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Salvador

R Released Apr 23, 1986 1h 57m Drama Mystery & Thriller List
90% Tomatometer 30 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Unable to find work in America because of his penchant for booze and drugs, photojournalist Richard Boyle (James Woods) heads to El Salvador with his DJ friend Doctor Rock (James Belushi) to see if he can get a gig covering the country's ongoing civil war. Boyle decides it's time to flee the country when the violence escalates to a level that even he is uncomfortable with, but his relationship with an El Salvadorian woman (Elpidia Carrillo) complicates matters.
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Salvador

Salvador

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Critics Consensus

Despite its somewhat disjointed narrative, Oliver Stone's Salvador is a vivid and powerful political drama that sets an early tone for the director's similarly provocative future projects.

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Critics Reviews

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Richard Combs Sight & Sound Of Stone's two recent films, Salvador is the most remarkable, if only for its drive and sense of attack, its willingness to deal in current politics as directly as it does. Aug 22, 2022 Full Review Catherine Rambeau Detroit Free Press Although it doesn't attain the stature of The Killing Fields, the film is an effective comment on the actions in Central America. Rated: 8/10 Oct 27, 2021 Full Review Derek Adams Time Out The polemic may seem obvious and at times laboured, but the action sequences are brilliant, and the film does achieve a brutal, often very moving, power. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review Armond White National Review It is Stone’s cynicism that recommends Salvador for contemporary viewing. No other American filmmaker this millennium dares Stone’s candor about the sins and absolute corruption of political journalism. Apr 26, 2024 Full Review Jordan M. Smith IONCINEMA.com Still soberingly relevant today, this is a film that needs a critical revival and much deserved love and attention. Rated: 3.5/5 Nov 3, 2020 Full Review Rob Aldam Backseat Mafia Its success is largely down to a livewire and erratic central performance by James Woods. Oct 30, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Alec C Welcome to El Salvador, one of the most dangerous and war-torn countries in the world! A boozy reporter decides to do some freelance work in the middle of a civil war, but soon finds himself biting off more then he can chew, with the constant innocents shot down and the officials unable to intervene. Unflinching in its portrayal of the evils of social instability and tyranny in this underrated Oliver Stone story! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/13/24 Full Review Lee F James Woods performance is perfect as a self confessed Weasel photographer journalist. There are some shocking scenes which capture the violence of the time in Salvador. Overall a film I would recommend. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/27/23 Full Review Jelisije J A movie that should have focussed more on the struggle of the civil war in El Salvador than James Woods character in the first 46 minutes of the film. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/26/23 Full Review Andrew T Man, it's an incredible movie! I know why you feel so weird after watching it. The main actor is so goot at it, that you end hating the film, cause he's such a disgusting and unpleasant character, which has no personality at all and will always find a way to take advantages upon others. Even when he seems sad, he's just trying to convince others he's a poor guy. Even though, girls will fall for him somehow i cannot explain. The movie quality is great and i even forgot it was from the '80. the bruises, injuries and dead bodies looks so real with all of that very well made makeup that sometimes we wonder if they were just people acting out. Most impressive than that, they managed to mix a good humor with a terrible situation. I also gonna have to agree with you guys, that the main subject here which is the government political and power abuse over their people only served as a background over most of the movie lenght, but it won't make it shine less. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/06/23 Full Review William L With Stone as director, you knew exactly what sort of tone to expect a dramatic take on the Salvadoran Civil War to take, but even so you might be surprised at how bluntly he sets up bowling pins to knock down. US military figures are either clad in country club polos or throwing around allegations of "commie-lover" at any chance they get, usually providing the opportunity for Stone to level accusations of cruelty, dishonesty, or imperialism against the Reagan administration, using Woods' Richard Boyle as a mouthpiece. That's not to say he's wrong about quite a few of the statements he makes, but he's also not exactly subtle about it. Boyle is depicted as half Hunter S. Thompson, half moral crusader, with intermittent flashes of action hero; where did this boozehound screwup learn to do a combat tracheostomy? His character is inconsistent, often assessed (correctly) to be a grifter and a bum, and while he is at least compellingly acted, the film is never quite sure whether or not it's effectively about its protagonist or about the conflict in El Salvador, sprinkling in just enough scenes of which Boyle would have had no knowledge to skew the audience away from his perspective. The film is ambitious and well-intentioned, but has a clear tendency to serve as a soapbox that takes away from the more compelling elements, and all too often resorts to showing piles of bodies when the pacing and engagement otherwise lags. It's totally fair to distinguish between the art and the artist, but James Woods is a piece of shit. (2.5/5) Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 05/12/22 Full Review s r 1001 movies to see before you die. However, this one came across as cheap and tacky. I gave it an extra half star for raising awareness about El Salvador. It was on Daily Motion. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Salvador

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Movie Info

Synopsis Unable to find work in America because of his penchant for booze and drugs, photojournalist Richard Boyle (James Woods) heads to El Salvador with his DJ friend Doctor Rock (James Belushi) to see if he can get a gig covering the country's ongoing civil war. Boyle decides it's time to flee the country when the violence escalates to a level that even he is uncomfortable with, but his relationship with an El Salvadorian woman (Elpidia Carrillo) complicates matters.
Director
Oliver Stone
Producer
Gerald Green, Oliver Stone
Screenwriter
Richard Boyle, Oliver Stone
Distributor
Polygram, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co
Estudios Churubusco Azteca S.A., Hemdale
Rating
R
Genre
Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 23, 1986, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 16, 2008
Runtime
1h 57m
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