Overview
A journalist risks everything to expose the truth in a war-torn country.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- gritty
- propulsive
- politically charged
- political film marathon
- serious movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Salvador as a vivid, powerful, and politically provocative drama whose gritty immediacy is occasionally undermined by a disjointed narrative and dramatized facts.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Richard Boyle's reporting exposes military repression and American complicity during the Salvadoran conflict.
Boyle seeks photographs and survival while bargaining with both guerrillas and the right-wing military.
The film presents war zones, assassinations, and street-level upheaval with speed, grime, and confrontational intensity.
The story draws on Richard Boyle's experiences while reshaping events and characters for dramatic effect.
Films like Salvador, and why
Under Fire
politically charged war journalism, moral urgency, and a volatile reporter navigating state violence
Missing
provocative political drama confronting American involvement in a foreign conflict through a compromised observer
The Year of Living Dangerously
gritty, psychologically frayed war correspondent perspective and anti-imperialist intensity
Z
real-events-inspired political filmmaking, journalistic investigation, and escalating authoritarian violence
Movie Details
- Director
- Oliver Stone
- Release Date
- 1986-04-23
- Runtime
- 123 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (429)
Cast
- James Woods
- Jim Belushi
- Michael Murphy
- John Savage
- Elpidia Carrillo
- Tony Plana
- Colby Chester
- Cynthia Gibb
- Will MacMillan
- Valerie Wildman
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Salvador about?
- A reckless American journalist is pulled into the moral and physical peril of El Salvador’s civil war while trying to save the woman he loves.
- What is Salvador like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Salvador as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Salvador violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Salvador as graphic.
- What did critics think of Salvador?
- Critics broadly regard Salvador as a vivid, powerful, and politically provocative drama whose gritty immediacy is occasionally undermined by a disjointed narrative and dramatized facts.
- Which films are like Salvador?
- Films with a similar feel include Under Fire, Missing, The Year of Living Dangerously, and Z.
- How long is Salvador?
- Salvador runs 123 minutes.
- Where can I watch Salvador?
- In United States, Salvador streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
