History Film / Salvador

* Anvilicious: Being a film directed by Creator/OliverStone, the underlying message that El Salvador at the time was ruled by a bunch of right-wing brutal fanatics that the US Government should not support is not particularly subtle, nor is expressed in a subdued way.

The film follows Richard Boyle (Woods), an American photojournalist who's covering UsefulNotes/TheSalvadoranCivilWar and becomes entangled with both the FMLN and the right-wing military while trying to rescue his girlfriend and her children.

** The speech that Romero gives in the film is not his last homily, but a sermon that he read at the national radio the day before his murder.
** Finally, Romero, an high prelate of the pacifist Catholic Church, never condoned the use of insurrectional violence by the revolutionaries.

* ColonelKilgore: Major Maximiliano Casanova seems to enjoy the war and violence.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: At the end of the film, many of the characters have died, including Cathy and John, Cassidy is arrested, Maria and her children are deported and the war in Salvador is going on.]]

* HateSink: Major Maximiliano Casanova is a ruthless local military man whose face and deeds scream evil.

** Minor case with the policemen during the ending, who [[spoiler:almost execute Boyle, but spare him and treat him kindly and friendly as soon as the outgoing US Ambassador intervenes in his favour]].

* AnyoneCanDie: Unsurprisingly as the real events took lives of the enormous amount of innocent people. [[spoiler: The noticeable characters that die over the course of the film include Maria’s younger brother, Archbishop Oscar Romero, a nun and Boyle’s friend Cathy Moore, and another one of Boyle’s friends and fellow photojournalist, John Cassady.]]

* ColonelKilgore: Major Maximiliano Casanova is seems to enjoy the war and violence.
* DeathFromAbove: [[spoiler: John Cassady]] is killed by shots from a plane.
* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: Many people have died including Cathy and John, Maria and her children are deported and the war in Salvador is going to continue.]]

** When they meet Colonel Julio Figueroa for the first time Doyle introduces him to Dr. Rock as "El Salvador's [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeSPatton Patton]]". Guess who will lead the counteroffensive against the rebels at the end.

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: The ARENA party-expy and it's founder are portrayed as fascist fanboys of dictator Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez (also known as the man who decimated the indigenous population of the country during ''La Matanza'' of 1932) obsessed with creating a totalitarian El Salvador. While they were directly responsible for many disappearances and assassinations before winning the 1988 elections in real life, they were your typical self-serving right-wing authoritarians funded by the United States.

* {{Hypocrite}}: The films main goal is to show hypocritical side of war.
** First, there is corrupt government of Salvador that says that they’re defending locals from terrorist, while in fact not giving a single damn about innocent people and ordering the deaths of anyone who disagrees with them (unless they got immunity).
** Second, there are US forces that say they’re just sending military instructors to Salvador and they want to defend this country, while in fact they’re taking a much bigger part in the war than they say and just don’t want Salvador to become a “second Nicaragua” (communists taking control over the territory).
** Third, communist revolutionaries who state that they’re answering to the cruelties the government makes, but kill the hostage soldiers (despite one of them claiming he didn’t kill anyone and hadn’t any choice).
** Minor case with the police during the ending, who almost execute Boyle, but treat him as a close friend as soon as they are told that he is an important person.
* {{Jerkass}}: Colonel Bentley Hyde Sr. who insults Boyle and justifies the war in Salvador.

** Richard Boyle is a rude, cheating person with a very unhealthy lifestyle, but he’s also cares for the lives of other and is ready to risk for others.
** Doctor Rock maybe a drug-addicted jerkass, but he’s also a good friend who’s ready to help his close ones.

** John tries to get a perfect shot of a war plane, [[spoiler: the said plane shoots getting him killed in front of Boyle who then takes his photos as John asked before dying.]]
** Boyle and Maria try to escape from Salvador with fake documents and by saying they’re married couple. [[spoiler: The officers easily find out the documents are fake, which almost gets Boyle executed (Doctor Rock immediately making a necessary call saves his life) and later the trick with a “married couple” also doesn’t pass after they enter the United States and Maria and her children get deported.]]
* SacrificialLamb: [[spoiler: Death of Maria’s younger brother is a point when you get that the things are really bad if you hadn’t gotten it before.]]

