“I had orgasms, he had wargasms.”

Sort of mismarketed as the “two guys wear luchadore masks go on a Mexican rampage over a girl” movie. Sort of.

Savages often feels like it’s trying really hard to be a Tony Scott movie. True Romance mixed with Man on Fire with a little Dominothrown in for grins. It’s as mixed a bag as that sounds and there are several places where whatever Stone is going for just falls flat. However, the movie is expertly cast and has a sense of fun. The philosophical back and forth is a bit simplistic and doesn’t come to a satisfying conclusion (more on this later) but all in all I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the movie. Most of this is owed to the performances, Stone being a master visualist, and an against-type approach to the conflicts and gonzo characterizations in the film.

The one thing this isn’t, though, is a movie where two guys go on a big action spree against a cartel. There are two action scenes and one is a cheat. I think this could have been a great no-frills action movie but it would have been less interesting, if potentially more satisfying. The one thing you can say about Savages is that it is often interesting in spite of itself. Again, this is because of the characters for which there is a lot of affection in the script, all of which translates to screen even with the creepiest and most villainous ones.