Throwback: Savages (dir. Oliver Stone), 2012

“I had orgasms…he had wargasms.” When Blake Lively narrates that line three minutes into Savages, the audience will experience a “red pill or blue pill” dilemma: either to strap in for a campy, absurd ride or simply walk out. Is there an in between? I’m not so sure. Despite multiple Oscar wins and nominations for direction, writing, and acting among those involved, Savages received mixed reviews when it was released in 2012, averaging a score of 51% on the aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. The score itself indicates a certain polarizing praise or disdain for the film.

As stated, Savages is campy, absurd, and not entirely believable—not that it necessarily tries to be. Blake Lively plays O (short for Ophelia), a Laguna Beach stoner who does little but smoke and get fucked by her two polar-opposite boyfriends, Chon and Ben. Chon (Taylor Kitsch) is an ex-military, aggressive man probably suffering PTSD (as he enjoys the infamous wargasms) while Ben (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is highly educated, sensitive, and well-traveled. Chon and Ben have become wealthy marijuana growers, utilizing smuggled seeds from Afghanistan, and happily share O as a girlfriend. Elena Sanchez (Salma Hayek) is a Mexican drug-cartel leader with an iconic sense of fashion and killer long bob with aggressively cut bangs. Lado (Benicio del Toro) is her enforcer who approaches Chon and Ben to aggressively extend a partnership. When Lado suspects the boys are preparing to flee rather than hand over their business and expertise, Elena orchestrates the kidnapping of O as an incentive to uphold their proposed deal.

The absurdity of Savages is its biggest strength and the film never shies away from fully embracing its own self-parody. Each character plays a heightened stereotype, but it manages to work within the confines of the story and strong portrayals. Savages is both fun and engaging as it teeters in the grey area between too-much and just-enough. Selma Hayek is insanely satisfying as Cartel Leader Barbie, the cinematography and editing are sharp and intense, and the scenes of explosions and violence are both extreme and non-exploitative. Aside from a fake-out climax scene which was too ridiculous even for this film, Savages accomplishes everything it sets out to without apologizing or second-guessing.

You certainly won’t feel any smarter or deeper once the credits roll, but Savages is such a uniquely and unforgivingly wild ride all you will care about is the joy and adrenaline. The only question I have for those who hated Savages is this: don’t you like to have fun?