First Photos from Oliver Stone's 'Savages'

Oliver Stone used to make movies with a certain edge to them (i.e. JFK, Platoon, and Natural Born Killers) before he became enthralled with the letter W (i.e. World Trade Center, W, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) and his movies became bland.  I’m not sure how a letter can have that power, but perhaps whatever strange malaise possessed him will be exorcised when this flick come out.  Savages was adapted by Shane Salerno (Shaft) and Don Winslow from Winslow's crime drama novel of the same name.

In addition to a pulse-pounding plot, Savages sports a superb cast that includes; Uma Thurman, John Travolta, Blake Lively, Salma Hayek, Benicio Del Toro, Deian Bichir (A Better Life), Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch and Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass).  

In the photo above (courtesy of Universal Studios), Del Toro, who plays a henchman for a Mexican Drug Cartel run by the gorgeous Elena (Hayek), is subjecting the kidnapped Ophelia (Lively) to the “torture” of second-hand smoke.  The reason for this is because the Cartel has learned that a couple of friends (Kitsch and Johnson) decided to cut into their business by becoming independent Laguna Beach marijuana growers.  The Cartel figures that the two entrepreneurs owe them five years of profits so they kidnap their shared love interest, the lovely Ophelia, and threaten to do some nasty stuff with her until their demands (blackmail) are paid in full.  The two friends must figure out a way to save her, keep their money and elude the bad-guys and live happily ever-after.  I wouldn’t count on the happily ever-after however as this is an Oliver Stone movie.

Savages is produced by Todd Arnow, Moritz Borman, Eric Copeloff and Salerno.  It will hit theaters on September 28, 2012.