexuality, nudity, drug use and language throughout)
Official Website: Savagesfilm.com | Facebook
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DVD: Not Available
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Plot Summary: Three-time Oscar®-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone returns to the screen with the ferocious thriller "Savages," featuring the all-star ensemble cast of Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Johnson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Benicio Del Toro, Salma Hayek, Emile Hirsch and Demian Bichir. The film is based on Don Winslow's best-selling crime novel that was named one of The New York Times' Top 10 Books of 2010.

Laguna Beach entrepreneurs Ben (Johnson), a peaceful and charitable Buddhist, and his closest friend Chon (Kitsch), a former Navy SEAL and ex-mercenary, run a lucrative, homegrown industry—raising some of the best marijuana ever developed. They also share a one-of-a-kind love with the extraordinary beauty Ophelia (Lively). Life is idyllic in their Southern California town...until the Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in and demands that the trio partners with them.

When the merciless head of the BC, Elena (Hayek), and her brutal enforcer, Lado (Del Toro), underestimate the unbreakable bond among these three friends, Ben and Chon—with the reluctant, slippery assistance of a dirty DEA agent (Travolta)—wage a seemingly unwinnable war against the cartel. And so begins a series of increasingly vicious ploys and maneuvers in a high stakes, savage battle of wills.

[video=youtube;KC2zbOwbeEs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC2zbOwbeEs[/video]
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Movie looks great, huge fan of Oliver Stone, and the whole premise here looks really promising.

 

[Keith]

Stone is very hit and miss for me. When he is at his best with films like Wall Street and Natural Born Killers (althrough even that film has problems) he can be a very through provoking and powerful director, but then with stuff like Platoon and his recent documentary South of the Border he totally loses focus or falls too eaislly into sentmentally or often has nothing of note to say at all.

It looks like the support cast is better than the leads in this film, which is done on purpose, the leads are there for some star power and the support for the substance. I will give it a watch but it is not something I will rush to see.