I don’t usually go see movies like Savages in the theater and definitely not by myself. I’m kind of a baby when it comes to violence and the depravity of humans so I usually wait for DVD so I can curl up in my favorite chair and hide my eyes behind my favorite blanket when the “scary” parts come on. But for Taylor Kitsch, I’d do anything. And so very glad that I did.
Savages is a love story. One in the veins of True Romance, my very favorite Tarantino script ever. Which is of course the first thing that Oliver Stone did right with this one. The love story is between Ben (Aaron Johnson) a do-gooder hippie type, Chon (Taylor Kitsch, looking beyond gorgeous covered in scars and tattoos) a brutally damaged Navy Seal veteran and O (Blake Lively) the girl who loves them both. The three of them live in a brightly colored world financed by their highly successful boutique marijuana business. There is no jealousy or trouble, only drug induced love fests in between trips to the beach. All is well and good until Ben & Chon decide not to do business with an insistent Mexican drug cartel. When the boys won’t do things their way, the cartel decide to try a little persuasion by taking from them what they love most: O. And that is when the shit really hits the fan.
Parts of story moved a bit slower than I thought they would after their girl is kidnapped but it was an overall exciting ride with a fun surprise twist at the end. It becomes clear quite quickly that the boys are willing to do almost anything to get the love of their lives back. Ben’s reluctance to do what is necessary is almost more moving than Chon’s desparity to do the same. There was just enough sex and violence and I loved the way everything was colored as if it were filmed in a tropical fish aquarium. The brilliant colors and weed driven scenarios gave me feelings I had while watching The Beach. O’s narration was a bit grating at times but poetic at others and provided necessary details to the plot. Benicio Del Toro’s Lado was positively terrifying in the best way and both Salma Hayek and John Travolta played entertaining pieces in the grand game of love, drugs and money.
It was great to see Kitsch out of his dumb ass with a heart of gold niche and since I went to see this movie for him, some of my favorite parts were when he really let loose. I should have known that he could make violence look so beautiful.
If you’re looking for a fun way to get out of the heat, give this one a go. It’ll definitely take to to a whole new place.
winestainedlife 