Was Oliver stoned when he shot this?

From its very first seconds, Oliver Stone’s Savages advertises itself as a clever and ambitious piece of cinematography. Two hours later the credits wash over what looks like an expensive, unfocused mess. We are greeted by Lively’s honeyed voice promising to narrate the story exactly as it happened, and are then left to wonder she is in fact dead and narrating things from the hereafter. Nice twist, you think to yourself. The sad part is that the film is too oafish – and too busy toying with new combinations of torture, telecommunication and betrayal on a backdrop of Mexican drug dynasties – to deliver anything but the bare bones of a story.

Based on a 2010 novel by Don Winslow, Savages introduces us to the ‘good guys’ Ben and Chon (Taylor-Johnson, Nowhere Boy, and Kitch, John Carter) – though a normal person would likely consider them cynical and narcissistic low-lives. Ben is a pseudo-idealist and former botany student. Chon, his ‘business partner’, is an ex-Navy SEAL who passes his war traumas off as macho fearlessness. They share a mansion on Laguna Beach, California – and a hot girlfriend (Lively), apparently underlining the general theme of ethical darkness. This private slice of heaven is paid for by 15 million reportedly enthusiastic dope smokers worldwide. Ben and Chon, we learn, have developed the most splendiferous cannabis known to man.

When a Mexican drug cartel (seeing Hayek and a charismatic Del Toro in central roles) decides it wants a share of the high-end weed market, a game of violent negotiation, kidnapping and torture breaks out. There are exciting moments, and some will enjoy Travolta as a crooked DEA cop, but the dialogue is wooden and the villains stereotypical.

Primed for something epic, though, you spend the better part of two hours waiting patiently for some kind of redeeming surprise, like an inspired plot twist or something. Alas, it’s not to be. Savages looks consistently dazzling (except when intentionally sickening and morbid), but it has a heart of ‘Stone’ and ends bizarrely – with a heavy-handed Tarantino-esque flashback which, second time around, branches off into an alternative ending that is as unsatisfactory as the first.

Savages (15)

Dir: Oliver Stone; US action, 2012, 133 mins; Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Blake Lively, John Travolta, Benicio Del Toro, Salma Hayek, Emile Hirsch
Premiered October 11
Playing nationwide




  • Young Copenhageners supply study grants by selling cocaine

    Young Copenhageners supply study grants by selling cocaine

    In recent years, the spread of cocaine has accelerated. The drug is easily accessible and not only reserved for wealthy party heads. Copenhagen Police have just arrested ten young people and charged them with reselling cocaine

  • 5 Mistakes I Made When I Moved to Denmark

    5 Mistakes I Made When I Moved to Denmark

    Here are five mistakes I made that helped me understand that belonging isn’t a strategy—it’s a practice. This isn’t a story of struggle—it’s a reflection on growth, told through the lens of emotional intelligence.

  • Analysis shows that many students from Bangladesh are enrolled in Danish universities

    Analysis shows that many students from Bangladesh are enrolled in Danish universities

    Earlier this year, the Danish government changed the law on access for people from third world countries to the Danish labor market. Yet, there may still be a shortcut that goes through universities

  • Danish Flower company accused of labor abuse in Türkiye

    Danish Flower company accused of labor abuse in Türkiye

    Queen Company, a Denmark-origin flower producer with pristine sustainability credentials, is under fire for alleged labor rights violations at its Turkish operation, located in Dikili, İzmir. Workers in the large greenhouse facility have been calling decent work conditions for weeks. The Copenhagen Post gathered testimonies from the workers to better understand the situation

  • Advice for expats: Navigating Life as an International in Denmark

    Advice for expats: Navigating Life as an International in Denmark

    Beginning this month, Expat Counselling will be contributing a monthly article to The Copenhagen Post, offering guidance, tools, and reflections on the emotional and social aspects of international life in Denmark. The first column is about Strategies for emotional resilience

  • New agreement criticized for not attracting enough internationals

    New agreement criticized for not attracting enough internationals

    Several mayors and business leaders across Denmark are not satisfied with the agreement that the government, the trade union movement and employers made last week. More internationals are needed than the agreement provides for

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.


  • “It’s possible to lead even though you don’t fit the traditional leadership mold”

    “It’s possible to lead even though you don’t fit the traditional leadership mold”

    Describing herself as a “DEI poster child,” being queer, neurodivergent and an international in Denmark didn’t stop Laurence Paquette from climbing the infamous corporate ladder to become Marketing Vice President (VP) at Vestas. Arrived in 2006 from Quebec, Laurence Paquette unpacks the implications of exposing your true self at work, in a country that lets little leeway for individuality

  • Deal reached to bring more foreign workers to Denmark

    Deal reached to bring more foreign workers to Denmark

    Agreement between unions and employers allows more foreign workers in Denmark under lower salary requirements, with new ID card rules and oversight to prevent social dumping and ensure fair conditions.

  • New association helps international nurses and doctors Denmark

    New association helps international nurses and doctors Denmark

    Kadre Darman was founded this year to support foreign-trained healthcare professionals facing challenges with difficult authorisation processes, visa procedures, and language barriers, aiming to help them find jobs and contribute to Denmark’s healthcare system