[Confession] BuyBust
I'm very glad to say that the comeback review for my blog is Erik Matti's new action-thriller movie 'BuyBust'. And I am so honoured to share my thoughts about the film. As you can(not) see, my heart's still pounding from the overwhelming scenes I've witnessed as I went out of the cinema with body, mind and spirit aching for justice.
Here is the synopsis of the movie:
After surviving the slaughter of her entire squad in a drug raid compromised by dirty cops, anti-narcotics special operative Nina Manigan (Anne Curtis), is eager to go head-to-head with the drug cartels that hold a bloody grip on Manila. But when her new mission in the city's most dangerous slum goes south, the angry civilians turn on her squad. Trapped between a brutal drug gang and hordes of bloodthirsty citizens, their only option is to fight their way out, turning one claustrophobic street at a time into a symphony of apocalyptic violence.
I had huge expectations from this movie. From the moment I saw its Behind-the-scenes documentary and how they proudly flaunt the Production which took 2-years to make - I knew I just had to watch this in the big screen. It's just that special of a movie for the Philippine cinema.
Firstly, I just had to praise Anne Curtis (Nina Manigan) being a woman warrior as she rehearses her stunning and death-defying stunts on heavy frames. The movie highlights just how pliable she is as an artist. Along with Brandon Vera's (Rico Yatco) tough and soft spots, thus humanizing the dehumanizing pop view. We were also able to deeply engross ourselves to Manigan's team, for their roles in the team and how they do their jobs. It’s a testament to how immersive “BuyBust” is, and how convincing the actors were in delivering nothing short of a great performance. My heart was damn racing the whole time!
Storywise in a hindsight, there really isn't much of a plot to dissect. A sting operation gone wrong is one of the most used tropes when it comes to crime thrillers. It is 90% action-packed chases scenes and choreographed hand-to-hand combats while it leaves only 10% to wrap the dialogues and content.
Nevertheless, Buybust is a film that shines because it makes people reflect and think.
The struggle of the film is to carve every potent bit of humanity out of circumstances that reduce it to being just fodder in a buy-bust gone wrong. Its point is to depict not just the state of this nation, but somehow understanding the different positions of all groups involved in the Philippines’ War on Drugs. Whether they’re a part of the team or the drug cartel or just normal citizens caught in the middle of the crossfire between the former two, the film gave each of them a voice in the overall story establishing the fact that at the end of the day, each one of them are affected by what was going in their community. And that the moviegoers must understand that they need not to be just observers of deaths and destruction but be a person tainted with a sense of responsibility for its nation.
Buybust is a film that we should both be proud and ashamed of as Filipinos. It’s a provoking think piece disguised as a big screen offering. Albeit a fiction, one cannot deny its close portrayal of the drug war, especially that last line, hits too close to home.
Hats off to this great film and the people behind it. Watch it at a cinema near you.
My Rating:
Plot: 8.0/10
Acting: 10/10
Cinematography: 10/10
Characters: 9.6/10
Uniqueness: 9.0/10
OVERALL RATING: 9.3