Savages

For the first time in years, Oliver Stone has made a film worth watching—maybe because it doesn’t feel like he made it. Savages explores two sides of the War on Drugs from an unusual perch: Instead of dealing with the victims or the policies at work (or not at work), it’s dealer versus dealer to see who can outsmart and outmuscle the other. Salma Hayek is the ball-busting queenpin from Mexico trying to horn in on profitable upstarts Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson in Southern California. There’s a tug-of-war over Blake Lively—why not?—but the real stars are supporting players Benicio del Toro and John Travolta. They rather unconsciously steal every scene they’re in, and they might steal the drugs and money, too. A bit loose around the edges, Savages is still the best Oliver Stone movie since JFK.