Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea are the big Asian territories that come to mind when audiences think of quality action movies. Of course, some incredible action films, like “The Raid” franchise, have come from other, smaller, Asian countries. However, the Philippines has struggled to gain a foothold in the worldwide cinematic consciousness. Filmmakers Lav Diaz and Brillante Mendoza have experienced success on the festival circuit, but not in Western cinemas, and The Criterion Collection has only recently inducted the nation into their canon in the form of two Lino Brocka classics.
That being said, there is also the thriving Filipino popular cinema with its own star system, likely holding onto one of the diaspora-targeted screens near you. This is where prolific filmmaker Erik Matti emerged from, making in-roads with 2013 policier “On the Job” before returning to more local productions. The director’s latest action effort, “BuyBust” bleeds cult classic by the bucketload, and could prove to be the film that justly puts Filipino cinema on the world-cinema map.
“BuyBust” unfolds like a roller coaster in reverse, as a squad of tactical police officers descends into the slums of Gracia Ni Maria to apprehend a powerful and elusive drug lord. Among the unit’s members is Manigan (Anne Curtis), a rookie and the sole survivor of another squad that was killed in action. The thrill of the story is in their exfiltration from the slum, a horrifying ascent through hell in which every citizen of the overpopulated shantytown is determined to the kill the cops at the behest of the gangsters. The action set pieces and morally-complicated twists pop up at a steady clip—the “loops” of this ride, so to speak—are inventive and thoughtful, with showstopping action choreography captured in elaborate long takes.
Matti employs the “Alien” mold to cast his action heroine. That this strategy is predictable doesn’t make it any less satisfying, and Curtis deserves every accolade for her badass performance. Considering her seeded motivation, it’s obvious from the get-go that Manigan will break out from the pack, but the character’s transformation from wavering to resourceful and unflinching is absolutely satisfying. The role doesn’t afford Curtis a great deal of emoting, but sheer presence and action chops suggest the actress could have a very promising feature in movies in this vein (not unlike “The Raid” and Iko Uwais). Special mention goes to Filipino-American MMA crossover Brandon Vera as Yatco, a superhuman bruiser who shines his brightest when juxtaposed with Curtis’ scrappier underdog. Your move, “The Expendables” producers.
“BuyBust” certainly isn’t for the squeamish. And it’s not even the more spectacular deaths that are cringe-inducing, such as a garden-shears beheading or a thug being flattened with a motorbike. Rather, it’s the relentless close-quarter combat and the visceral nature of repeated stabbings that churn the stomach. There’s something about death by a dozen shallow stab wounds that rings through with unnerving authenticity. Like a horror movie, the characters manage to plow forward after a crippling blow, but it’s hopeless when the hordes encircle.
Michael Mann’s late-period work makes for an appropriate point of reference when thinking about Matti’s latest, and not just because of similarities with the scintillating digital nighttime photography in “Miami Vice” or “Blackhat.” Simply, the continuity errors, obvious ADR and the like, that mar this Filipino actioner are otherwise overwhelmed by the all-consuming atmosphere accomplished by Matti and his crew. In “BuyBust,” the sound effect of each fist-fall sounds artificial, but the stunt choreography is so visceral that the artificial nature of the audio is irrelevant. The world of the film is bracingly immediate and constantly overflowing—dubious sound design or a shift in image quality, while glaring, can’t puncture the holistic nightmare of Matti’s vision.
The politics of “BuyBust” are thorny and contentious, addressing the Filipino War on Drugs with a decided lack of elegance. Not to say that Matti has crafted a piece of fascist propaganda; the film’s climax and closing moments establish police corruption as the true target of Manigan’s crosshairs. But the remainder of “BuyBust” remains contentious in its usage as the impoverished populace of Gracia Ni Maria as cannon fodder. Akin to “Dredd,” every citizen becomes a weapon against our badged heroes; in real world terms, these people are the victims of human rights abuses. The mixed reception to Mendoza’s last feature “Ma Rosa”—and its poverty-porn approach—suggests that there is no tidy cinematic solution to representing to the current reality of the Philippines. [A-]