Almost a complete review of Oliver Stone's work

Cast : Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Rhys Ifans, Nicolas Cage, Shailene Woodley, Tom Wilkinson, Joely Richardson, Timothy Olyphant, Ben Chaplin

What was it about?
The NSA's illegal surveillance techniques are leaked to the public by one of the agency's employees, Edward Snowden, in the form of thousands of classified documents distributed to the press.

My two cents:
Not so long ago, I already watched 'Citizenfour' and I thought it would be pretty neat to see also this dramatized version directed by Oliver Stone. By the way, isn't it a little bit crazy that all these events took place only a couple of years ago and, yet, they have already released 2 major movies about the subject? To be honest, it gives the feeling that this story might be huge right now but nobody will really care about the whole thing over a couple of decades. Furthermore, even though Edward Snowden said that his quest was not about him, by getting a movie named after him and about his life, it shows how much the guy has become worldwide famous in the process. Anyway, it was pretty neat to see this movie after the documentary as it gave some interesting background about Snowden himself and what he went through. It was also interesting to see the notorious tools used by the NSA and the CIA actually in action. Eventually, instead of the far-fetched action scenes you get in the Bourne franchise, some supposedly more realistic spy movies, they showed us what spying is really about nowadays and the impact it might have on our everyday life.

My rating: 7/10

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Cast : Blake Lively, Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Benicio Del Toro, John Travolta, Salma Hayek, Emile Hirsch

What was it about?
Pot growers Ben and Chon face off against the Mexican drug cartel who kidnapped their shared girlfriend.

My two cents:
Eventually, even though Roger Ebert was enthusiast, I thought it was a well made and decent drug feature but not much more than that eventually. I mean, there was indeed a terrific cast and they all delivered some decent performances, especially Travolta who is always awesome when playing such sleazy back-stabbing SOB but the story never really reaches its potential. Indeed, during the whole thing, they try to convince you that you are watching something really hardcore but even if many people are killed or tortured, I never felt that there was much at stake. Maybe the two main characters should have been tougher, I don't know. It is interesting to note that Oliver Stone wrote 'Scarface' almost 30 years which has become the reference in this genre whereas this new drug feature was rather underwhelming.

My rating: 6/10

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Cast : Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Carey Mulligan, Frank Langella, Vanessa Ferlito, Josh Brolin, Eli Wallach

What was it about?
Now out of prison but still disgraced by his peers, Gordon Gekko works his future son-in-law, an idealistic stock broker, when he sees an opportunity to take down a Wall Street enemy and rebuild his empire.

My two cents:
Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect from this flick. Indeed, most sequels are disappointing and, frankly, I never thought that the original was that amazing. I mean, it was a good flick, that's for sure, but I never thought it was really brilliant. Still, I just loved the idea of seeing Michael Douglas returning to his most iconic character, Gordon Gekko. Eventually, I really liked this movie. I mean, in my opinion, the financial deals and the whole mood of the movie were just great and it was enough for me to be sold. However, I have to admit, the story was not always really sharp and there were plenty of things that just didn't work. One major weak point was that they didn’t really know this time what to do with Gordon Gekko. I mean, should he be a bad guy or a good guy? Since the makers couldn't make up their mind, they keep switching back and forth and it was rather annoying. Still, I liked this flick because the business side was just damned fascinating even if there is a good chance that a re-watch would eventually drop my rating though.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Colin Hanks, Toby Jones, Jeffrey Wright, Thandie Newton, Scott Glenn, Richard Dreyfuss, James Cromwell, Ellen Burstyn

What was it about?
A chronicle on the life and presidency of George W. Bush.

My two cents:
The whole thing sounded intriguing and, eventually, I really liked it. First of all, I have to make something clear, I'm really a sucker for movies about politics so the main subject was really interesting to me. However, the first thing that stroke me was Josh Brolin who gave here a great performance. Only for him, it is completely worth watching this feature. What was also very interesting is that they managed to give some nuances about W. Bush and even though you can see that he is not really bright, you can't avoid feel sympathy for the guy and I think it shows how well done this movie was made. It's too bad the story didn't keep its edge and lost focus later on. For example, they show all his journey from Yale student to Texas governor but abruptly stopped. Why not showing his first very controversial presidential election? or 09/11? So, it has its flaws but Oliver Stone definitely succeeded in creating a rather fascinating portrait of someone who pretty much looked like an incompetent moron to me.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Nicolas Cage, Maria Bello, Michael Peña, Jay Hernandez, Jon Bernthal, Maggie Gyllenhaal

What was it about?
Two Port Authority police officers become trapped under the rubble of the World Trade Center.

