Best friends Ben (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Chon (Taylor Kitch) are living a great life with their shared girlfriend O (Blake Lively), thanks to their succesful marijuana business. However their lives are turned upside down when they refuse an offer from a Mexican drug cartel, who want in on their business. There really was no option and there’s no messing with the cartel’s head Elena (Salma Hayek). Elena can be quite savage, doing whatever it takes to get what she wants – including kidnapping the boys’ shared love, O.
Savages is not for the faint hearted. From the get go it is quite savage, with lots of blood shed and brutal attacks. However it isn’t all about the attacks. In amongst the brutality of it all, writer/director, Oliver Stone, manages to inject some beauty (the cinematography is at times gorgeous), humour and even some emotion.
Lively is the standout of the film. She had already made her mark in Hollywood, thanks to Gossip Girl, but this performance will cement her spot. Not only does she look gorgeous on the screen but her narration is what connects the audience with the film, and ensures that the audience actually cares about what happens to the characters – even if at times some of them feel like over the top charicatures (especially Benecio Del Toro’s Lado and John Travolta’s cop).
Stone could have cut at least 20 minutes from this film but that said audiences will still be on the edge of their seats.
While Savages takes you on a ride, the problem withit is that you can’t help but think that if this was in Quentin Tarantino’s hands it would have been an iconic, rather than a good, film! The ending was very disappointing but if you can forgive that, it is an entertaining, if somewhat ‘savage’, film!
Hi,
I’m Sarina Bellissimo and this is the place I come to indulge in my love of all things entertainment. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by all things Hollywood/showbiz. I blame my parents!
As a child my mum used to force me to watch old Elvis Presley films with her, and both my mum & dad would take my brothers and I to the Drive-In to watch the latest films (this is where my love for ROCKY began!). When not watching movies, I was trying to figure out ways to pull the back off the TV so I could somehow get into it and be a part of all the action on the screen!
This blog isn’t a place that revels in gossip and negativity. It’s a place where entertainment is celebrated. That said, this is a place you can turn to for honesty. Honesty and criticism don’t always mean attacks. I choose to criticise the piece of work but not the person and I acknowledge that just because I don’t like something, it doesn’t mean someone else won’t.
Here you’ll find interviews with some of the biggest names in the world of Entertainment, reviews, breaking news and my very own musings.
Away from The Bellissimo Files, you can find me on Spin 1038 on Saturdays, between 1pm and 3pm,presenting Plan B. There’s celebrity interviews, entertainment news, the low down on the must see movies and music releases of the week, the ultimate guide to what’s on where in the city, as well as masterclasses with experts on standby to answer listeners’ questions.
I also appear on TV3’s “Elaine” panel, talk movies on “Ireland AM” and you can sometimes hear me filling in on Moncrieff’s “Movies and Booze “(Newstalk)
The Bellissimo Files is constantly evolving. Files (topics) will be added or deleted as time goes on. Feel free to read, watch, comment, share, and make suggestions for what you would like to see on the site.
Sarina
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