# Osage's HTS Review of...Savages (Blu-ray; Universal)



## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

*Osage's HTS Review of...SAVAGES (Blu-ray; Universal)*

[img]http://www.dvdsreleasedates.com/covers/savages-blu-ray-cover-02.jpg[/img]*Studio(s): Universal
Rating: R
Disc/Transfer Information:  1080p High Definition 2.40:1
Layers: BD-50
Tested Audio Track: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Director: Oliver Stone
Starring Cast: Blake Lively, Taylor Kitsch, Aaron-Taylor Johnson, Benicio Del Toro, John Travolta, Salma Hayek


PLOT ANALYSIS:*

Oliver Stone makes some of the most interesting films I’ve viewed, whether they delve into the realm he seems most comfortable in, political potboilers that weave conspiracy characters high and low, or venturing out into Quentin Tarantino-like violence romps like his new book-based _Savages_ – let’s just consider, for a moment, classics like _JFK, Platoon, W, Born on the Fourth of July_ and even the football epic _Any Given Sunday_; there’s no denying this director has his hands in genres that please a multitude of audiences. Still, after viewing the much-anticipated (though mysteriously so) _Savages_, he seemed to be…I don’t know…perhaps better off going back to his politically-charged swashbucklers? For all its hype and supercharged promises of graphic violence amongst other elements, to me, _Savages_ played like nothing more than a soft-core X-rated flick to be honest (some call these “Skinemax Flicks”) with the gorgeous and downright appealing Blake Lively and her cute little facial mole at the front. Honestly – the first two lovemaking sequences between her and the characters co-stars Taylor Kitsch and Aaron-Taylor Johnson play and then the inevitable, completely predictable drug-infused threesome scene with them seemed a bit too much after awhile, and actually left a bad taste in my mouth. Indeed, Lively’s “O” (short for “Ophelia”) character, who narrates the plot throughout, actually calls herself a slut after being with first Kitsch’s California surfer-dude-with-muscles, ex-military drug dealer character and then his best friend and partner played by Johnson just a scene later…ironic, because I said to my wife while we were watching this “what a tramp!” just before Lively’s O character mentions via narration “I know what you’re thinking….slut….but we love each other…” 

I think the main issue here is that you more than likely have to hail from the world that is Southern California and indulge in radical hallucinatory drugs to appreciate the dialogue, acting, story or theme behind Stone’s _Savages_ – this wasn’t our cup of tea, to put it succinctly. If you can’t relate to these beachfront, Catalina nitwits, you’re not going to really “get” what is going on here until the main storyline of involvement with a ruthless Baja cartel comes into play. I simply cannot believe human beings as portrayed here in the beginning of this film, and their behaviors, actually exist on this planet – however, I must say…is Blake Lively just _gorgeous_. I always loved this girl and had a secret crush spot for her ever since I saw her pretty little self appear in projects that really showed off her curvaceous, flirtatious beauty such as _Green Lantern_; the intercourse sequences here are brutally graphic and, as I mentioned, worthy of making this film dip into the soft-core arena. Apparently, here’s what is going on, as unbelievable as it may sound: Blake’s Ophelia character is a girl-gone-wrong, emotionally abandoned by parents, leading to the prerequisite “bad girl” syndrome which itself leads to heavy tattooing all over her body, wild promiscuity drives and inhibition beyond belief. The opening sequence depicts her, as an appealing, carefree Southern California blonde, strolling on a beach and recalling events we are going to be exposed to as the film progresses. At the core of the tale are two young “California surfer dudes” themselves covered in body art, flexing lots of muscle and good, enviable looks, subtle facial hair and a bad-boy persona that would offer the only avenue into the pants of someone as downright appealing and hot as Lively, and their lucrative drug business – but disturbingly, Lively’s character is in love with both of them, and as such, they are actually sharing one another in a disturbing threesome, partner-swapping situation amidst the other chaos in their beachfront digs. When one isn’t around, Lively is intimate with the other like a chick gone wild – and I do mean these scenes are intimately wild and charged, so be sure the kids don’t watch this flick with you – and when the other is gone, she sleeps with the one who is around. Whatever; the bottom line is that if you’re a red-blooded American male, Lively is gonna turn you on in this flick. Honest. Later on, after a new hallucinatory drug-fueled evening, the three of them get into an orgy with one another that’s not as graphic as the preceding scenes, but is pretty hot nonetheless – I totally saw this one coming, and mentioned that to my wife, who admitted I was right when the three of them started feeling each other up and making out.