My two cents:
Following his reputation, many hoped/expected that Oliver Stone would make one of his controversial political dramas à la ‘JFK’ but unfortunately, the whole thing turned out to be surprisingly tame. Indeed, the whole thing was criticized as being too cautious and easily playing on the emotions. Personally, I don’t think the whole thing was completely worthless though. Indeed, the first part when they get there and got involved in all the disaster was actually terrific. However, as soon as they got stuck under the rubble (which is actually most of the movie when I think about it), it all became really mushy and not really interesting. It seems that, for once, Oliver Stone wanted to make an emotional and respectable drama which wouldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings but, in the process, he made a rather underwhelming feature. Still, if only for the first 30 minutes, it is actually worth a look.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Jared Leto, Anthony Hopkins, Rosario Dawson, Christopher Plummer, Jonathan Rhys Meyers

What was it about?
Alexander, the King of Macedonia and one of the greatest military leaders in the history of warfare, conquers much of the known world.

My two cents:
It is arguably the most disappointing movie directed by Stone. Above all, I thought it was just really messy and, frankly, rather poorly written. Indeed, they focus on certain moments, certain scenes which seem rather trivial whereas some other which sound really important or interesting are just rushed or even skipped. And, of course, there was the old homosexual thing which was indeed poorly handled. I mean, if you are going to tackle the subject, you either go for it all the way or you just drop the whole thing all together. What I mean by that, is that, for example, you are treated with a gratuitous naked scene with Rosario Dawson but then, with Jared Leto, they don't even touch each other and those scenes were just terribly embarrassing. Still, the whole thing is not completely worthless. Indeed, it remains a fascinating historical figure, the whole thing looked awesome and there was a nice cast. Eventually, even though it is far from being one of the worst movies ever made, it was still a huge disappointment.

My rating: 05/10

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Cast : Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, James Woods, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J, Matthew Modine, Lauren Holly, Aaron Eckhart, Elizabeth Berkley

What was it about?
A behind the scenes look at the life and death struggles of modern day gladiators and those who lead them.

My two cents:
Basically, it is one of those many ambitious projects directed by Oliver Stone which didn't fair very well eventually. Personally, I thought it was actually pretty good. Of course, since I'm European, I have a totally different perspective on (American) football so I have no idea if someone more familiar with this sport would appreciate it or not. Anyway, I thought the whole thing was fairly entertaining with a great cast, it was especially nice to see Pacino portray something else than his usual gangsters. Eventually, the main critic I would have is that the whole thing is not really nice and not really nasty either towards this sport and, therefore, the storyline(s) never reaches its full potential. Anyway, I still liked this flick though.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Sean Penn, Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Voight, Powers Boothe, Nick Nolte, Joaquin Phoenix, Claire Danes, Liv Tyler

What was it about?
A young punk drifter heading to Vegas to pay off his gambling debt before the Russian mafia kills him, is forced to stop in a Arizona town where everything that can go wrong, does go wrong for him.

My two cents:
I'm pretty sure that I actually saw it in the movie theater when it was released in fact. Anyway, it is one of the more obscure and less ambitious features directed by Oliver Stone but I thought it was thoroughly enjoyable. Basically, instead of the rather heavy historical and/or political dramas which had become Oliver Stone's specialty, it seems that this time, he just wanted to have some fun, so he decided to make this flick which is some kind of neo-film noir and even though it is nothing amazing whatsoever, it still believe it was a decent effort in this genre. Indeed, even though the story was nothing really original and was rather predictable, I really enjoyed the directing and there was a terrific cast. Finally, it is not very often that you get to see a pretty good movie starring Jennifer Lopez.

My rating: 07/10

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It was actually directed by Alan Parker, Oliver Stone supposedly wrote the screenplay.

Almost 20 years after Midnight Express, it seems that Parker and Stone were working together again but, in fact, Stone received a token credit as a writer for this film but he didn't have any actual input to the script. He was planning to make a film about Eva Perón himsef, but after several disagreements with Argentinian President Carlos Menem, he abandoned the project.

