Welcome back Mr Stone! Scott Gentry reviews "Savages" starring John Travolta.

Savages (18)
Director: Oliver Stone.
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Blake Lively and John Travolta.
Running time: 179 minutes.
Rated: 18, for containing strong bloody violence, strong sex and drug use.
Out now on DVD and Blu-Ray.

 Ben (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch) run one of the most lucrative businesses in America.Based in Long-Beach California, their home grown business, delivers some of the best Marijuana in the whole of America. Ben and Chon wouldn't be complete without their (shared) girlfriend 'O' (Blake Lively). Their wonderful life is soon interrupted by a Mexican Drug Cartel named 'Elena', (Salma Hayek) who wants to join her business with Ben and Chon's. When Ben and Chon refuse Elena's offer, O is kidnapped and threatened to be killed. Now, Ben and Chon must gear up and safe the love of their lives before it's too late.

 From Oliver Stone, the director of old favorites such as "Natural Born Killers" (1994) and "Platoon" (1986), "Savages" sees Oliver Stone tackle a high profile cast including Taylor Kitsch ("Battleship") and Aaron Taylor-Johnson ("Kick Ass").

Stone directs well with elements of "Natural Born Killers" and the grittiness of "Platoon", making this a return to cinema that was worth waiting for. The action is shot beautifully in a style that adds charisma to the text. Salma Hayek is on acting form as 'Elena', the Mexican drug cartel, with Benicio Del Toro as her evil henchman, named 'Lado' who actually adds a small dose of satire to the film.Kitsch,Johnson and Lively have a great chemistry together, that you don't see very often.

"Savages" is a romantic action thriller that appeals to many audiences, whether they like action, romance and drama. Fearing the worst from "Savages", I was proved wrong and instead found  an action thriller that has a deeper meaning about love and life itself.

Three stars out of five.

Written by Scott Gentry.