Punglo bawat hakbang

Joe Balagtas' 80s project with the late actor Roy Alvarez is an unfortunate case involving an intriguing script and a cheap ass budget. With a fairly decent studio like Viva or Seiko financing the film, the screenplay written by Balagtas himself could've been presented with its integrity intact.

The film tells the story about an assassin for hire whose character is endowed with style and a bit of sophistication by Alvarez's versatile onscreen performance. The gifted thespian is a familiar face to those who've watched the kinda political A Dangerous Life in 1988 where he gets to bed the white chick. Alvarez also was a guest in Pepe Marcos' Tubusin Mo Ng Dugo as the brains behind a robbery group; His most popular role which brought him to the attention of action fans is his memorable portrayal as the leader of a syndicate in Willy Milan's A Better Tomorrow I and II homage, Dalawa Man Ang Buhay Mo, Pagsasabayin Ko. In Balagtas' film, Alvarez is marketed as a new breed of action star but the viewing public was not very welcoming in accepting him into the ranks of new, emerging Filipino action stars in the late 80s (whose members include Ronnie Ricketts, Sonny Parsons, Robin Padilla, et al). Perhaps this was more due to the shabby promotion of the film than anything else or maybe audiences were not yet ready for an intellectual type of action film.

Alvarez's character in the film is remarkably well written for his resourcefulness and inventive in devising the most ingenious and effective method of dispatching a target. The writer of the story was heavily into reading the novels of Frederick Forsyth and David Morell, specifically books like Day Of The Jackal and Brotherhood Of The Rose; a few ideas from these tomes went into the writing of the movie. As a result, the film feels like flipping through the pages of a paperback thriller; for example, the protagonist takes great care in preparing his implements and tools of murder and also in planning his method of escape after completing a successful kill. It's also worth mentioning that he is a realistic depiction of a hired gun; he doesn't always succeed in his assignments and can fall prey to other criminals such as in the scene where he is robbed along with other bank customers by armed thieves. He is portrayed in the movie as a classic loner (assassins work alone) with a faithful doberman to keep him company in the same way that Leon in Luc Besson's movie keeps a plant for companionship.

While the film has a pretty interesting concept and lead character, it is eventually impeded by its frugal funding, resulting in a less than satisfactory end product. A few of the set pieces in the film could've benefited from a more grandiose production such as the protagonist's lone raid on the bank robbers' hideout. I imagine Balagtas was forced to cut corners in his script to accommodate the skimpy budget; ultimately, the film just looks cheap and most likely did not reflect what's actually in the original draft of the screenplay.

The film's chosen method of denouement for its antihero is also not very well thought out; the dramatic build up wasn't enough to warrant killing him off. Unlike in Besson's movie where Leon dying at the hands of Stansfield serves as a climactic event, tragically sealing the hitman's fate and paying the price for Matilda's deliverance into a less tumultuous, normal life. In Balagtas' film, there's no such risk or price involved; the relationship with Tetchie Agbayani's character is not fully defined for the ending to work. Instead, a less touchy feely ending should have been worked out to better wrap up its plot points.

In conclusion, Balagtas and Alvarez's movie team up had great promise but the stingy production worked to its disadvantage; resulting in a dour and drab film.