Savages, a plate of noodles.

The only savage thing about the new movie realized by Oliver Stone seems to be its title.

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Strength and anger, that’s what I love from Oliver Stone ! All this seems to have disappeared .. Where is his genius of the provocation, his ability to create powerful movies ?

Ben and Chon are two friends who grow marijuana in Long Beach. Ben is a pacifist and Chon an ancient soldier who is quite violent. Both of them are involved in a love triangle with Ophelia. A Mexican drug cartel is interested in their business and wants to buy all their marijuana (which is the best in the country). They refuse the offer and the cartel decides to kidnap their common girlfriend. Ben and Chon are going to try to retrieve her, at all costs…

First, the scenario is a bit effete with predictable characters. A man who is violent at first sight but who is going to be discovered as a sensitive guy, the other one who is cool and ready to everything, and a sexy girl for the audience but who is a bit clueless for the cinematic effect ? Come on.

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Also, the film takes too much time to set off with a progress of the story sometimes too slow… The film could have been reduced so we could avoid many unnecessary parts. I was feeling asleep during most of the 40 first minutes of Savages.

Yet, it could have worked in the light of a cast which was very trendy, with some actors like Blake Lively, Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson… But it would be good to remind to our little Stone that “cool” is not everything, and “cool” might give a film without any interest…Ophelia for example lacks of charisma and she’s a bit too overrated, so we can’t consider her as an endearing character.

And the end ! When the film is just beginning to get a little interesting, the director decides to destroy everything with an “happy” end. He doesn’t have the courage to choose only one end to his movie .. Damn, after so many years of career …

Hum, well okay when re-reading my review I feel like I may have been a bit too hard. Oliver Stone delivers us a movie which is not horrible but I’m so disappointed. I was expecting more from such a good director. It’s nothing very innovative.

Let’s say that Savages is like a good plate of noodles straight out of the microwave.