With “Savages”, you’d be better to leave this Stone unturned

Posted by Thomas Willett

July 19, 2012

Over his career, director Oliver Stone has made some of the most brutal and honest films in American cinema. Movies like Natural Born Killers reflect a filmmaker who doesn’t so much glorify violence as use it to find the heart of the human condition. This is why it makes total sense that he would be interested in adapting Don Winslow’s book Savages, a story that tackles the drug cartels of America and Mexico. Does Stone bring his gritty charm to this story, or is it too familiar to be interesting?

From the first five minutes, this feels like a cliché Stone film. In between many uses of different camera techniques, the narrator, named O (Blake Lively), runs down a list of ideas that reflect the filmmaker’s personal views. His condoning of marijuana, a former Iraq soldier named Chon (Taylor Kitsch), and the overall dream of a better America at this point in his career feel like running gags.

The narrator is meant to introduce us to the world of Laguna, CA in a very casual manner. The trouble is that O is a very vapid character who never establishes pathos. Her love triangle with Chon and the peaceful Ben (Aaron Johnson) immediately feels forced when she compares sex with both. She details that Ben has orgasms and Chon has wargasms. It is embarrassing puns like this that make the movie feel campy despite a competent exterior. It feels like writers Shane Salerno, Don Winslow, and Oliver Stone cannot write good dialogue for women. This almost derails the movie with unnecessary voice over.

Once you get to the actual story, things are a little different. O is kidnapped by the Mexican drug cartel and the journey to get her back is on. It becomes a love story without the sappy brooding and a whole lot of disturbing themes. We finally understand where Stone’s passion is in this story when the Mexican story line develops. Lado (Benicio Del Toro) is a ruthless agent for Elena (Salma Hayek), who takes out his enemies by going to their homes disguised as a gardener. Throughout the multiple interrogations, Lado shows a dark sense of humor that only adds to the menace. He is the driving evil of this story, and it makes for some satisfying conflict in the second act.

For the most part, the performances aren’t exceptional. Blake Lively is bland, as her damsel in distress story doesn’t feel earned. Aaron Johnson is the best part of this film. He manages to bring some manic chaos to the peaceful Ben as he slowly turns to violent measures. He gives the performance his all and while Taylor Kitsch’s performance feels bland, Johnson elevates them to an interesting odd couple. They manage to add weight to the uneven plot and keep this from being a total waste.

This movie’s biggest fault lies in the writing. There doesn’t seem to be a profound statement about drug cartels. It plays out as a rescue mission with some intriguing side steps. With poorly written characters, there are also many moments that feel unintentionally humorous. Whether the vapid nature is supposed to be reflective of Laguna culture or not, many lines of dialogue feel stilted and awkward. This snags at the buildup and underwhelms the moments of triumph.

One of the reliefs was that Stone didn’t shy away from violence. At many points, people are shot, stabbed, or burned in somewhat graphic detail. There is energy in these brief moments that can be exhilarating. He manages to keep it from being distracting, though it ruins the final act. This is a huge issue in the final shoot out when things have a satisfying conclusion only to be spoiled by voice over. It manages to have the gruesome ending of the book while also adding a super happy ending where America wins. The choice to have two endings feels like a forced compromise and takes out all of the momentum achieved throughout the past two hours.

Stone may still have an eye for brutal visuals and intriguing film techniques, but he has lost the fearless narrative skills. While he has some interesting characters like Ben and Lado, he also has some underdeveloped embarrassments like O that would work better in supporting roles. The script is the real flaw to this movie, and with bad dialogue scattered throughout, it is hard to keep the dark and violent tale afloat. Savages sounded like a great project for Stone to push his agendas on filmgoers while sounding confident. Instead, it is a cluttered mess with a solid story at the core, but terrible missteps surrounding it.