...ya' know?? It's often quite interesting and intriguing, the evolution of a filmmaker. The inaugural hits...the initial misses...and that marked milestone of a film, which carries said filmmaker to greater heights, even to the point where, for good or for bad, whatever comes after, is still quite anticipated and well-received by viewing critics and audiences alike. For most, one's introduction to a specific filmmaker is typically something wrought well-after that aforementioned milestone, and after having been privy of latter, higher-profile work, curiosity prescribes...even sometimes demands one to back-pedal to that now-renowned and revered filmmaker's earlier work...
...cutting to the chase, let's just throw the name out there, 'kay?? Ready, go...Director Oliver Stone. Bam!! Right away, what comes to most folks' minds are the high-profile films of keen political rhetorics, observations and engagements, whether such things are observed and/or depicted in the exploitative media ("Natural Born Killers"), in a war-torn battleground ("Platoon", amongst others), in the high-rise financial arena (...can you say, "Wall Street"), on the grassy football gridiron (...a la, "Any Given Sunday"), or heck, even in the obvious of politically-driven locales...namely Washington, D.C., itself (..."JFK", "Nixon", "W.", etc.), Of course, there are those moments of filmmaking escapism...for lack of a better word...'breaks' in the political rhetorie, so to speak, as director Stone etches out the smaller, eclectic, more character driven stories (...of course, we're talking "Talk Radio", "U-Turn", "Savages"...the
smaller and humbler films, which...in all honesty...this viewer favors more, over the bigger films)...
......but then, let's face it: it
was a smaller, low-profile, quite under-appreciated, though undeniably quite powerful film, which put Oliver Stone on the fast-track to greater things...a powerhouse of a film, which ushered in his penchant for rendering unflinching and ironic political statements and reflections, as well as exploitative historical dramatics. And considering the dismal beginnings of Stone's filmmaking career (...uh, anyone actually remember, or perhaps might want to forget "Seizure", or...good gawd..."The Hand"?? Or his early, walk-on parts in Troma movies?? Oh, the horror...), it was "Salvador", which proved a career-enhancing, saving grave for the soon-to-be-world-wide-heralded, albeit wholly controversial filmmaker...
...when opportunity presents itself...hey, it's time for a road trip, just to get away from it all. At least, that's what struggling, desperate, though once-quite reputable & reliable seasoned international photo-journalist Richard Boyle (James Woods)...divorced, broke, on the wagon and desperate enough to stoop to the sleaziest of levels, in order to rise to the occasion...tells his best friend, 'Doctor' Rock (James Belushi), soon after 'Doc' bails him out from a tough spot. Little does 'Doc' realize, he's being coerced by his buddy into providing back-up services on a rather hazardous journalist venture, which has come to the attention of Boyle, and which will take these two hapless investigators into dangerous rigors of a vicious and unstable Salvadorian dictatorship, which is holding reign over the war-ravaged area...
...once there, they foolishly and recklessly find themselves well over their heads...caught in the middle of a maddening crossfire...attempting to engage their exploitative journalistic influence, in spotlighting the revolutionist activity of both the local military regime, as well as the opposing rebellious guerrilla forces. Amidst the rampant violence, and the unspeakable horrors mercilessly wrought upon rebellious and innocent alike, by the ever-relentless and sadistic Salvadorian death-squads...there's Richard, who embraces an emotional and psychological 'shield' in documenting the horrific atrocities, separated by a mere camera lens...and there's 'Doc', who finds his sanity eroding and ebbing away, caught in a quagmire from which there seems no escape...caught in the inescapable whirlwind of danger, pain and mental anguish...torn between his rapport with Richard, and an oh-so desperate desire to just get the fuck out of there. Will either of them see their way past this hellish situation...where with every step forward, they seem to sink further and further into the madness, all around them?? And if they
do make their way back...what will be left of them??.....
...loosely based upon the journalistic exploits of the
real-life photo-journalist Richard Boyle...having been willingly 'caught' in the thick of things...in the midst of the Salvadorian revolution, in and round the late '70's/early '80's, albeit given a good measure of embellishment, for the sake of high dramatics, "Salvador" is captivating and engrossing, in quite a satisfyingly multifaceted manner. There is, of course, the specific time and associated events, which are depicted, herein, with the Salvadorian militia going head-on against the well-armed, rebel guerrilla forces. Amidst the fiery conflict between the two aggravated factions, was the blatant sadism and unspeakable violence, incurred by the Salvadorian death squads, who would inflict the most heinous acts of murder and execution against those...innocent or not...whom they believe were against the stern and abusive governmental platform (...due to the horrendous acts of these death squads, much of the media and publicity of these activities had been notoriously...and perhaps, for the best...repressed, though eyewitness footage and propaganda
can be found, through exploitative, underground venues and shock-umentaries).....
