For anyone who loves the crime thriller Sicario, there is another gritty thriller they should check out, which checks many of the same boxes. Written by Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone) and directed by Denis Villeneuve (Dune), Sicario tells the story of an idealistic FBI agent (Emily Blunt) who joins a task force dealing with the war on drugs on the U.S.-Mexico border. This is where she has her ideals and morals pushed to the limit when Sicario shows there are no good guys on either side of this violent war.

Savages is a 2012 Oliver Stone movie about two best friends who are low-key drug dealers in Laguna Beach, California. With Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights) and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-ᴀss) starring as the two friends, they find their lives turned upside down when a powerful Mexican drug cartel sets up shop in town. When the two friends remain reluctant to start a partnership with the cartel, they learn the hard way what happens when they say no to drug dealers operating on an entirely different level.

2012’s Savages Is Perfect If You Loved Sicario

Savages Shows A Different Angle On The War On Drugs

Sicario is a movie that shows how dangerous and immoral the war on drugs is, especially at the U.S.-Mexico border. As he has done with his television shows like Tulsa King and Mayor of Kingstown, Taylor Sheridan created a world that lives in a shade of gray, where the true good guys are often beaten down and left defeated in the shadow of the higher powers who rule over the world. While Denis Villeneuve is not known for crime thrillers, his sci-fi films have similar themes, with stories from Blade Runner 2049 and Dune as good examples.

Oliver Stone is possibly one of the masters of making films with people living on the edge, and in some cases, completely stepping over the edge when it comes to immoral characters who will do anything to achieve their goals. Savages is no different. Chon (Kitsch) and Ben (Taylor-Johnson) are sympathetic characters, but they operate their drug business using seeds that Chon smuggled out of Afghanistan. They are nice people, but they are still criminals in the end.

If Savages and Sicario slam one thing down hard, it is the idea that once a person gets into the drug business or the drug war, there is no escaping. Chon and Ben want to sell their business to the cartel and get out without anyone getting hurt, but the cartel rejects this and demands they remain involved. When Chon has some of his Navy SEAL friends attack the cartel, it marks the beginning of the end for the lives of these two friends and the people they care about.

Savages is a film that shows how betrayals and backstabbing can destroy everyone on both sides. However, it is a little different from Sicario concerning the ending. Both have violence, deception, and tell an interesting tale of the war on drugs, but from different points of view. That said, while Sicario leaves things a little open for interpretation at the end, Savages wraps things up with a nice bow, which might be one reason the film received more lackluster reviews.

Savages Wasn’t Appreciated Upon Release, But Deserves More Praise

Oliver Stone Delivers A Thriling Crime Thriller That Was Mostly Overlooked

While Sicario remains a beloved crime thriller, Savages has been mostly forgotten, largely thanks to the lackluster reviews when it was released. The film was a small box-office success, making $83 million on a $45 million budget. However, its 50% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics and 54% from the audience ensured it would disappear from the public consciousness in a short time.

However, many of the bad reviews came because of the longer running time and the false ending that had many viewers possibly rejecting it outright before realizing Oliver Stone was playing a game with them. There were also several complaints about Stone’s tendency to create dark characters who mostly don’t deserve redemption. However, for Stone’s fans, there is a lot here to love.

The supporting cast is great and, not surprisingly, all deliver what Stone was looking for. John Travolta is a corrupt DEA agent, Salma Hayek is the head of the Mexican drug cartel, and Benicio del Toro is her enforcer, easily the most evil and vindictive person in the movie. Even Blake Lively, playing a woman dating both Chon and Ben, delivers one of her best performances.

Savages is a perfect movie for Sicario fans looking for something a little closer to ground level in the U.S.-Mexico drug situation, without the worry of following the U.S. government’s dark ops teams coming in to kill everyone. While not a perfect movie, it is a solid crime thriller that fans of Sicario should enjoy.

Sources: Box Office Mojo