Metro Manila

"Desperate men take desperate measures."

2013 2h 0m TL

👍

7.3

SOLID

🔥

94%

CERTIFIED FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.6

IMDB

★7.3TMDB · 177🍅94%Rotten Tomatoes●65Metacritic★7.6IMDB · 9,538

CrimeThrillerDramaAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Looking for a brighter future in metropolitan Manila, Oscar Ramirez and his family leave their miserable life in the rice terraces of Banaue, in the northern Philippines. In the sweltering capital, where all kind of perils lurk in every corner, Oscar catches a lucky break when he is offered a steady work for an armored truck company and the senior officer Ong takes him under his wing.

“Desperate men take desperate measures.”

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Cast

Jake Macapagal
Oscar Ramirez
Althea Vega
Mai Ramirez
John Arcilla
Douglas Ong
Ana Abad Santos
Dora Ong
Mailes Kanapi
Charlie
Moises Magisa
Buddha
Erin Panlilio
Angel Ramirez
J. M. Rodriguez
Alfred Santos

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sean Ellis
Writers: Sean Ellis, Sean Ellis, Frank E. Flowers
Languages: English, Tagalog
Countries: Philippines, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 13 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Tagalog.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Philippines, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sean Ellis, shot by Sean Ellis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Robin Foster. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard Mettler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jake Macapagal and Althea Vega and John Arcilla carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Desperate men take desperate measures.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sean Ellis directs. Sean Ellis behind the camera. Robin Foster scores. Richard Mettler cuts. Produced in Philippines, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, Tagalog.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 13 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Tagalog.
3International production across 2 countries: Philippines, United Kingdom.
4Directed by Sean Ellis, shot by Sean Ellis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Robin Foster. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Richard Mettler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jake Macapagal and Althea Vega and John Arcilla carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Desperate men take desperate measures.".
9IMDB entry: tt1845838 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.