REVIEW: Manila Kingpin: The Untold Story of Asiong Salonga
This year’s Manila Kingpin entry is the fourth reprise of the classic Asiong Salonga story.
Upon deciding to watch the film, the bar was set high up because of the following factors:
For some you out there who’ve seen the classic, the story remains the same--this is the true-to-life story of Asiong Salonga, Tondo's very own version of Robinhood.
The Review
I loved the cinematography of this movie. It must have posed a challenge to Direk Tikoy to put texture in the film visual since it was going to be a black and white movie for an audience that grew up to a colored TV screen. But he used silhouettes and lights to create dynamics and contrast in the screen. Two thumbs up for that! Although I think instead of the film being transformed from colored to black and white, it was only desaturized--there were moments that hints of colors appeared on the screen.
Where I really had a problem was the casting: how could have Jeorge Estregan portrayed a supposedly boy Asiong Salonga? Despite his screaming concealer on the black and white screen, he still looked like the same age as Philip Salvador who’s supposedly his older brother… Jeorge may have looked older, even. The supporting cast gave a more convincing performance than Estregan.
In terms of the scriptwriting, the flow of the story was good on the first few scenes. But from the middle of the film towards the end, the transition from one significant event to another felt hasty and became incohesive, all in all. There were actions of characters that lacked build up or motivation. I’m not sure if that really is a script problem, or the result of the alleged tampering by the executive producers of Direk Tikoy’s finished works.
Verdict: 3 out of 5 I’m a sucker for a good story telling. This movie didn’t give that to me. The cinematography salvaged this film, thanks to the DOP.
Upon deciding to watch the film, the bar was set high up because of the following factors:
- Script was written by the award-winning scriptwriter, Roy Iglesias
- Directed by critically acclaimed director, Tikoy Aguiluz
- Graded A by the MTRCB
For some you out there who’ve seen the classic, the story remains the same--this is the true-to-life story of Asiong Salonga, Tondo's very own version of Robinhood.
The Review
I loved the cinematography of this movie. It must have posed a challenge to Direk Tikoy to put texture in the film visual since it was going to be a black and white movie for an audience that grew up to a colored TV screen. But he used silhouettes and lights to create dynamics and contrast in the screen. Two thumbs up for that! Although I think instead of the film being transformed from colored to black and white, it was only desaturized--there were moments that hints of colors appeared on the screen.
Where I really had a problem was the casting: how could have Jeorge Estregan portrayed a supposedly boy Asiong Salonga? Despite his screaming concealer on the black and white screen, he still looked like the same age as Philip Salvador who’s supposedly his older brother… Jeorge may have looked older, even. The supporting cast gave a more convincing performance than Estregan.
In terms of the scriptwriting, the flow of the story was good on the first few scenes. But from the middle of the film towards the end, the transition from one significant event to another felt hasty and became incohesive, all in all. There were actions of characters that lacked build up or motivation. I’m not sure if that really is a script problem, or the result of the alleged tampering by the executive producers of Direk Tikoy’s finished works.
Verdict: 3 out of 5 I’m a sucker for a good story telling. This movie didn’t give that to me. The cinematography salvaged this film, thanks to the DOP.
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