The deal is this: These two guys (Johnson and Kitsch) are running a successful drug business there in So Cal, even having the backing of a federal agent, played by a horribly balding John Travolta; I am normally a died-in-the-wool Travolta fan, but his performance here was just downright bizarre and almost embarrassing. His fed agent character doesn’t have much apparent backbone, going from attempted bad-butt to immediate whining sissy when pressured. Travolta’s character gives the boys inside info about keeping under the radar, hostile competition from other drug lords and so forth, but when their success catches the attention of a radical Mexican drug cartel run by the ruthless Salma Hayek, he wants to separate himself from their operations because he recognizes the dangers. Perhaps one of the more interesting performances of this entire cast came from the always-entertaining Benicio Del Toro, who plays a coldblooded enforcer for Hayek’s drug operations. The way in which Del Toro’s character busts into people’s houses, ties up their wives, utilizes his other men to pretend they’re Mexican gardeners outside and ultimately toys with them mentally and emotionally before assassinating them was executed (no pun intended) brilliantly. The biggest problem is, for some reason – probably having to do with the slight bit of humor Stone injects into these sequences between Del Toro’s character and Travolta’s – we never really take this enforcer too seriously, save for the scenes in which he has Lively’s character tied up during a kidnapping (I’ll get to that). Also working with Johnson and Kitsch are some ex-military buddies that act as their enforcers for the lucrative drug deals they get involved with; Kitsch’s character, as the ex-military guy, is the more physically ruthless of the two, based on his experience and training, while Johnson simply wants to make the stuff, sell it and maybe even help people with it along the way – as evidenced by his giving Travolta’s character some to assist in his dying wife’s cancer treatments.

As it will always be when you’re making a ton of money in something, the boys’ drug business draws the attention of a Mexican cartel who arranges a sit-down with them, pretty much forcing them to become partners for a few years. When they smart off and sort of refuse, the cartel representatives (working for the boss of the whole operation, played by Salma Hayek) essentially threaten them into reconsidering. The boys decide to come up with a plan to get out of town before their deadline for joining the cartel, but when Del Toro’s surveillance and some other elements reveal their plot, the cartel kidnap the girl they have been sharing, “O,” for leverage. Now, the boys have been forced into getting a ton of drugs delivered to the Mexicans also on a deadline, as well as continuing to be committed to a contract with them for three or so years. Making things worse, Hayek’s character demands Lively remain kidnapped for one year while the boys continue working for her; throughout all this, we are reminded why the title of the story is _Savages_ based on the behavior of all the characters involved.

I won’t go into anything further about Oliver Stone’s _Savages_, except to say the remainder of the film concentrates, of course, on Ophelia’s kidnapping at the hands of Hayek’s drug cartel, the conditions she is kept in, Del Toro’s character’s passionate interest in her (as I said, this isn’t a film for the kids), a rat amidst Hayek’s people, a plot to turn the entire situation around by Johnson and Kitsch and their military backup and Travolta’s federal agent and his “two faced” involvement in all this. Loaded with sex, violence, drugs and graphic language, _Savages_ definitely earns its “R” rating, yet still fell a bit flat in terms of what I was expecting going in – I was kind of thinking, based on the quick-cut-edited trailers, this was going to be a sort of _Reservoir Dogs_ for the modern era, with wildly depicted bloody body dismemberments and all sorts of random violence taking place amongst a range of characters. It really wasn’t. For all the hype, there wasn’t _that_ much graphic, raw violence onscreen at any one given time, and the film itself just didn’t feel satisfying to me; in fact, if I didn’t see this again, it would be okay. 

