“Salvador”

7.1

The story behind this film, to me, was much better than the film itself. If I may go off script, I highly recommend “Chasing the Light” by Oliver Stone. The man has lived a colorful life.

Essentially, this was the predecessor of “Narcos” and “Sicario.” The U.S. is meddling in another country’s affairs, fighting a proxy war on their turf, costing their lives instead of ours, with questionable morals. The commentary on U.S. foreign policy is brilliantly on display, including it going very, very wrong when we fail to learn our lesson.

James Woods and Jim Belushi make an unlikely but well rounded duo. The context of the autobiography added a nice richness to the already intense film.

Warning – A lot of violence and realistic gore, with an opening sequence flashing effect that will give even non-photosensitive viewers a headache. That discomfort sets up the overall theme of the film very well.