In one of the many indictments of US-foreign policy, we get hit right where it hurts. Richard Boyle (James Woods) is a journalist with little direction in life in 1980. So, he and his friend Doctor Rock (Jim Belushi) drive down to El Salvador. But they never could have gotten prepared for what they were about to see there. As leftist rebels are battling the US-backed military junta, the death squads move across the country slaughtering civilians. To crown it all, Boyle even witnesses the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero, a champion of the country's poor, at the hands of Roberto D'Aubuisson's thugs. It seems that the only person whom Richard can trust is peasant Maria (Elpidia Carrillo).
"Salvador" obviously brings up the issue of journalism, especially in time of war. I read that there was some controversy about the portrayal of Boyle - some people claim that the movie lionizes him too much - but such arguments miss the movie's point. It was looking at the most vicious form of US-foreign policy, which continues in places like Colombia. Obviously, Oliver Stone likes to make politically charged movies, but this may be his best, alongside "JFK".
A strange irony to the movie is James Woods himself. His role in this movie suggests that he long held left-wing political views. Then, he became a September 12th Republican: a leftist who shifted to the right after September 11, 2001. Does he even still acknowledge this movie, or what it portrays? For more information about the US-backed regimes in El Salvador and the rest of Latin America, you can read three books: "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn, "What Uncle Sam Really Wants" by Noam Chomsky, and "The CIA's Greatest Hits" by Mark Zepezauer.
"Salvador" obviously brings up the issue of journalism, especially in time of war. I read that there was some controversy about the portrayal of Boyle - some people claim that the movie lionizes him too much - but such arguments miss the movie's point. It was looking at the most vicious form of US-foreign policy, which continues in places like Colombia. Obviously, Oliver Stone likes to make politically charged movies, but this may be his best, alongside "JFK".
A strange irony to the movie is James Woods himself. His role in this movie suggests that he long held left-wing political views. Then, he became a September 12th Republican: a leftist who shifted to the right after September 11, 2001. Does he even still acknowledge this movie, or what it portrays? For more information about the US-backed regimes in El Salvador and the rest of Latin America, you can read three books: "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn, "What Uncle Sam Really Wants" by Noam Chomsky, and "The CIA's Greatest Hits" by Mark Zepezauer.