Savages

Just because I'm telling you this story

doesn't mean I'm aIive at the end of it.

This could all be pre-recorded

and l could be talking to you from the bottom of the ocean.

Yeah, it's that kind of a story.

Because things just got so out of control.

But let's go back to where it started. Here, in paradise.

Where they say God parked HimseIf on the seventh day,

but they towed Him on the eighth.

And this is Ben and Chon's hole-in-the-wall by the sea.

Paid for in cash.

Not bad for two young Laguna dudes

who are definitely not empIoyabIe on WaII Street.

Chon is a kiIIer.

Two tours. lraq, Afghanistan.

And he came back with a Iot of cash,

but no souI.

He's always trying to fuck the war out of himseIf.

l have orgasms.

He has war-gasms.

So, I guess I try to give him back

some of the things that he's Iost.

Chon is the Iove of my Iife.

CaII me O. I was named after OpheIia,

the bipolar basket-case in HamIet, who committed suicide.

So I cut it down to just O.

Dope's supposed to be bad,

but in a bad, bad world, it's good.

Chon says drugs are a rational response to insanity.

Mmm.

Chon, you want some?

What is it about porn that you guys Iike so much?

What is that?

Is that Iraq?

No. Mexico.

Where's Ben? Isn't he stiII in Burma?

No. Africa, somepIace.

Saving Africans.

He said he was going to be gone three weeks.

That's changing, O.

Let's get some air.

Come on.

I guess you've figured out by now,

if people are willing to go "Henry Vlll" on this,

Chon and Ben grow some of the best weed in the worId.

Bring the bags in. Thanks.

Oh, yeah, this is Ben.

Ben !

The other love of my life.

Oh, my sweet Iotus.

Oh, my sweet Ben.

How was Africa?

You know, I started in Burma

and then I took a Ieft and ended up in the Congo.

But if you're serious. . . Good thing I'm tough.

Chon-boy.

Good to see you.

It's good to see you, man.

You aII right? Here, Iook.

You got any of that LomotiI?

LomotiI? Yeah, I put some in your room.

Suck on some ice cubes, man.

You Iook Iike shit.

Yeah? Mmm-hmm.

PIace Iooks good, though. Thank you, O.

Thank you.

You're weIcome.

Shut up. You're a jerk. He didn't do anything.

I know, I know.

Here, you've been taking care of my babies?

Huh?

Too busy making some of your own?

Listen, I'm going to go catch a Iong swim.

We'II taIk business Iater, okay?

Hey.

Every successfuI business has an origin story.

Microsoft and Apple were born in garages.

Ben and Chon's was born on the beach.

Ben went to Berkeley and double-majored in business and botany.

Chon was between depIoyments.

And they've been buddies since high school.

So one day, they're sitting there

thinking about what they're going to do, and Ben says...

So where do you think the best cannabis in the worId comes from?

Easy.

Afghanistan.

Ding! That was the "founder" moment.

So, Chon, from the most dangerous ground in the world,

smuggles back the finest seeds.

lt grew.

Within six years, they had a couple of farms

and a great customer base.

Yo, try this.

lt became urban legend.

lf you ask any serious head

where the best dope in the world in the 21 st century is,

it's not ThaiIand, Jamaica, and certainly not Mexico.

THC is testing 33%.

I ran it twice. There's got to be a gIitch.

I think we just struck goId.

lt's right here in CaIifornia, USA.

Ben says every plant needs love.

He sees himseIf as a heaIer.

Then when I started to help out at the grow-op,

he caIIed me his own Iotus in water.

I Iike that.

They partner in several dispensaries

and supply many of the cIubs in CaIifornia.

And it's progressive

because from what I've seen, at Ieast,

it helps with the pain.

Fifteen miIIion satisfied customers can't all be wrong.

But the big money comes from shipping it out of state.

That's the 50.

At high prices, they get up to $6,000 a pound.

Ben's guiding philosophy is basically Buddhist.

Don't fuck with people.

His true genius is that he takes 99%

of the paranoia and violence out of the business.

The other 1%?

That's where Chon comes in.

Chon's phiIosophy is basically Baddhist.

Get off me, fucker!

Don't fuck with Ben.

What?

The money, Brett.

I got your fucking money.

For Ben, the dope business is green.

His foundation has branches in Africa and Asia.

"Money isn't enough," he says.

"You've got to give your heart."

Hey, don't ever go away on me again.

I reaIIy missed you.

TeII me that again.

I

reaIIy

missed you.

I know what you're thinking.

"SIut," right?

And maybe it is wrong.

But the truth is we aII Iove each other so much.

We trust each other, we take care of each other.

And for me, together they are one complete man.

Chon is coId metaI.

Ben is warm wood.

Chon fucks

and Ben makes Iove.

Chon is earth

and Ben, spirit.

And the one thing they have in common

I am the home that neither of them ever had.

And they're mine.

I reaIIy missed this with you.

Good swim?

ExhiIarating.

No sharks?

Not in the ocean.

They knew you were coming.

They want to meet.

Tomorrow.

Let's make a deaI.

Big mistake.

Are we reaIIy going to get caught up in this shit, Chon?

We couId get out of a business we want to get out of anyway.

What if I'm not ready to waIk away?

Then you run it.

That's not what I do.

Then Iet me do what I do best, aII right?

We buiIt this, it's ours.

Why the fuck do you want to give it away?

You see that video?

I've seen worse and I'd do worse to them.

Yeah, and I wouIdn't.

They're going to think we're afraid of them.

I am afraid of them.

I'm not. We're not aII you, Chon.

I didn't get into this thing to kiII peopIe.

You don't get it, do you? It's a jungIe thing, Ben.

When they smeII your fear, they Iike it.

They wiII attack us. They're fucking savages.

Surrender is not defeat, Chon.

You're resisting change. Just Iet it go.

Uh-oh. Testosterone.

CIose your Iegs, it's showing.

Sorry.

I was taIking to him.

Hey, can you boys take me out somewhere nice?

Come on. We can drink a IittIe, reIax.

It's been a whiIe.

This is Lado. He is a man of many skills.

Gardening is just his day job.

I'm going to go take a shower, baby.

You want to come join me?

AbsoIuteIy.

Ah-ah. Not yet.

Baby, did you order a fucking pIant?

Roberto Rodriguez wants a refund.

Whoa, whoa.

Look, you hire a Iawyer, you pay him, win or Iose.

Roberto knew the deaI.