Film Review: Savages (2012)
Savages (2012). Directed by Oliver Stone and based on the novel by Don Winslow. Set mostly in California, the film starts with a grainy video shot by a Mexican drug cartel, in which they execute a number of men with a chainsaw. The video is sent to scare two Californians (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Taylor Kitsch), that have their own marijuana mini-empire which the cartel want to join with. Savages is a great, if slightly messy effort. The rich story follows various twists and turns as two Californian marijuana growers go up against a Mexican drug cartel, over a fairly lengthy 2h20m. Both Taylor-Johnson and Kitsch are good, if a little flat perhaps, with a great non-flat supporting cast of Salma Hayek, Benicio del Toro, and John Travolta. The film is also well directed by Stone. The only sloppiness for me was in the story, which seems a little too hard to believe at times, artistic license aside. As I'm sure you picked up the from the intro, the film is very violent at times, so not for the sensitive. I get the feeling this won't be everyone's cup of tea, even those who like a well paced thriller, so you may want to approach cautiously. 5/5 (Excellent)