...and yet, at the same time, there's no denying the intriguing and compelling human interest & dramatics, which ensues, as the result of placing two extraordinarily ill-fitted, burned-out, flying-by-the-seat-of-their-pants, bumbling characters, like Richard and 'Doc', into this overly frenzied and unstable conflict...especially, in considering that both of them jump into the fray, burdened with their
own personal problems and inner conflicts. Now granted...hearing, watching, and as such, having been made privy of the
real Richard Boyle's recklessly daring exploits in this war-ravaged region, would have made for some rather attention-grabbing intrigue; however, as with the case of "Salvador", having made the more embellished and fictionalized version of the Boyle persona, a desperate, sleazebag exploitationalist (...a deliciously extreme performance by actor James Woods), who complicates matters with his own inner flaws and personal 'baggage', raises the bar of intrigue, considerably. One cannot help but express a measure of revolt for the character, and yet, fascination and sympathy for the adverse situation, which Boyle haplessly put himself in. And as if to add 'fuel to the fire', so to speak, there's an unmistakable sense of arrogance and hypocrisy in Boyle's behavior...especially in moments where he seeks redemption and forgiveness for his sleazy demeanor, during a moment of confession, or in the throes of a sudden wayward romance...and yet, soon after, continues such erratic and contradictory behavior...
...not surprising, if there's a single character, whom most of the viewing audience would possibly identify with, it's more than likely Boyle's partner in these proceedings...namely, the affable and easily coerced 'Doc' Rock (...a seriously underrated, dead-serious James Belushi, affording some fine work here). Seduced and talked into a situation that...eh,
seems amiable, by the dynamics of a manipulative friend...and then have that situation turn so sour...an understatement, to say the least, as far as this film's premise is concerned...that much like quicksand, the more he tries to squirm out of the hapless situation, the further he sinks. And of course, there's the underlining fear and concern that this so-called friend whom did the convincing, when things are at their most desperate and frenetic, might just act out of self-interest...even self-preservation...abandon ship, so to speak, and leave him hanging. Really, who couldn't possibly identify with that, in varying degree (...uh, one hand up, over here...and for me, it was an investment situation...hardly the hellish situation, as seen in this film). And considering the desperate and...well, let's face it, potentially painful, tortuous and deadly circumstances herein, it's not a wonder that ol 'Doc' here, quite literally finds himself on the cusp of losing his mind...
...in the end, desperation invariably turns to tragedy; however, in the interim, the proceedings depicted herein prove remarkably balanced, and hold up quite well, as far as the overall dramatic realism of the events, as well as character response and reaction to said events...a testament to the written collaboration of the
true-life Richard Boyle, and director Oliver Stone (...of course, leave us
not forget that Stone, before achieving a respectable status as a director, was
still one hell of a writer...oh come on, surely "Scarface" and "Midnight Express"...amongst a few...ring a bell)...
...wisely, from a viewer's perspective, Twilight Time has offered yet again, a strikingly beautiful and engaging print, but hasn't gone overboard on the cleaning and remastering; an accent of looked-over, juxstapositioned specks, here and there, serve the film quite well, as far as affording the proceedings a flavorful measure of grit...understandable, and well-considered, in light of the frenetic instability of the conflict depicted within the film's flickering frames. Included on the limited-edition blu-ray...an enlightening and notable documentary piece, relating the difficult, turbulent and extraordinary efforts put forth, in the making of "Salvador"...'efforts' that prove as arduous, albeit intriguing, as the film, itself...
...'tis an often-told, age-old concept...the idea of 'finding one's groove'...but that's exactly what happened, when writer/director Oliver Stone took on an ambitious, intriguing, emotionally wrought, thought-provoking, as well as thrilling (...clearly, as much behind-the-scenes, as was in front of the camera) project, as was "Salvador". And when all was said and done...though initially not well-received, nor appreciated (...that, the fault of the distributors and advertisers...hardly that of the production, itself)..."Salvador" proved to herald in, an important and poignant voice, as far as Stone's efforts...efforts, which would have a distinct and marked impact, with regards to politically-themed cinema, later to come...especially from Stone's production camp...
...and as far as "The Hand"?? Well, Mr. Stone...we gladly forgive you for
that one...a misstep, which has since become a cult classic; now, mind you...uh, let's not get us started on "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps", 'kay??.....
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