Rating: 
Summary: Gritty, Alive And Powerful.
Review: "Salvador" is a gritty, unrestrained trip into the chaos that is civil war, not just in the country it portrays, but civil war in any culture. It is Oliver Stone's first major movie and it vibrates with the passion and vibrant drive seen in his later works. This movie is so powerful and effective precisely because it feels REAL. There are scenes that almost have a documentary feeling to them. The camera work by Robert Richardson is gritty and rich at the same time while the screenplay by Stone and the real Richard Boyle is filled with wild moments, powerful scenes and hilarious comic touches. The performances are grade-A. James Woods is wicked but with a touching heart in this performance, it's probably his best. Jim Belushi is brilliantly funny. But "Salvador" aside from being a great entertainment, is also an important film document of the realities of war, of what happened in El Salvador and of the realities of what happened there. Like Stone's Vietnam movies, "Salvador" opens the eyes and ears and mind to what really was going on. It is an effective movie about events that happen in little corners of the world.
Rating:
Summary: Gritty, Alive And Powerful.
Review: "Salvador" is a gritty, unrestrained trip into the chaos that is civil war, not just in the country it portrays, but civil war in any culture. It is Oliver Stone's first major movie and it vibrates with the passion and vibrant drive seen in his later works. This movie is so powerful and effective precisely because it feels REAL. There are scenes that almost have a documentary feeling to them. The camera work by Robert Richardson is gritty and rich at the same time while the screenplay by Stone and the real Richard Boyle is filled with wild moments, powerful scenes and hilarious comic touches. The performances are grade-A. James Woods is wicked but with a touching heart in this performance, it's probably his best. Jim Belushi is brilliantly funny. But "Salvador" aside from being a great entertainment, is also an important film document of the realities of war, of what happened in El Salvador and of the realities of what happened there. Like Stone's Vietnam movies, "Salvador" opens the eyes and ears and mind to what really was going on. It is an effective movie about events that happen in little corners of the world.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST see movie for all photojournalists.
Review: An awesome movie portrayed the unseen side of photojournalists. Wood's excellent performance really proclaimed the realistism of photojournalist's life. Salvador is definitely a collection for photojournalists.
Rating: 
Summary: Strictly Based On A Foreigner's Point Of View
Review: Being a Salvadorean, I must say that this movie is based on an outsider's viewpoint. First of all, there was no dictaroship, the death squads were splinter squads operating apart from the government and the military. Second, Human Rights only came to stir up more trouble, as our police, military and other sectors have been downgraded in favor of system which is comfortable for the FMLN (the former guerrillas now a government party). The movie portrays them as some kind of heroes and critisices the USA for helping our military, which was getting murdered, mutilated and tortured by the opressive guerrillas. I seriously doubt any Salvadorean finds this movie historically accurate, I myself do not remember anything portrayed in the film happening in reality. And contrary to foreing belief, our country is not in same stage, as when the guerrillas were terrorising ours and blaming the government for it. This is classic propaganda done through a film: misinformation to the foreign public, in hopes of critsicing our democratic government and liberty-loving way of life. In the end, this movie is nothing more than a confused foreign opinion on something that only us Salvadoreans truly understand.
Rating:
Summary: Woods steals the movie...as usual
Review: Finally, back in print!I'll be honest and admit first thing that I'm not a huge Oliver Stone fan. I rented this because James Woods is so entertaining in almost anything he's in. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the movie itself turned out to be pretty good, too. The movies I liked that Stone directed didn't have a big political message, like U-Turn, The Doors, and Natural Born Killers (ok, that last one was slightly political) The only overtly hit-you-over-the-head-with-the-message scene in this movie is one where Woods and Savage were taking photos of a huge amount of dead bodies in a dump, and there's a subtitle saying "Blah-blah, dumping ground for corpses killed by death squads" (or something similar) Oh really? Thanks for the explanation Mr. Stone, I would have thought they were at the zoo. I probably wasn't supposed to find this movie as funny as I did, but God James Woods was so hilarious. It's just his timing, or the way he says stuff --for example, "Hey man, where else can you get a 17-year old to (perform a sexual act that is unprintable here) for 7 dollars, man? 7...dollars!"--, or something, but he just totally steals the movie. He can just roll his eyes and I start cracking up. If it had a different actor in the starring role who wasn't as entertaining, I doubt I would have bought a copy. He was definitely robbed of a Best Actor Oscar for this movie--there's a scene near the start of the movie where he is barreling down the street in his crappy car and gets pulled over, that made me laugh so hard I played it back for my husband. Some of the scenes where they are driving down to Mexico are very Hunter S. Thompson-esque. The scene in the confessional where he asks the priest if it would still be okay to take a few hits of a joint once in a while is priceless. If you're a Woods fan, what are you waiting for? Get a copy fast! I can't imagine any other actor in the role, the other acting in the film is great, but he just acts circles around everyone else. Oh yeah, and the movie itself is great, very emotional. You do care about the characters, even the sleazy ones. The ending also was unpredictable, and there a several scary, very tense scenes. One more thing--watch for John Doe of the punk band X in a small cameo as a restaurant owner-va va va voom!!! Recommended to Woods fans, Stone fans, or simply anyone who enjoys a good political thriller. Not recommended for kids, though.
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: For me Oliver Stone's best production. A gripping, often frightening tale, laced with exceptional black humour and a real sense of indignation, this movie magnificently depicts a anarchic terrifying country on the edge of disintingration. Commited performances shine through and the pace and tension (not always at its best in Oliver stone's work) is relentless. A classic.
Rating: 
Summary: Old and Wrong
Review: I know this movie is old, but I have to say it still makes me sick. From someone who was born in El Salvador and watched a parent get shot 50+ times from communist lefties, to watch this total lie of a movie is distrubing. James Wood "still" needs to be ashamed. This fiction has nothing to do with any reality in Central America, today, or yesterday.
Rating:
Summary: Old and Wrong
Review: I know this movie is old, but I have to say it still makes me sick. From someone who was born in El Salvador and watched a parent get shot 50+ times from communist lefties, to watch this total lie of a movie is distrubing. James Wood "still" needs to be ashamed. This fiction has nothing to do with any reality in Central America, today, or yesterday.
Rating: 
Summary: Awesome and Intense
Review: I saw this movie on video a year or two after it was released back in the late eighties. It's an excellent film on several levels. The plot is incredibly intense and will definitely hold your attention. The central character, played by James Woods, is complex, enigmatic, and incredibly driven. While the movie exposes the horrific crimes against humanity that were committed by a U.S.-backed regime, it retains it's narrative integrity and never strays over the line into a heavy-handed mouthpiece of ideology. I highly recommend this movie, but be warned that it does contain scenes of graphic violence.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie.......but.
Review: I very much appreciate the effort by director Oliver Stone, as a matter of fact I myself can relate to some of the situations in the movie, growing up in El Salvador was painful and is perfectly described in the movie as we were always told to respect and obey the orders from "uniformed" people. But please explain to me WHY will someone make a movie titled "El Salvador" and use mexicans, to me that is an insult. I understand the movie was made in Mexico, but still you should somehow be able to find "salvadoreans" to do the little talking that they do, if nothing else "don't use mexican expressions" in a salvadorean movie. PLEASE do some research next time.
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