SAVAGES

US, 2012, 131 minutes, Colour.
Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Blake Lively, John Travolta, Salma Hayek, Benicio Del Toro, Demian Bichir, Emile Hirsch, Shea Whigham.
Directed by Oliver Stone.

Well, the film lives up to its title. This is a film which is often savage, sometimes brutish. It is the work of Oliver Stone, attempting to portray the ugliness and inherent violence and greed in the Mexican drug cartels as well as in the American growers and dealers – with the Mexicans moving in on the border states, and with the connivance of some DEA officers.

Stone knows how to make films and has two directing Oscars to demonstrate it (Platoon and Born of the Fourth of July). Come to think of it, this reviewer prefers his Vietnam trilogy and his forays into American presidential politics (and conspiracies) of JFK, Nixon and the two Bush presidents. Savages has a lot in common with his Natural Born Killers (1994) and the picture of violence and the exploitation by the media.

The cast all do their contribution well, interesting to see Salma Hayak as the drug (usually lord because usually a man, but what is the title for a woman) boss. Benicio del Toro is her enforcer, unscrupulously brutal and double-dealing, a character without a redeeming feature.

But, the focus is on young Americans. While they have their own brutality and see the tactics of the Mexicans as ‘savage’, the screenplay makes the point they too are caught up in this world, a consequence of their choices to grow, sell and deal (and use) and that they do savage things (and they do). But, they are ambiguous central characters. They might be set up as the victims of the brutal cartels, but by the end, despite some regrets, they escape into sunsets, tropical isles and glorification.

Taylor Kitsch is the Afghanistan veteran, short (very short) fuse who is used to violence and deaths. And he has military buddies who come to the party against the Mexicans. Redeeming features? Not particularly. Aaron Johnson, his buddy from school days and wiz at economics and business, has set up the marijuana project (the best in the US, he claims). He devotes some of his profits to charity and developments in Africa. Obviously redeemable – and it is he who is forced to set fire to a cartel officer who has been set-up as scapegoat. Blake Lively is the attractive girl, to both of the men, a ménage a trois. For a lot of the film, which she narrates, she is an abduction victim to pressurize the two men to deal with the cartel. Then there is John Travolta (not looking particularly healthy) as the corrupt Drug Enforcement official.

The presence of Benicio del Toro will remind many audiences that he was in Traffic (and won an Oscar for his performance). Traffic is the more impressive and impactful film on US-Mexican drug issues. Savages is harder to take.

1. The work of Oliver Stone, his perspectives on society, politics, the 21st century, the drug world and its brutality, savage worlds?

2. Oliver Stone and the savagery of the characters, the themes, the visuals, the torture and deaths?

3. The glorifying of savagery? The more glamorised presentation of the central characters? In contrast with the brutality of the cartels?

4. The setting of Laguna Beach, the coast and the surf, homes, the DEA offices, the contrast with Mexico, the drug world, wealth, poverty? The desert landscapes for action, military, ambushes? The musical score?

5. O and the initial images, her voice-over, her story, saying she could be dead, black and white? The introduction to the characters, her explanations of Chon and Ben, the relationship with her, between themselves, their building up a drug business, the drug wars, Chon and Afghanistan and Iraq? Ben and his charity work?

6. Chon and his story, a hard man, prone to violence, ability to kill? Growing up with Ben, their friendship? His relationship with O, the harsh sexuality, therapy? The ménage? The bond between the men? Ben and his story, the seeds smuggled from Afghanistan, his business acumen, his customers, the manufacturing of the marijuana? Sharing? The cartels, El Azul? Elena? The muscling in of the cartels, the threats?

7. The contrast between Chon and Ben, the hard man, the softer man, their interactions with O? Treatment of the workers? The scenes on the beach, friendship? Their own drug-taking?

8. The computers, the visuals of the decapitations, the executions, the threats from the cartel? The setting up of the meeting, Chon and Ben and their defiance?

9. El Azul, his cartel? Elena, her crew? The computer threats, Elena disguising her voice? That she was female?

10. Chad, the scene at his home, the intrusion, Lado, the confrontation, the brutality, the torture, getting the information, getting the boy to kill Chad’s wife, his being sick afterwards? His later being shot by Lado for being too sensitive?

11. O and her shopping, her being abducted, being seen on the computer screen, the effect, her being drugged? Treatment, Lado and his brutality, feeding her the meat, her wanting healthier food? The later visuals of his brutality and rape?

12. Dennis, John Travolta’s style, the corrupt officer, his lavish house, his sick wife, his daughters, his protecting Ben and Chon? Information? His helping them with the information about the three million dollars, the computers and changing Alex’s accounts, his deals with Lado, double-deals, covering himself and his reputation, his deals, the final confrontation, the arrests, his reputation and his media conference?

13. The setting up of the robbery, the military operation, the timing, its success? Ben defying Lado and lying to him? Lado believing him?

14. The financial deals, the reliance on Spin? His clever treatment, changing accounts? Dennis and his participation? The three million dollars – the men’s willingness to get this for getting O back?

15. Alex, his being taken, the brutality of his torture, his desperate confession, Ben being made to light the fire, O watching on the computer? The effect on Ben?

16. Lado, his being in league with Azul, with Dennis? His own family? His being completely amoral?

17. Elena, the relationship with her daughter, the daughter’s neglect of her mother? The daughter being abducted? Elena and her desperation to get her daughter back? Bowing to pressure?

18. The first ending, the audience being cheated? The what if... shootout? The confrontations, the shootings, the deaths?

19. The real ending? Milder? The arrests, Chon and Ben reunited with O? Their going to the islands?

20. The cynical attitude, crime paying? Yet in a savage world who can avoid becoming savage themselves?