Some Thoughts on Manila Kingpin: The Untold Story of Asiong Salonga

The much-awaited comeback of action movies in Philippine cinema is here. The question now is how long will this comeback last?

The controversial Manila Kingpin, the sixth remake of Tondo gangster Asiong Salonga’s biopic (and I wonder if there is anything ‘untold’ in his story after six films), is successful in lighting the fire once again for action films to thrive in mainstream cinema. This genre has disappeared in the last decade or so, perhaps because of the big investment needed in producing such films that could rival Hollywood’s explosive action films.

Fortunately, Scenema Concept International, the movie’s producer, took the risk to reintroduce this genre to recapture the interest of moviegoers, particularly the male population. Films produced in the last decade of Philippine commercial cinema were mostly melodrama and romance films—genres not attractive to males in general.

Never before have I seen such a shot in Filipino action films

 A period film as well, Manila Kingpin is worth watching in the big screen than in cam-captured versions in pirated DVDs. The black-and-white cinematography fuels the nostalgia to the previous versions of the film and adds drama. The fighting scenes, thanks to the Sound Engineering department and editors, also gave me a feeling that I was watching kung-fu movies or noir films. Though it was reported to be re-edited without the original director’s consent, the snappy editing builds up the intensity of the scenes, and the superb performance of the ensemble cast playing gangster roles makes the film believable and spectacular at the same time. I also adore the costume and the production design of the film. 

John Regala (winner Best Supporting Actor) leads the ensemble cast,
who all gave a superb performance

love the 50s look!

Four things I don’t like about the film: the Asiong Salonga character should have been played by a younger actor; the icky feeling I get whenever Ejercito and Carla Avellana kiss on screen (and there were many!); dialogues emphasizing Asiong’s support to the Liberal Party (it’s too many and lacks subtlety); a scene where Asiong and Fidela (Carla Avellana) were talking in their bedroom about the dangerous life that Asiong is living. Fidela tells him that she’s worried, and Asiong says that she should not worry; what she should worry about is their children and how to stay pretty and adds that she should just wait for him to come home (I was like, did you really include that in the script?).

Manila Kingpin bags almost all awards in the MMFF 2011

But above all, what I would remember the most in this film is my experience of watching it with old men in the movie house, those avid fans of yesteryear’s action films. I saw them line up in the ticket booth alone and watch the film intently. I thought if more films will be made that would compel old and new moviegoers alike to spend P160 to watch a well-made film, then the film industry, which has long been suffering in deep coma, can live normally again.

Now, where is that director’s cut? I’m dying to see it. 

Images from:

http://pinoybizsurfer.blogspot.com

http://www.lagarista.com

http://newphilrevolution.blogspot.com

http://ph.omg.yahoo.com

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