Cast : Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen, Powers Boothe, Ed Harris, Bob Hoskins, Paul Sorvino, James Woods

What was it about?
A biographical story of former U.S. president Richard Milhous Nixon, from his days as a young boy to his eventual presidency which ended in shame.

My two cents:
For the Americans, Nixon is usually perceived as the ultimate boogeyman but the guy was actually really popular back in 1968 when he really messed up with the whole Watergate thingy. Since then, it has been forgotten that he was actually a rather effective politician (he ended the Vietnam war after all) who might have suffered from megalomania, paranoia and what not. Stone tries to juggle with all these elements but only partially succeeds in giving a striking portrayal of this notorious figure. One thing remains though, Anthony Hopkins is a terrific actor. Even though he didn’t look like the guy at all, he gave as usual an amazing performance. After portraying Richard Nixon, John Quincy Adams, Alfred Hitchcock, Pablo Picasso, Van Helsing, Zorro, and of course Hannibal Lecter, we can assume at this point that Hopkins could portray anything and still be awesome and completely convincing.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Robert Downey Jr., Tommy Lee Jones

What was it about?
Two victims of traumatized childhoods become lovers and psychopathic serial murderers irresponsibly glorified by the mass media

My two cents:
This was Quentin Tarantino's second feature length screenplay (his first was ‘True Romance’). Back in those days, following his new success with ‘Reservoir Dogs’, Tarantino was a hot property and everything he had done before was quickly released to profit from the hype as much as possible. Still, the script was rewritten so much by Oliver Stone, producer Richard Rutowski and screenwriter David Veloz that eventually the finished film beared little resemblance to Tarantino's original script. Anyway, how was the movie itself? Even though it was really controversial when it was released and even though it was obvious they tried to make a 90’s version of ‘Clockwork Orange’, I don’t think it was really that amazing. Don’t misunderstand me, I thought it was pretty good and I enjoyed the kinetic directing but, to be honest, even though Stone is pretty clever, he is not Kubrick and I thought that Mickey and Mallory were rather shallow and not really interesting. So, in my opinion, it is far from being a masterpiece but it is still a pretty good flick though.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Tommy Lee Jones, Joan Chen

What was it about?
The final movie in Oliver Stone's Vietnam trilogy follows the true story of a Vietnamese village girl who survives a life of suffering and hardship during and after the Vietnam war. As a freedom fighter, a hustler, young mother, a sometime prostitute, and the wife of a US. marine, the girl's relationships with men suggests an analogy of Vietnam as Woman and the U.S. as Man.

My two cents:
Even though ‘Platoon’ and ‘Born on the Fourth of July’ were both some massive critical success, it seems that many viewers tend to forget it but Oliver Stone actually made a trilogy about the Vietnam war (as a matter of fact, Stone was even working on a 4rth Vietnam movie called 'Pinkville' which was cancelled at the last minute). For some reason, even though the other movies in this trilogy were critically acclaimed, this one was actually barely noticed when it was released. It's a shame though because, even though it was maybe not a great masterpiece, it was still a pretty good drama with a very solid performance by the always dependable Tommy Lee Jones. The only issue I can think of is that, especially if you compare it to the two other Vietnam installments, the whole thing was rather unfocused. Still, it is probably one of the most obscure movies made by Oliver Stone but it is probably also one of the most underrated ones he made and it is much better than anything he has released in the last 10 years.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Kevin Costner, Jack Lemmon, Vincent D'Onofrio, Gary Oldman, Sissy Spacek, Joe Pesci, Walter Matthau, Tommy Lee Jones, John Candy, Kevin Bacon, Donald Sutherland, Martin Sheen

What was it about?
A New Orleans DA discovers there's more to the Kennedy assassination than the official story.

