'SAVAGES'

'SAVAGES' (R) (3 STARS)

Written by Shane Salerno, Don Winslow and Oliver Stone based on Winslow's novel
Directed by Oliver Stone
Actors: Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Blake Lively, John Travolta, Salma Hayek, Benicio Del Toro

What a difference a few days make sometimes when you regret not liking a movie. I forgot a day after watching Oliver Stone's newest "Savages" that I am not a critic and I should have been more open to Oliver Stone's latest. "Savages" has grown on me a day after because I remember the good things about this movie and they have made me chamge my mind. At first "Savages" felt too long and complicated and then I remembered that's what I want in a movie. This year is full of a lot of badly written movies with no depth. "Savages" is a breath of adult, fresh air in a sea of shallow fluff and it unfolds like a good book. I want to see it again for the fact that the supporting characters here are fascinating.

If you are looking for adult themed movies this year "Savages" is one of a few including "Magic Mike" and "Moonrise Kingdom". If you like good crime novels made into gritty, violent movies I think you will like "Savages". It tells the story of two college buddies Chon and Ben. They share one woman named O, short for Ophelia. Ben is a laid back activist and smart Botany student. Chon is the more violent muscle type who was in the Army and dropped out of school. They both share O but there is an undercurrent here that Chon and Ben love each other more than each one loves O.

They get entangled with drug dealers as Ben has perfected a primo blend of marijuana and they want to go into business. Ben would rather go to Indonesia to help sick people get marijuana for medical purposes, Chon wants to make money. O gets kidnapped by drug kingpins after they refuse at first to go into business with the female head of the drug empire. Chon and Ben also have a Federal Agent in their back pocket, Dennis who has a wife who is dying. There is also a killer for hire and he is the muscle for the female in charge Elena.

"Savages" will get a little violent and twisted as both sides go back and forth in one upping each other in payback. This is where "Savages" kind of lost me because there is a lot of talk and I felt the movie dragged. I like the characters of Ben, Chon and Ophelia but I didn't care a lot for them. I really loved the supporting characters like John Travolta as the Federal Agent Dennis. Travolta is funny and gives a great character performance here, one of his best in years. Salma Hayek is also incredible as the violent, deranged head of the drug empire. It is a multi layered character and performance as Elena turns from cool and caring to psychotic at the drop of a hat. Benicio Del Toro is also delightfully sleazy as the killer for hire and him and Travolta have a scene near the end that is worth the price of admission.

I didn't like "Savages" right after I saw it, I was actually on the fence between faint admiration and actually liking the movie. I am reccomending it because of the movie being adult and twisted and an improvement on a lot of movies aimed at teenagers these days. Oliver Stone does an obviously great job directing and this is the best he has been in awhile especially coming after the mistake "Wall Street:Money Never Sleeps". I also loved that Taylor Kitsch finally gets a movie that rises to his potential. I also loved the supporting characters and the performances of Travolta, Del Toro and Hayek. "Savages" is complicated, gritty, violent and when I thought it lost me I remembered a day after that it actually worked on me.

P.S. If you are a big fan of Travolta, Hayek and Del Toro you will find some of their best work in "Savages"