Salvador

Salvador (1986)

  • 92% of critics liked it
    (24 reviews)

  • 83% of users liked it
    (8,003 ratings)

While Salvador wasn't Oliver Stone's first film (a pair of offbeat horror stories preceded it), it defined his style of fiercely dramatic, politically oriented filmmaking, staked out his territory as one of the major directors of the 1980s and 1990s, and remains one of his strongest works to… More

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R,
Directed By
Written By
Oliver Stone, Rick Boyle
Genres
Mystery & Suspense, Drama
In Theaters
Apr 23, 1986 Wide
MGM Pictures, Inc.

Critic Reviews

  • Derek Adams, Time Out

    The polemic may seem obvious and at times laboured, but the action sequences are brilliant, and the film does achieve a brutal, often very moving, power.

  • Jay Weissberg, Variety

    [The] crime spree feels more like bored rich kids on a joy ride than committed leftie intellectuals hastening regime change.

  • Walter Goodman, New York Times

    One look at the youthful, idealistic guerrillas, accompanied everywhere by folk music, and you know where Mr. Stone's heart lies.

  • Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

    Salvador is long and disjointed and tries to tell too many stories...But the heart of the movie is fascinating.

  • Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

    Borgesian critique, or exotic backdrop for a scoundrel's Hollywood redemption?

Read all 14 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Chris W


    Not Oliver Stone's first film, but definitely the first to really show the direction his career would be taking (politically charged, hauntingly dramatic, very strong sense of vision and message). And, this was released the same year as his landmark Platoon, so 1986 was one great… More

  • Randy T


    Off-beat actor meets eccentric director meets gritty material.

  • Jim H


    This is how a political drama is done, and it should be no surprise that Oliver Stone is the one to do it. I find it fitting that I watch this immediately after Hunt for Justice (how a political drama is not done). Stone understands that the political facts of El Salvador are less… More

  • xGary X


    Has-been gonzo journalist James Woods sees the civil unrest in El Salvador as a opportunity to make some money but when his Salvadoran girlfriend and her family become embroiled in the violence his attitudes soon change. Salvador is a damning criticism of the US' continued and… More

  • Ken S


    My favorite Oliver Stone film. Powerhouse performances from Woods and Belushi.

Read all 12 featured audience ratings

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Cast

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