Savages (2012), Oliver Stone
- IMDB.COM: Rating: 6.5 (65,000+ votes); Metascore: 59 (40+ critics)
- ROTTEN TOMATOES: Tomatometer: 51% (89-176)
- TOP7 NEWSPAPERS: 73 AVG, no 4-star reviews
There’s nothing special about Oliver Stone’s latest heist movie, if it is a heist movie at all. In fact, it is so average that if you google this particular word, there’s a chance that one of its early finds is going to be Savages. Jokes aside, I reviewed it precisely because of its mediocre quality, so that I could pair it up with some good film which review is to come later on.
I won’t bother you or me with empty chit-chat about protagonists and plot – they came out of the same factory and are all but one a dozen. The sole bright spot here is Benicio Del Toro as ruthless Mexican gangster Lado, who is so apt at killings and mutilations that you may think once or twice to yourself, ”This is why this man was brought to Earth.” Charisma of Stone’s terrifying psychopath Del Toro had put in motion is so much more dominant over anything else we see in this picture that some time after you watch the movie you will probably be left with only a shell of movie’s content, but Lado on the other hand would not die a bit. It is as much a praise to Del Toro as it is a slap in the face of Savages.
Finally, I nominate it for annual, wildly popular Film That Had No Business To Be Made But Did Anyway And Is Neither Bad Nor Good But Spot-On In-Between award. Stone’s die hard fans might actually enjoy this stepbrother of U Turn. For all of you out there who do not belong in this club, I fail to utter any word of recommendation.
EUPHORICFX GRADE:
Gotta change that.
