Savior (1998)

So much average

Redundant and unnecessary.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

"Disturbing" and "gut-wrenching" are frequent adjectives used to describe SAVIOR. I agree without hesitation, but it's important to remember that, particularly in its conclusion, SAVIOR is also both heart-warming and gratifying. I have seen very few films that juxtapose these various qualities so well.This is one of Quaid's finest performances as Joshua "Guy" Rose, a former U.S. Army officer who joins the Bosnian Serb Army for the simple reason that they are fighting against Moslems, a religion that, for reasons the film reveals, he's come to hate. He soon finds himself the unwitting "savior" of Vera, a Serbian woman played with utter conviction by Natasa Ninkovic, and her child conceived through rape by former Bosnian captors. The symbolism of the half-Serb, half-Bosnian child shines through very well. Settings are also worthy of note: The Bosnian sequences were filmed right next door in Montenegro, and the whole sense-of-place adds as much immediate realism to this film as the superb acting.There are some rather heated debates on IMDb's Discussion Board regarding what SAVIOR supposedly says about the war in Bosnia and how it portrays Serbs, Croats, and Moslems. Obviously, way too much has been read into the fact that the director is Serbian-born. Certain events and portrayals will inevitably upset citizens of the former Yugoslav republics who were victimized during the wars in the 1990s. However, the basic focus of this film is as nonpartisan as it can possibly be. If anything, SAVIOR overdoes the point that Bosnian Serbs, Croats, and Moslems all committed acts of both horrific cruelty and extreme compassion. In the words of one character, "I am Croat, my wife, Serb. Before the war, no difference. Now, stupid!"

Obviously ant-war film can suck as well. Also, I suppose that Hitler, if lived long enough, God forbid, would ordered one just like this - where all sides are equally bad, where Jews are equally wrong & equally responsible - well equally my @ss. What's more cynical then moral equalization between victim & executioner, that seek to whitewash reality of war & crime itself, while rewriting history using apologia & ambiguities. I will admit, though, Stone made a good decision when he sent his script to Belgrade based director. Story goes, he noticed him for his "eye & photography" earlier. Indeed, film is visually beautiful & moody - that's about all that is good about it.At the beginning of this propaganda flick viewers are immediately introduced to common Islamophobic trope, so prevalent in todays political and media discourse: it paint adherents of Islam with a one broad brush, regardless of their race, ethnicity & cultural background - basically, Muslim here is absolutely identical faceless other to Muslim anywhere and everywhere. Because of Islam, you see. Islam is supposedly so inherently evil, so corrupt, that it turns persons into clones of each other, into some sort of zombies. So, without any background elaboration, viewer is lead to accept that main character logic isn't flawed, although his action upon that logic might be wrong, that is when he connect act of terrorism committed by people from the other side of the planet to people of Kosovo and Bosnia, of course only because both people happened to be Muslims - and so he decides to take revenge on them. Some viewer will react with rejection of his actions but only because it's a revenge, and revenge is bad, while much lesser number will reject it because entire logic is actually absolutely flawed - this connection between terrorists and Bosnians is still bogus, no matter how perfidious and cunning is the attempt to inject it into film's narrative. It's a deliberate framing of Muslims (all & everywhere): on screen Bosnians are equally evil if not worse as those terrorists them self. From here underlying moral equalization spews and gets worse with every frame.Some noticed how others complained of possible (certain) pro-Serbian bias. They ask why, & say don't get it. Others try to explain how filmmakers meant ant-war-this, ant-vendetta-that. As one reviewer writes even if it carries pro-Serbian bias, as long as we see one Serb is sadist, all is OK. He writes: "Inevitably, some have accused Saviour of bias, though an American film, the director is a Serb...; with such emotive subject partiality would hardly be surprising. Indeed, the film does not flinch from discussing atrocities committed by Bosnian Muslims. Those who accuse this film of being pro-Serb, however, should consider that one of the most hateful characters in the whole film,...is himself a Serb." Another: "I am surprised & saddened that there are still some folks here at the forum fighting over its anti/pro Muslim/Serbian credentials. There is no winner in any war - only despair & death & at times, a faint glimmer of hope." Reading through comments you will hardly be able to draw that conclusion. Actually, most (re)viewers thinks exactly what I said before: everyone are equally bad & responsible. And that's what this film makes a propaganda. One reviewer said "you don't hate Serbs, Croatians or Bosnians, you hate war". Of course we hate war, & little by little we think everyone is equally responsible for its beginning, all suffered equally, civilians on both sides were stricken equally by its horrors - so it must be all sides are equally potent, bad & responsible! Well that's utter bs. It's an arrogant & dishonest attempt to rewrite history & make an apologia for Serbian aggression on Bosnia, while blaming the victim. It's disgusting effort to invoke bogus debate, while whitewashing and justifying ethnic cleansing, & legitimizing persistent Bosnian genocide denial.More comments revealing impression obtained upon deceitful subtext & bogus pretense of making ant-war film, which both thrives on faulty perception based on ignorance (few books on Bosnia would do a miracle): "10/10'tijuanadonkey', USA, Best movie on the subject so far, 2006 Unlike many that take sides & immediately turn off this is one I could recommend... No one here is a good guy, in fact everyone is bad to a degree, especially when you understand who everyone is... nothing good came out of a war that destroyed a beautiful nation & turned brother vs. brother in the name of fighting ethnic war from ancient history."; or "Michael Markham, UK, Brilliant, 2002 I agree with other reviewers...extraordinary movie. I worried about the apparent American slant at the beginning...I saw it with a Bosnian Muslim friend (even though he was the bad guys in the movie) he was also deeply moved. Clearly the horror & cruelty was on both sides."; or "9/10 Raegan Butcher, USA, Some people have claimed this is a racist film. I do not see it that way. This film shows everyone in a bad light."Bizarre! Moral equalization of victim & executioner - that's an ultimate bs., a brazen abuse of art. It's an arrogant & dishonest attempt to rewrite history & make an apologia for Serbian genocide, while blaming the victim. It's an effort to invoke bogus debate where there is non. Serbian media take this goal seriously & as extremely important. Find more about nature of Bosnian War, what, how & why it happened in books by prominent UK & US historian scholars like Marko Attila Hoare, Noel Malcolm, Robert Donia, John A.V. Fine Jr. & others. For anti-war film based on Bosnian war try "Welcome to Sarajevo" & "No Man's Land"; for anti-war film in general "The 25th Hour"!

