Savages enjoyed its red carpet premiere in Sydney, Australia
tonight.
Savages star Benicio Del Toro told media agency AAP that meeting real ex-drug
cartel members was a similar feeling to climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
"You go in strapped and you go in protected in some
ways but you don't want to get too goofy or something like that, or you might
fall off the bridge. Or you might just end up chopped liver," Del Toro
told the AAP agency..
Del Toro, who's in Australia to promote Savages, plays nasty Mexican cartel enforcer Lado in the movie.
It's been reported that Del Toro was the one who took
director Oliver Stone to Mexico to meet some "heavies" - a piece of
news he found surprising.
"I was the one with the connections?" he says.
"That's people that believe the characters that I play.
"No, actually we went down to Mexico, but I wasn't the
one with the connections."
In any event the meeting was terrifying but
invaluable to him and the cast.
"We met some people down there (in Mexico), we met some
people in LA (Los Angeles) too, on both sides of this war on drugs, and it was
very interesting, very informative for the preparation of the characters,"
he told AAP.
ABOUT SAVAGES:
Laguna Beach entrepreneurs Ben (Taylor-Johnson), a peaceful
and charitable Buddhist, and his closest friend Chon (Kitsch), a former Navy
SEAL and ex-mercenary, run a lucrative, homegrown industry—raising some of the
best marijuana ever developed. They also share a one-of-a-kind love with
the extraordinary beauty Ophelia (Lively). Life is idyllic in their Southern
California town…until the Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in and demands
that the trio partners with them.
When the merciless head of the BC, Elena (Hayek), and her
brutal enforcer, Lado (Del Toro), underestimate the unbreakable bond among these
three friends, Ben and Chon—with the reluctant, slippery assistance of a dirty
DEA agent (Travolta)—wage a seemingly unwinnable war against the cartel.
And so begins a series of increasingly vicious ploys and manoeuvres in a
high stakes, savage battle of wills.
Storyline:
Entrepreneurs Ben, a peaceful and charitable marijuana
producer, and friend Chon, a former Navy SEAL, run a lucrative, homegrown
industry - raising some of the best weed ever developed. They also share a
one-of-a-kind love with Ophelia. Life is idyllic in their Southern California
town... until the Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in and demands that the
trio partners with them. When the merciless head of the BC, Elena and her
enforcer, Lado, underestimate the unbreakable bond of the three friends, Ben and
Chon - with the reluctant assistance of a dirty DEA agent - wage a seemingly
unwinnable war against the cartel. And so begins a series of increasingly
vicious ploys and maneuvers in a high stakes, savage battle of wills.
Cast...
Blake Lively ... O
Taylor Kitsch ... Chon
Aaron Taylor-Johnson ... Ben (as Aaron Johnson)
Jana Banker ... Volleyball Girl
Candra Docherty ... Grow House Girl
Patrick Fourmy ... Marijuana
Distributor
Gary Stretch ... Badass Biker
Benicio Del Toro ... Lado
Director: Oliver Stone
Writers: Shane Salerno (screenplay), Don Winslow
Websites
Savages
Universal Pictures Australia
Event Cinemas
Eva Rinaldi Photography
Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr