20140503: Action Review--On the Job

On the Job

1. Fundamentals, reception.
1. Philippine live action feature length film, 2013, rated R, 115 minutes, action, crime, drama.
2. IMDB: 7.1/10.0 from 755 audience ratings.  Spoken word is in Filipino/Tagalog/English; subtitles in English.
3. Rotten Tomatoes: 100% on the meter (average 6.7/10, 13 ratings); 92% liked it from 1,232 audience ratings.
4. Netflix: 3.2/5.0 from 10,091 audience ratings.
5. Directed by: Erik Matti.  Written by Erik Matti and Michiko Yamamoto.
6. Starring: Joel Torre as Mario 'Tatang' Maghari, Gerald Anderson as Daniel Benitez, Piolo Pascual as Francis Coronel, Jr., Joey Marquez as Sergeant Joaquin Acosta, Michael de Mesa as Congressman Manrique, Leo Martinez as General Pacheco, Angel Aquino as Lulette, Vivian Velez as Thelma.


2. Setup and Plot
1. Set in the modern day Philippines.  The film describes interactions among prisoners, crime families, police, police leaders, and politicians.


2. Tatang and Daniel get releases (under the radar) recurrently from prison in order to carry out assassinations.  Tatang's parole has been approved, and he hopes to pass the torch to Daniel after Tatang leaves prison.  Daniel clearly is not ready, but it is hoped he will learn quickly on the job.


3. At the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation), Francis takes on new responsibilities.  He is both blessed and cursed by the shadow of his father's accomplishments, such as they were.  One of his main jobs is to keep secret the traces of the assassinations.  Francis is mob-connected, as it turns out, since his significant other is the daughter of a crime boss.


4. As one might expect, this network of relationships, held together by blackmail and corruption, is doomed to break.  One of Francis' potential witnesses in his corruption investigation gets targeted for assassination.


5. Looks like the house of cards could all fall down.  Which group gets the most damage?


6. Tatang, Daniel, and Francis all have personal lives that they conduct through all of this.  Will they keep their relationships together?


3. Conclusions
1. One line summary: Trying to bring down corruption has all sorts of personal consequences.
2. Four stars of five.


4. Scores
1. Cinematography: 9/10 Well shot; looks good consistently.


2. Sound: 10/10 The actors are adequately miked, and the music was wonderful.


3. Acting: 8/10 Joel Torre was wonderful as Tatang.  Joey Marquez, Gerald Anderson, Piolo Pascual, and Vivian Velez were all good in their roles.


4. Screenplay: 7/10 The film did good story telling here, with a lot of texture, and just enough threads to follow.  Almost two hours was not too long at all.