The quality of this film is not measured by it's oversights and errors but of the moments of brilliance. Dennis Quaid does seem to drift in and out of his best acting - who knows why - and some of the scenes are pure Hollywood convenience. But at other times the film is tight and suspense is built superbly without using dialogue. Oliver Stone is truly a master.The truth in this film is so apparent that you get the feeling that this story could be superimposed onto any war in history. The immediate black and white moral decisions that people face in war are displayed clearly; if a mistake is made, you die, that's all there is to it; knowing when assistance cannot be given is a skill to be learned; and in the end you realise that people will do it all again, having learned nothing.After toying briefly in the beginning with political world comment, this film steers clear of further judgements and side taking and moves skillfully along a path of a true people story.

I've watched this film several times, the first time being in the late 90's, and then again just recently. It's truly an outstanding film that depicts the horrors faced by civilians in all wars, and how conflict and human suffering brings out both the best and worst in us.My wife is a Croatian citizen, and her family fled the country in the early 90's when the region first began to break apart, just hours away from being swept up into the war themselves. She was a teenager at the time, and she once told me that no one believed that the war would actually escalate so far, until before they realized it, a battle was being fought in the neighboring town a few miles away. Her parents made a wise decision to drop everything, grab the kids, and head for the border... Someone told them that just hours after they left, the roads out were blocked, and men were being conscripted into the army to fight. Fight for what? Her mother is a catholic Croatian and her father is an orthodox Serbian. Now all of a sudden, they are supposed to be enemies? A tale played out over and over in human history, yet we still have not learned our lesson.I also had the chance to visit the region, specifically Croatia, in 1999. Most of the parts that I visited were still in shambles, with almost every structure in ruins. Go outside and take a good look at the neighborhood that you live in. Now imagine 99% of the homes either completely leveled, or so damaged that they are uninhabitable. Anyone who thinks that war is glamorous, like Hollywood almost always portrays it, should visit a war torn country sometime. WHAT A WASTE!!! That's the Croatia that I saw in the 90's.Last month, I went back for my second visit, 7 years later. Wow, what a difference. The people of Croatia, along with the United Nations, have been busy rebuilding. Croatia is truly a beautiful country. The coast is extremely beautiful, and the National parks Plitvitce and Krka are beyond words. I see hope returning to the area....