* WarIsHell: Innocent people dying, children fighting and getting executed, women being raped, war hostages being killed after giving up... War is sure hell.
* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler: Many children were killed in Salvador, including Maria’s brother who got executed by the government forces for petty reasons.]]

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: No one would shed a tear over Maximiliano Casanova's right-hand man, considering his unbelievable cruelty.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler: John’s death]] is actually foreshadowed several times in dialogues between him and Boyle.

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: No one would shed a tear over Major Maximiliano Casanova, considering his unbelievable cruelty.]]

** The speech that Romero gives is not his last homily, but a sermon that he read at the national radio the day before his murder.

Salvador is an American war drama film co-written and directed by Creator/OliverStone. It was released in 1986 and garnered two Academy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Creator/JamesWoods) and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Creator/JamesBelushi also starred in the film in the secondary role of Boyle’s friend Doctor Rock.

The film follows a journalist named Richard Boyle covering the UsefulNotes/TheSalvadoranCivilWar who becomes entangled with both the FMLN and the right-wing military while trying to rescue his girlfriend and her children.

The film got generally positive reviews. It is remarkable for a realistic take on the told events and being critical of the US-supported military.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: John Hoagland ("John Cassady"); Roberto D'Aubuisson ("Major Maximilian 'Max' Casanova"); Ambassador Robert White ("Ambassador Thomas Kelly"); and Sisters Jean Donovan, Dorothy Kazel, Maura Clark, and Ita Ford ("Cathy Moore" and the other ill-fated missionary nuns), are all depicted indirectly under different names.

* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: Several, including officers raping and killing innocent nuns and revolutionaries killing their hostages.

* ArtisticLicenseGeography: San Salvador is depicted as being on the coastline (with Boyle visiting Maria and her children at their house near the beach), but in actuality is located inland.

* AnyoneCanDie: Unsurprisingly as the real events took lives of the enormous amount of innocent people. [[spoiler: The noticeable characters that die over the course of the film include Maria’s younger brother, Archbishop Oscar Romero, a nun and Boyle’s friend Cathy Moore and another Boyle’s friend and the fellow photojournalist John Cassady.]]

* RealityEnsues:

* JailBait:
-->'''Boyle:''' Where else can you get a virgin to sit on your face for seven bucks?

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: Many people have died including Cathy and John, Maria and children are deported and the war in Salvador is going to continue.]]
* {{Expy}}: The ARANA party is an evilier, fascist version of the Real-Life ARENA party.

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: The ARENA party-expy and it's founder are portrayed as fascist fanboys of dictator Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez (1935 - 1944) obsessed with creating a totalitarian El Salvador. While they were directly responsible for many disappearances and assassinations before wining the 1988 elections in real life, they were your typical self-serving right-wing authoritarians funded by the United States.

** Boyle and Maria try to escape from Salvador with fake documents and by saying they’re married couple. [[spoiler: The officers easily find out the documents are fake, which almost gets Boyle executed (Doctor Rock immediately making a necessary call saves his life) and later the trick with a “married couple” also doesn’t pass and Maria with children get deported.]]

* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler: Many children were killed in Salvador, including Maria’s brother who got executed by the government forces.]]

The film follows a journalist named Richard Boyle covering the Salvadoran Civil War who becomes entangled with both the FMLN and the right-wing military while trying to rescue his girlfriend and her children.

* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[Cathy just calmly crosses herself before getting shot.]]

* NiceGirl: Cathy is incredibly supportive and kind person, [[spoiler: which makes her death even sadder.]]

NiceGirl: Cathy is incredibly supportive and kind person, [[spoiler: which makes her death even sadder.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler: John’s death]] is actually foreshadowed several times in dialogues.

** Boyle and Maria try to escape from Salvador with fake documents and by saying they’re married couple. [[spoiler: The officers easily find out the documents are fake, which almost gets Boyle executed (Doctor Rock immediately making a necessary call saves his life) and later the trick with a “married couple” also —- and Maria and children get deported.]]

* AnyoneCanDie: [[spoiler: Unsurprisingly as the real events took lives of the enormous amount of innocent people. The noticeable characters that die over the course of the film include Maria’s younger brother, Archbishop Oscar Romero, a nun and Boyle’s friend Cathy Moore and another Boyle’s friend and the fellow photojournalist John Cassady.]]

DeathFromAbove: [[spoiler: John Cassady]] is killed by shots from a plane.