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Salvador
1985
Oliver Stone's first overtly political film, SALVADOR is a passionate protest against the savagery unleashed by fascist thugs in El Salvador during the early 1980s with the complicity of the U.S. government. It stars James Woods as combat photojournalist Richard Boyle, an erratic, cynical character with a taste for all things .. Read more
| Starring | James Woods, James Belushi, John Savage, Michael Murphy |
|---|---|
| Director | Oliver Stone |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Thriller |
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Salvador
Oliver Stone's first overtly political film, SALVADOR is a passionate protest against the savagery unleashed by fascist thugs in El Salvador during the early 1980s with the complicity of the U.S. government. It stars James Woods as combat photojournalist Richard Boyle, an erratic, cynical character with a taste for all things chemical. Hearing rumors of war, he and Dr. Rock (Jim Belushi), another free spirit, head for El Salvador by car. After viewing a right-wing officer's collection of severed ears and photographing a corpse-strewn garbage dump with ace photographer John Cassady (John Savage), Boyle realizes that the situation is much worse than advertised in the American press. He recognizes familiar faces among the ubiquitous U.S. military brass and CIA personnel from his stint in Vietnam, but they're predictably reluctant to discuss the reasons for their presence, especially with the outrageous Boyle. As the journalist becomes involved with a Salvadoran native named Maria (Elpedia Carrillo) and observes the selfless dedication of his humanitarian worker friend Cathy (Cindy Gibb), compassion and outrage slowly begin to replace his cynicism. When Boyle swears to the dying Cassady that he'll get his crucial photos out of the country, he realizes that he must also try to get Maria out before she too becomes a statistic. Woods gives a brilliantly incendiary seriocomic performance in this wild, lacerating, and bitterly observant film.
| Starring | James Woods, James Belushi, John Savage, Michael Murphy, Elpidia Carrillo, Tony Plana, Valerie Wildman |
|---|---|
| Director | Oliver Stone |
| Studio | MGM ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 57 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Dubbed | Italian |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | DVD: Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish |
| Released | DVD: 10 Sep 2001 Production year: 1985 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (4)
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Oliver Stone's first major film also made a star out of James Woods, who gives a stunning, Oscar-nominated performance here as a zapped-out journalist who heads down to Central America in search of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. What he finds is a nation in chaos with death squads, CIA spooks and the media circus in full cry. He also finds redemption. Stone's message is “No more Vietnams”, delivered in a ferocious, pseudo-documentary style that plunges us pell-mell into the middle of street fighting where tracheotomys are performed with ballpoint pens and where photographers get high on carnage. “I made it as if it was the last movie I'd ever make,” said Stone, explaining the film's now-or-never urgency.
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"...Stone has gotten a great deal of visual and political material up on the screen, and it's all worth grappling with..."
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Most helpful member's review
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8 out of 8 people found this review helpful
A superb study of the horror and confusion of civil war
Ignore the reviews here that talk rubbish about the film having too much personality and not enough politics. Stone's perspective is nearly always that of the confused outsider forced to cope with a chaotic situation - the political message is delivered around them. That is exactly what happens here, and while the anti-Vietnam message is hammered home a little forcefully this is a stunning debut. Boyle is a complex character brilliantly portrayed by Woods - sleazy, manipulative, self centred and charming (after watching this its annoying to think that Woods lost out on the Best Actor Oscar to Paul Newman in the horribly populist 'The Color of Money'). Belushi as his buddy has an important role, representing the political naivity of the American public at the time. The camera work really captures the confusion and destructiveness of civil war. You may not enjoy this film or appreciate the way its message is delivered, but you can't just dismiss it.
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Most recent members' review
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4 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Bitterly observant film
Salvador is the directional debut from the talented Oliver Stone (Platoon, Scarface) it is a passionate protest against the savagery unleashed by fascist thugs in El Salvador during the early 1980s with the complicity of the U.S. government.
It stars James Woods as combat photojournalist Richard Boyle, an erratic, cynical character with a taste for all things chemical. Hearing rumours of war, he and Dr. Rock (Jim Belushi), another free spirit, head for El Salvador. Woods gives a brilliantly incendiary seriocomic performance in this wild, lacerating, and bitterly observant film. -
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