Salvador (1986)

☆ ☆ ☆

Salvador (1986) – O. Stone

A couple of weeks ago, I watched Under Fire (1983) which starred Nick Nolte as a photojournalist covering the war in Nicaragua at the end of the Seventies and now here we have James Woods as a photojournalist covering the war in El Salvador at the start of the Eighties.  Both films portray the American diplomatic and media communities as small groups disconnected from the reality of the cultures around them.  One difference however is that Woods’ character is a real jerk.  It is hard to identify with him for a whole host of reasons (how he treats women, for example).  But somehow director Oliver Stone seems to be getting a kick out of Woods’ hyperactive loser – perhaps he sees him as a gonzo journalist of sorts (sidekick Jim Belushi is certainly all about drugs, booze, and hookers).  I was hard pressed to see whether Woods’ heart was in the right place, but apart from some hard to understand polemic specific to El Salvadoran politics (that is never explained) put in his mouth by the director which I assumed was supportive of the oppressed, he seems mostly self-interested.  Not sure why the more professional photog played by John Savage likes him at all.  As usual, Stone takes liberties with reality and places his characters at the scene of pivotal events, such as the assassination of Archbishop Romero.  But for all its visceral impact (there are dead bodies and threats of violence everywhere), the film feels a mess, which I guess is supposed to be a reflection of the way Richard Boyle (Woods) operated.