MANILA, September 9, 2013 – The thing about Erik Matti’s On the Job is, so much has been said about it already. Film critics gave it star after star after star. Celebrities raved about it on Instagram. Your former literature professor recommended it on Facebook, and so did a bunch of your friends, and their friend’s friends. Even your Facebook-illiterate mother went online to just to express how the film kept her on the edge of her seat.
Industry execs were not remiss in giving the film praise.
Seven AD president Teeny Gonzales said, "He (Erik Matti) did a great job! No pun intended. Great storytelling, production values and twist to the story. I think the young actors could really learn from the veterans though. More nuanced and subtle performances like Joel Torre and Leo Martinez. Joey Marquez was a revelation! He was spot on for the part. All in all, a great piece of film."
McDonald’s vice president for marketing and communications echoed the sentiment, saying "OTJ pulled me into this dark, gritty world with such effective portrayal of the characters and the interesting twists of the story an fantastic production design. It hit me in my gut and left me disturbed that this story is based on reality. OTJ is a testament that we can truly elevate the standards for local production of motion pictures. Congratulations to DonDon Monteverde and Erik Matti!"
Whatever praise you hear about On the Job, believe it. It is one film that lives up, even exceeds the hype set in motion by the standing ovation it received when it was screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
It’s a great action movie in that once the events are set in motion, the film hardly stops for breath. There are lots of beautifully-shot, impeccably-colored gunslinging and bloodshed and chase scenes through dark alleyways to satisfy anyone craving for a cinema-induced adrenaline hit. Some plot details may be lost in the shuffle, but viewers can easily catch up, even if it takes a second viewing to do so.
But more than being an entertaining, heartstopping romp through Manila’s gritty underworld, On The Job is a truly thought-provoking film that explores the nature of corruption in the most heartbreaking ways.
In this movie, you can hardly tell the bad guys from the good guys. Even Piolo Pascual’s clean-shaven Francis Coronel Jr. had some moral pitfalls of his own. And Joey Marquez’s red-faced, violent SP01 Acosta turned out to have the cleanest conscience. Such moral complexity could easily have been lost with less capable actors, but Matti chose his cast well.
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Joel Torre was, of course, brilliant as the hitman/inmate Mario Maghari. The darkness in his eyes conveyed more about his character than the conversations did, and brought a coldness and intensity onscreen that anchored the flighty youthfulness of Gerald Anderson’s Daniel. Anderson was remarkable in his role as well, somehow managing to be both charming and detestable and bringing warmth to each chilling scene every time he called Torre’s character "Tatang." Ultimately, it is the mentor-mentee chemistry between Torre and Anderson that makes the ending even more striking.
Piolo Pascual did a great turn as the morally-conflicted NBI cop, though he was outshone by Joey Marquez, who tempered his raging temper with believable goodness. Even the actors in the smaller roles stepped up to the plate. Leo Martinez’s General Pacheco, for instance, was absolutely abhorrent.
Be warned: the film does not end on a hopeful note. It may even make you rather sad and ashamed at how real the film feels, especially in light of the country’s current events.
But when people urge you to watch On the Job, do it. A film like this, an uncompromised commercial success, hasn’t happened in a long time, though now that it has, our standards are irrevocably raised.