But the raw intimacy element? It’s over the top here. As I stated, this is definitely not something you want to have on if the kids are in the room; Blake Lively looks as delicious as ever in this as a stunning, tight-bodied, tanned California blonde who gives that luscious figure up to two dudes you can only envy about being, and while that was satisfying eye candy, the first half of the film which depicts romance scene after lovemaking scene, leading to the aforementioned hot threesome between her, Johnson and Kitsch, got somewhat off-putting and inappropriate after watching it for awhile…it was almost as if I wished Stone could have had his editors cut all that out to get right to the drug cartel plot and the violence exhibited by them. As for Salma Hayek, she was brilliant as the evil, wig-and-stiletto-wearing cartel leader, playing a character that would make anyone afraid to get in the crosshairs of as she dishes out orders for torture and murder, while John Travolta, with his slightly bulging waistline and beyond-receding hairline here, has had better gigs and performances.

For me, I actually liked other Stone works better, and those will remain favorites of mine – including the aforementioned _W, Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July_ and indeed, the testosterone-charged _Any Given Sunday_.


[img]https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT22Iggk9bClGOFmJJ3CFK0Wx9zxz3MHXLC_KwOz66QXxrUwRhgoQ[/img] *VIDEO QUALITY ANALYSIS:*

In typical Universal fashion, _Savages_ on Blu-ray exhibited a gorgeous, detail-rich transfer which really showed off pretty much everything the format can do – from the crystal-clear California outdoor sequences depicting blue ocean waters, sandy beaches and candy-coated exotic cars to the facial close-ups of the main characters that showed every pore, pock mark, scar and facial hair. I did, for the first time in a while, detect a subtle layer of film grain running in the background of most scenes, even the outdoor daytime shots, but it was certainly not a distraction and even added a level of realism for the subject matter here. As a note, I don’t mind when film grain actually enhances or supports a story appropriately – i.e. _War of the Worlds, Daredevil, Saving Private Ryan_ or perhaps even the remake of _Dawn of the Dead_. It’s when it’s aggressive and excessive – i.e. parts of _Independence Day_ or _88 Minutes_ and even _John Carpenter’s Halloween_ – that I feel distracted and don’t care for a transfer. Here, it was completely subtle and appropriate, giving the transfer an even more film-like look. 

Black levels dipped into the somewhat washed out in certain sequences, rendering the image a bit on the softish side briefly; it seemed as though the black levels were on the high side, which made it seem as though my display’s brightness control was out of whack, which it wasn’t. Outside of this somewhat minor quibble, _Savages_ presented pretty solidly on Blu-ray. 



[img]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQLVGei4e9yO2OHmZNphazgCZftVD5WDrLT5Ao3WzohGN8k8hPJ[/img] *AUDIO QUALITY ANALYSIS:*

Surprisingly, the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track accompanying the visuals of _Savages_ on Blu-ray wasn’t that explosive from my perspective; indeed, there were moments of somewhat aggressive surround activity during shootout sequences and such, but I detected a lack of very low LFE and overall sheer dynamics. Yes, dialogue was good and very intelligible for a change, and the track didn’t require that much upward goosing of my master volume levels – but as a whole, something again was missing from this track that I just can’t put my finger on…

That said, this wasn’t an overtly quiet, disappointing mix – as I mentioned, the shootout scenes were accompanied by ricocheting bullet fragments and ping-ponging effects into the surround channels, and zooming cars and directional cues found their way into the appropriate areas of the room. Still, in sequences involving explosions of vehicles with grenades underneath them or other such scenes, there was a distinct lack of aural impact to my ear…I expected to be blown out of my seat when those SUVs were blown sky high, but I wasn’t. 



*SUMMARY/RECOMMENDATIONS:*

I pretty much summed it up at the end of the Plot Analysis section, but I think this was a bit of an Oliver Stone disappointment – I realize they are completely different kinds of motion pictures, but I enjoyed _W, Platoon_ and even _Any Given Sunday_ much better than this. It is definitely worthy of a rental – but there is a ton of sexual overtone in this, and coupled with the drug suggestiveness and violent elements, it truly earns its rating and is best kept away from children.

Thank you for reading; please share your thoughts if you have seen this, or your pre-viewing sentiments if you have not.


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## bxbigpipi (Feb 2, 2012)

I want to see this movie but I will not buy it. This one I want to see before I buy. I usually do a lot of blind buys but for some reason this I need to see first.


