Savages - (July
6th, 2012): R
Distributor: Universal
Pictures
Opening Weekend Box Office:
#4 with $16,016,910
Domestic Box Office
Gross to-date: $36,656,195
Gross Revenue: $37,656,195
Production Budget:
$45 million
Director: Oliver Stone
You know, one cannot help but feel
some sympathy for Taylor Kitsch; Hollywood seems determined to prove to
audience that the young actor is a blockbuster leading man, but after the
sub-par performances of big budget gambles like John Carter and Battleship,
the desired message clearly isn’t coming across. Needless to say, with Kitsch now set to work
alongside other young silver screen talent like Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass) and Blake Lively (Gossip Girl), it was clear that the
audience recognition of the top-billed actors wouldn’t be the main
selling-point for Savages. Don’t get me wrong, there were some definite
big names attached to this newest action thriller to generate ticket sales, as
Benicio del Toro, Salma Hayek, and John Travolta, all have proven cinematic
track records, but the best thing Savages
had going for it was the involvement of
director Oliver Stone. Virtually any
film featuring the drug trade is sure to draw in fans of the crime genre, and
when you weigh that fact against Oliver Stone’s work on a genre icon like Scarface, quality expectations had to be
through the roof. Though the film’s
R-rating, dark subject matter, and release just days after The Amazing Spider-Man didn’t exactly guarantee box office success,
by all accounts it looked like Universal Pictures and Relativity Media would
still be delivering a highly-entertaining project that would be well-worth the
price of admission.
Based on the novel of the same name
written by Don Winslow, Savages
offers an in-depth and chilling look at the brutality of the marijuana business
and drug cartels, and at the center of this story are best friends Chon (Taylor
Kitsch) and Ben (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).
Combining Chon’s experience as a former Navy SEAL and Ben’s education as
a business and botany student, the two Laguna Beach residents produce and
distribute what is widely considered the best strain of marijuana in the world;
enjoying their success and wealth, Chon and Ben also revel in sharing the
affections of the free-spirited Ophelia “O” Sage (Blake Lively). However, things quickly shift when the two
business partners are approached by a powerful Mexican cartel but subsequently
refuse the cartel’s offer for partnership, enraging the ruthless drug kingpin
and cartel leader, Elena Sánchez (Salma Hayek).
Seeking to teach the independent distributors a lesson in respect, Elena
has O kidnapped by her ruthless enforcer, the violent and thoroughly psychotic
Miguel “Lado” Arroyo (Benicio del Toro).
Rather than take this punishment lying down and be forced into compliance,
Chon and Ben use the resources of their corrupt DEA contact, Agent Higgins
(John Travolta), to learn all they can about the cartel, resolving to rescue O
and get revenge by any means necessary.
Though some of the finer elements
of the story leave plenty to be desired, Savages
still remains supremely entertaining, and that fact is due largely to the
characters presented in the narrative, a majority of whom are brilliant and
utterly engrossing. As partners in crime,
Kitsch and Johnson represent the perfect team-up, showcasing tremendous talent
that is sure to be showcased for years to come; it looks like Kitsch has
finally found his perfect type of character, as the young actor plays a violent
psychopath almost a little too well.
Still, as enjoyable the heroes of the film were, the true stars of Savages are the villains themselves, as
both Benicio del Toro and Salma Hayek are just downright scary; because both
are usually so menacingly calm, anytime either raises their voice, you know that
blood will be spilt. And speaking of
blood, there is more than enough violence within Savages to make even the most hardcore of gore fans cringe from
time to time, thereby making full use of the R-rating and showcasing a
mesmerizingly dark side of human nature.
Yet, in spite of all these positive accolades associated with the
characters and action, when it comes to other filmmaking elements, it is clear
that many people behind the camera tried far too hard.
Though no one can deny the
directorial talent and legacy of Oliver Stone, it almost seems like the
Hollywood icon overplayed his hand in trying to imbue the drug trade with some
kind of deeper meaning or symbolism.
Between awkward camerawork and sheer nonsensical non-diegetic elements,
there are times where this action thriller is just downright weird, and that
truth is not helped by the confusing and convoluted writing. Despite the fact that the overarching plot
hook of a kidnapping remains intact, a number of the character motivations
remain unaddressed, and it is not always entirely clear how some of the
components of the revenge scheme fall together.
And, if there are times where you find yourself confused, having Blake
Lively serve as your narrator certainly isn’t going to make anything easier, as
her character is far more interested in spewing some kind of granola-laced Zen
haiku than telling an actual story…bottom line, she gets annoying quickly, so
much so that you almost wish she would just stay kidnapped. So, if you were banking on Savages to be the new gold standard of
the crime genre, one that you will be talking about for years, you might want
to reassess your expectations.
When I wrote about The Amazing Spider-Man’s box office
performance, I commented on the awkwardness of the 4th of July
Holiday Weekend falling on a Wednesday, and given the fact that a large portion
of moviegoers likely blew town after sticking around to watch Peter Parker,
there was a significant chance that Savages
would get lost in the fold. Well, even
though a $16 million opening isn’t exactly a disaster, a 4th place
finish isn’t something that any new release actively strives to accomplish, and
during the heavily-packed Summer Movie Season, a second weekend
come-from-behind victory is near-impossible.
And, at this point, with an almost non-existent foreign release and the
failure of box office receipts to recover the production budget after two
weeks, it is likely that Universal will post a loss against a modest $45
million expenditure. In all honesty,
with The Dark Knight Rises just
opening and high-profile offerings like The
Bourne Legacy and The Expendables 2
hitting in August, the fact remains that Savages
has seen its best days. In the end,
R-rated thrillers are a pretty rare occurrence in theaters lately, and Savages isn’t likely to have audiences clamoring
for more.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