My two cents:
The first time I saw the damned thing I think it must have been 18-20 years ago and, frankly, I didn't really care much at the time about this historical murder. Eventually, I checked it out again many years later and I was this time quite blown away by this movie. After 'Platoon', it is probably the most heralded picture directed by Oliver Stone and easily the most controversial one. Indeed, back in those days, Stone still had some balls, especially compared to the rather friendly 'W.' and above all compared to the terribly mushy 'World Trade Center'. Even if you put aside the controversial aspect of the subject, it still remain a fascinating and really entertaining flick. Plus, Oliver Stone had a great cast at this disposal. The greatest achievement, in my opinion, is that they managed to take a major page of history, shading some lights on these very dark times and also entertain the viewer at the same time. Eventually, it is a really good historical thriller and a classic.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Kyle MacLachlan, Kevin Dillon, Michael Madsen, Wes Studi, Debi Mazar, Mimi Rogers, Crispin Glover

What was it about?
The story of the famous and influential 1960's rock band and its lead singer and composer, Jim Morrison.

My two cents:
Even though this movie doesn’t have a really stellar reputation, I always had a weak spot for the damned thing and it is definitely one of my guilty pleasures. The point is that, when this movie was released, I was just about 12 years old and there was this huge revival around The Doors (in fact, mostly thanks to this flick). Like many other teenagers at the time, my sister and I fell in love with this music and, therefore I thought at the time that this movie was just awesome. Of course, since then I sobered up and I came to realize that this movie was not so amazing. The main issue, in my opinion, is that Oliver Stone never really figured out what he should really do with Jim Morrison. Was he a pitiful drug-addict, a circus act or a misunderstood genius? Still, in spite of its flaws, you can't deny that Val Kilmer was downright amazing in his portrayal of this huge rock-star. Anyway, even though the whole thing might have been rather half-baked, I really like the damned thing.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Tom Cruise, Tom Berenger, Frank Whaley, Stephen Baldwin, Kyra Sedgwick, Tom Sizemore, Daniel Baldwin, Oliver Stone, William Baldwin, Vivica A. Fox, Willem Dafoe, Lili Taylor, Eagle Eye Cherry, Holly Marie Combs

What was it about?
The biography of Ron Kovic. Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, he becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country he fought for.

My two cents:
To be honest, it has been a years since I have seen this movie and I should really re-watch it at some point. Well, in Oliver Stone’s filmography, this movie definitely has a solid reputation but, even though I really loved 'Platoon', I didn't think his 2nd Vietnam feature was really so amazing. I mean, sure, it was a decent watch but I thought it was also rather over-sentimental and even sometimes even cheesy. Anyway, Stone still managed to get his 2nd Academy award for Best director and it is quite surprising that the movie was snubbed for the Best picture, especially in favor of the rather underwhelming 'Driving Miss Daisy'. Concerning Tom Cruise, this movie was also quite a milestone because it was his first high-profile dramatic role (he did show up in ‘Rain Man’ the year before but, back then, it was Dustin Hoffman who did most of the heavy lifting). As as result, Cruise got his first Academy Award nomination and his status as the biggest movie star in the world became even more obvious. Anyway, even though I think this movie is slightly overrated, it is still a a pretty good drama.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Eric Bogosian, Alec Baldwin

What was it about?
A rude, contemptuous talk show host becomes overwhelmed by the hatred that surrounds his program just before it goes national.

My two cents:
It is basically another one of his really obscure features and, as a matter of fact, it took me quite a while to finally get my hands on it. Personally, I really enjoyed this movie. I mean, I have to admit it, the story was actually not really original but I thought that the main character was quite fascinating and Eric Bogosian gave a hell of a one-man show. As a matter of fact, this movie was an adaptation of his own play which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize (I wonder how those things work actually… Do they have some play-offs or something?!?) so that should mean it must have been worth something. Except for Bogosian, there is literally not much else going on in this movie and it was a little bit light but there was definitely something spellbinding about the whole thing and I really enjoyed it. To conclude, even though it is nothing great whatsoever, it remains an intriguing drama.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglas, Martin Sheen, Terence Stamp, Sean Young, Daryl Hannah, James Spader

What was it about?
A young and impatient stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless and greedy corporate raider who takes the youth under his wing.

