Oliver Stone made “Salvador,” his first major film outside the studio system, and benefited from the process in every possible way.
Grade: B+
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This jittery, restless saga centers on an obsessive American photojournalist (James Woods, brilliant), who drives into the politically troubled El Salvador and confronts the ugly side of American imperialism.
It’s an ideologically critical, energetically dynamic movie that Marlon Brando, at its most political, would have approved of, and perhaps even play, if it were made in the 1950s or 1960s.
The pulpy screenplay, by Stone and Richard Boyle, based on the latter’s real-life story, was nominated for an Oscar.
The plot begins in 1980, as Boyle, then a vet but unemployed journo, decides to go to El Salvador with his buddy, Dr. Rock (James Belushi, in one of his better turns), an unemployed disc jockey. Boyle promises, and to a large extent delivers, drugs, booze, and sex (with prostitutes).
At first the idea is just to make a quick buck in a country torn by “little guerrilla war,” a stab at biases of American mass media, misled by Reagan, in reporting the situation down there.
Things change, however, as soon as the duo cross the border, which throws them into turmoil, and life-threatening situation, as a result of the devastating civil war.
From that point on, the film assumes the shape of a surreal nightmare that chronicles the chaos in El Slavador in 1980-1981.
The film draws a classic contrast between jaded leftists Americans and the decent, honest Salvadorian people who have to endure senseless horror, confusion, and despair.
As would become clear in future Stone films (“Platoon,” “Born on the Fourth of July,” “The Doors,” “JFK”), Salvador wears its politics on its sleeves. It is replete with preachy speeches and messages, and there’s a romantic interlude that is not particularly compelling; it’s more like a disruption.
Yet the film displays raw political and emotional power, and the nervous, edgy tone feels suitable for depicting Boyle’s unstable persona as well as El Salvador as an unstable country.
Salvador is a sensationalistic, pulp fiction work, but in its good moments, which are plentiful, it surpasses the quality of “Platoon,” made the same year on a bigger budget.
Woods, who previously had worked in TV and theater, plays the cool anti-hero to the hilt, a turn that deservedly eared him Best Actor nomination (see below).
Despite positive reviews, the movie was a commercial failure.
My Oscar Book:
Oscar Alert
Oscar Nominations: 2
Screenplay (Original): Oliver Stone and Richard Boyle
Actor: James Woods
Oscar Awards: None
Oscar Context
In 1986, the Best Actor winner was Paul Newman for “The Color of Money.” The Original Screenplay Oscar went to Woody Allen for “Hannah and Her Sisters.”
Credits:
Directed by Oliver Stone
Written by Stone and Richard Boyle
Produced by Stone, Gerald Green
Cinematography Robert Richardson
Edited by Claire Simpson
Music by Georges Delerue
Distributed by Hemdale Film Corporation
Release date: March 5, 1986
Running time: 123 minutes
Budget $4.5 million
Box office $1.5 million