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

*Re: Osage's HTS Review of...SAVAGES (Blu-ray; Universal)*



bxbigpipi said:


> I want to see this movie but I will not buy it. This one I want to see before I buy. I usually do a lot of blind buys but for some reason this I need to see first.


Hello 'pipi.

Thanks for your thoughts on this one; indeed, rent this first -- and if you happen to have children, please don't let them near this rental. It's pretty graphic in the "skin" and language department...

This wasn't my favorite Stone flick. Something was just missing and a bit "off," coupled with the all the disturbing drug and sexual imagery on display. I have never been a fan of these kinds of drug-fueled stories as seen in _Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,_ et al, and this kind of follows in those footsteps with a mixture of Mexican drug cartel-esque violence; if anything, you'll LOVE looking at Blake Lively in this...

Please check back if you have a chance to rent it, as I would like to hear (well, read about) your thoughts. Thanks!


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## bxbigpipi (Feb 2, 2012)

No problem Osage, I will let you know if and when I get a chance to watch this. Thank you for the in depth review of the movie.


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

*Re: Osage's HTS Review of...SAVAGES (Blu-ray; Universal)*

You are very welcome, my friend!

Thank YOU so much for reading and taking the time to comment and share your thoughts! :T :bigsmile:


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## Savjac (Apr 17, 2008)

*Re: Osage's HTS Review of...SAVAGES (Blu-ray; Universal)*

WOW Osage what an incredible review, talk about going into the depth and presenting your thoughts with such grace, I will now have to see this movie. Probably a rental but a watch none the less. Thanks for posting.


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

*Re: Osage's HTS Review of...SAVAGES (Blu-ray; Universal)*



Savjac said:


> WOW Osage what an incredible review, talk about going into the depth and presenting your thoughts with such grace, I will now have to see this movie. Probably a rental but a watch none the less. Thanks for posting.


Hey Sav,

Thanks so much for your kind words -- and thank you for reading! Indeed, I pour a great deal of heart and soul into the writing I provide for all you Shacksters! :T

Give this a rental, please, and let us know what you thought of the film; to me, it was like a soft-core skin flick infused with drug references up the ying-yang...definitely not your garden variety Oliver Stone picture.

Do you rent via Netflix or Blockbuster, etc?


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## Savjac (Apr 17, 2008)

*Re: Osage's HTS Review of...SAVAGES (Blu-ray; Universal)*

I rent Netflix, been with them since the beginning so I can still have 4 discs out at a time for pretty cheap and I almost always have a 2 day turn around so it is good imo.


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

*Re: Osage's HTS Review of...SAVAGES (Blu-ray; Universal)*

Gotcha.


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

*Re: Osage's HTS Review of...SAVAGES (Blu-ray; Universal)*

Review body edited to rephrase certain graphic descriptive language of specific scenes.


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## Infrasonic (Sep 28, 2010)

Hi Osage, I watched this movie when it was in the theaters and I agree with you that something is a bit "off" with it. I had pretty high hopes going into it, as I think you did, with it having several good actors and being an Oliver Stone film but it never really formed into a good enjoyable movie for me.

The plot with the two guys happily "sharing" the woman was one area in particular that I found odd but I guess they thought it was necessary for both men to have an especially vested interest in doing whatever it would take to get her back. My opinion of the end of the movie is below....


*Spoiler* 



What was up with the double ending? My friends and I were really unhappy with the 1st ending because it was so cheesy and the "real" ending wasn't a whole lot better.




Overall it's an interesting ride that some may enjoy but it should stay firmly in the "Rent It" category.


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

Hello Infra,

Thank you for your comments and for reading; I pretty much agree with everything you stated regarding Savages.


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

Great review Osage. I have been wanting to see this one as well, but I will definitely be renting it now as opposed to buying it. Thanks for the review!


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

Dale Rasco said:


> Great review Osage. I have been wanting to see this one as well, but I will definitely be renting it now as opposed to buying it. Thanks for the review!


Thanks Dale!

You didn't review this one -- was it Mike?


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

I am sure it was Mike as I am not reviewing Blu-rays anymore. I am strictly in the equipment reviews and The Sub Zone these days!


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

Got-cha.


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