My two cents:
Basically, it is another major classic directed by Oliver Stone but, to be honest, the first time I watched it, I thought it was actually slightly disappointing. I mean, it remains a very good movie, no doubt about it, but I thought that Charlie Sheen’s character was terribly bland and not very well developed. Furthermore, the whole thing about the young stockbroker being attracted by greed but who ultimately rejects it was rather boring and pedestrian. Still, there was some great stuff here, absolutely. First of all, Michael Douglas was just terrific as Gordon Gekko and only to see him makes it worth watching the whole damned thing and, in my opinion, he should have been the main character. Basically, that was the main problem with this movie. Indeed, even though the movie was against Gekko, yelling that he is the bad guy and that you should despise him, deep down, everyone thought he was awesome and this character became an icon, a role model for many guys who wanted to succeed in the stock-exchange world.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, Forest Whitaker, Kevin Dillon, Johnny Depp

What was it about?
A young recruit in Vietnam faces a moral crisis when confronted with the horrors of war and the duality of man.

My two cents:
It is pure and simply the best movie about the Vietnam war. Of course, there are some other pretty good movies about the subject, like ‘Full Metal Jacket’ for example, but this flick is just way better than the rest in my opinion. I mean, the making off was already the stuff of legend. The actors spent 2 weeks in a boot camp to get into the right ‘mood’ and Stone made sure that all the details were accurate. Stone, himself a Vietnam veteran, struggled for more than a decade to manage to make this movie (he even tried to cast Jim Morrison at some point) but it was eventually a huge financial and critical success. It won the Best Picture Academy award (Sometimes, they do manage to get it right, don’t they?) and Oliver Stone’s career was finally launched for good. At the end of the day, it remains a really fascinating and sometimes heartbreaking war tale with some fully fledged characters. Hell, there is even Johnny Depp in it… What else do you need?

My rating: 09/10

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Cast : James Woods, James Belushi, John Savage

What was it about?
A journalist, down on his luck in the US, drives to El Salvador to chronicle the events of the 1980 military dictatorship, including the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero. He forms an uneasy alliance with both guerillas in the countryside who want him to get pictures out to the US press, and the right-wing military, who want him to bring them photographs of the rebels. Meanwhile he has to find a way of protecting his Salvadorean girlfriend and getting her out of the country.

My two cents:
For many years, Oliver Stone was a struggling director and at the time of production, he thought that this movie was going to be his last chance, since his previous directing efforts were failures. However, in 1986, he made two movies which both managed to be, at least critically, successful. Of course, we all remember 'Platoon' which is rightfully considered as his magnum opus. However, we tend to forget the other movie he made back then, a movie so overlooked that it did not even have a wide distribution in the United States. Eventually, it was re-released after the success of 'Platoon'. Anyway, it is actually a damned fine picture. Indeed, it is one of those edgy movies that Stone used to make before going soft. The subject was really topical with some very good performances above all by James Woods but, even by James Belushi, usually one of the least interesting actors I have ever seen.

My rating: 07/10

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It was actually directed by Michael Cimino, Oliver Stone wrote the screenplay.

5 years after the debacle which was 'Heaven's gate', Cimino finally came up with another feature whereas Stone was on the verge of breaking-through but he was still writing for others at that point, even after winning an Academy award for the screenplay he wrote for 'Midnight Express'. Anyway, even though this movie was nothing amazing, I thought it was a pretty solid crime drama, no more no less. At least, Mickey Rourke still looked decent back in those days...

It was actually directed by Brian De Palma, Oliver Stone wrote the screenplay.

Indeed, before launching his own directing career, Stone wrote this massive classic. In the same genre, it is something really different than 'The Godfather' or 'Goodfellas' but I thought it was really awesome. Even though Al Pacino plays again a gangster, his Tony Montana was completely different than his Michael Corleone. Anyway, Pacino was huge and very mercurial in this movie. It is a great classic and must see.

It was actually directed by John Milius, Oliver Stone wrote the screenplay.

It is actually pretty funny to imagine Stone writing this flick since most of his career was not really fantasy-based. You can say that 'Alexander' was a little bit in the same genre (if Stone could have made it as bad-ass as this one, that would have been something...). Anyway, ever since I saw it as a kid, I always had a weak spot for this flick which turned Arnold Schwarzenegger into a household name.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen this one yet...

It was actually directed by Alan Parker, Oliver Stone wrote the screenplay.

Back then, Stone was still struggling as a director but he did manage to reach some major critical acclaim for writing this, winning his first Academy award in the process. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of this flick. I mean, it has been a while since I have seen it but back then, I thought it was rather stereotypical and way over the top. Still, the first scene, until the guy gets caught at the airport, is really amazing and completely nerve-wrecking.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen this one yet...