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Directed by: Oliver Stone Starring: James Woods, James Belushi, John Savage Salvador, directed and co-written by Oliver Stone just prior to taking on the film that would cement his reputation, Platoon, tells the story of real-life photojournalist Richard Boyle (who also co-wrote the screenplay). In the process it reveals the horrible and largely forgotten story of US involvement in Central America during the time of the Reagan Administration. Set admist the chaos of 1980s El Salvador, which at that time was rent by civil war, Boyle, brilliantly played in an Academy-Award-Nominated performance by a scarily youthful James Woods, finds himself driving to El Salvador, intending to take a few photos, sell said photos, and spend the proceeds on alcohol, drugs and $7 whores. Boyle is accompanied by Dr Rock (played by James Belushi), a particularly strange friend who, like Boyle, has nothing to lose. Beginning with a road-side encounter with Salvadorean Government death squads, whose casual and unpredictable use of lethal violence sets the tone for the rest of the movie, the film follows Boyle's experience in El Salvador in a manner that is both personal and political. We care for Boyle the man, seeing his girlfriend and child (Boyle has apparently been in Central America before...a typical greeting being "I thought you were dead?") placed at risk becuase they lack proper identification papers (and therefore could be executed as communist rebels). Despite his character flaws, Boyle's essential decency, as he is, for example, confronted with the sight of heaps of dead bodies, just a few of the so-called "disappeared" (victims of the government), shines through. Through Boyle we are also exposed to the reality of the situation: an essentially fascist government, dependent on US aid, waging a civil war against a peasant revolt. Stone makes a number of implied comparisons to the Vietnam conflict, as Boyle encounters paranoid US Army officers convinced the peasant rebellion is being pushed by Cuba and the Soviet Union, and plane loads of young American boys who aren't combat soliders, but rather "advisors". Boyle's relationship with a fellow photojournalist, John Cassady (played by John Savage, 'Cassady' was in real life John Hoagland, killed in El Salvador in 1984 - this link: http://thedagger.com/archive/elsal/ showcases some of his powerful photos, including the roll he shot as he was being killed by a government soldier: http://thedagger.com/archive/elsal/lastsix.html) is another powerful element in the film, perfectly illustrating the motivations of war photographers who are both motivated to expose the reality of war, and to feel the rush that only war can provide. I could go on - see this movie, not enough people have. There are times when Stone lays it on a bit thick (although not as much as in Platoon)....but that can be forgiven. RATING: 4 PROS: Brilliantly acted, unflinching and realistic portrayal of violence, thought-provoking CONS: Typical periods of Oliver Stone excess ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091886/ Moses fucked around with this message at 00:45 on May 30, 2004 |
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May 30, 2004 00:38
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