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Parents' Guide to

Savages

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Oliver Stone thriller is all about sex, drugs, violence.

Movie R 2012 129 minutes
Savages Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 18+

Based on 7 parent reviews

age 18+

Adrenaline rushing entertainment for ADULTS ONLY

This is an entertaining movie if you're into adrenaline rushing violence. Mind you, I watch movies in every genre, from the independents, to the serious, to the classics, to the blockbusters. This one had enough going that it held my attention, even though morally I was against the content, but it's just a movie. I'm not participating. I can watch a film about drug dealers, but it doesn't mean I want to be one. This film has two men who are laid back all american surfer type pot dealers in Laguna Beach who share a hot sex pot blonde woman. Right there you may already be offended. I certainly didn't approve of that flamboyant unusual relationship, if one were to call it that, but it's just a movie. Just because I won't do something like that doesn't mean you can't. It was just over the top to me and absurd, but that's not what this is about. In fact, that first half of the film droned on a bit too long instead of getting to the point of the film. I enjoyed the overall premise where that sex pot is taken hostage by a top Mexican drug lord because the two men that share the girl won't go into business with them. The twist I liked was that the top violent Mexican drug lord....was a woman! Played ferociously by Salma Hayek, who you don't want to mess with in this. Beyond that it was just all mindless, yet interesting hostile entertainment I wouldn't want to live through. I enjoyed the performances by Salma, John Travolta who plays a corrupt cop, and Benecio Del Toro who is Salma's thug assassin. I would not recommend this film to anyone under 18 at all whatsoever. It has nudity, endless fornication, sex without love, harsh language, and brutal graphic violence. This may even be too much for sensitive adults. But if you watch action type films or can handle anything, AND you're over 18, then you may enjoy the twists and turns in this, as well as Salma Hayek's strong presence as a female drug lord. Now I'm pretty cool and find that certain films are actually okay for teenagers, but this one is just too aggravating and offensive for anyone under 18. I'm sure some teenage boys may disagree, but this is a bit much. I enjoyed it as an adult able to handle the extremities of this, but you might not.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
age 17+

The title definitely lives by the brutal graphic content, also interpreting drug usage and sex.

Savages is about two easy going, anonymous, laid-back pot dealers who each love and share a woman (also known as the sex taboo subject polygamy), lives their lives in subtle harmony, until they get unfortunately affiliated with a ruthless drug dealer who goes to kidnapping their girlfriend after not applying to their rules and codes. This film deals heavily with the Mexican drug cartel, dealing, trafficking, and usage; especially marijuana. The violence isn't pervasive, but it is very graphic, bloody and brutal when it occurs. An intense and voracious shootout occurs in the end, ending with multiple people dead, a man is sadistically tortured and set on fire alive (you see one of his eyes graphically hanging out of its socket), a couple gets brutalized and shot, and a very disturbing video clip of a drug dealer surrounded by decapitated human heads. Language is frequent and strong (uses of f**k and sh*t). Also, there's a couple scenes of sexuality (few scenes show some nudity but not overly graphic) all involving sensual thrusting and moaning, including a rape scene (no nudity shown). Savages is actually a well-made action film with a couple fresh ideas and beautiful cinematography, but NOT intended for children whatsoever. Rated R for strong brutal bloody violence including gruesome images, language, sexuality, and drug use. Violence (4/5) Language (3/5) Sex (4/5) Drugs (4/5) Intensity (4/5)

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7 ):
Kids say (11 ):

This Savages is a snooze. Oliver Stone's movies were once incendiary and had the power to get people talking about strong issues. For example, Natural Born Killers used a pulp story to say something about the callousness of media. Now Stone has made an ordinary pulp movie with very little to say, and he seems rather bored with pulp for pulp's sake. He sometimes adjusts the movie's color scheme to make things look sun-baked yellow or tropical fishtank rainbow, but otherwise he's asleep at the controls.

Moreover, the Ben and Chon characters are too one-dimensional and too stuck by their character limitations to be compelling; they bend and change according to the whims of the plot. When they're onscreen, the movie just evaporates. Thankfully, Travolta, Hayek, and Del Toro bring some infectious bravado to their supporting roles. They recall the kind of savagery that Stone used to have but doesn't seem to have anymore.

Movie Details

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