Hoping to improve their life, put-upon Filipino rice farmer Oscar (Jake Macapagal) moves with his family to Metropolitan Manila, but earning a wage and finding a suitable place to live in the unforgiving city proves much harder than he expects. At his absolute lowest, with his wife employed at a strip club and his daughter complaining of a painful toothache, fortune smiles on him: he is hired as an armored-car driver and guard by a transportation company. For Oscar, the pay and the chance to provide for his loved ones compensates for the danger. Soon, however, he is drawn into a web of intrigue and violence he never expected, and his station in life is once again threatened. Metro Manila, winner of several British Independent Film Awards, is a suspense gem. In regard to its aesthetic and the way its twisty story unfolds, it recalls such hits as Heat and The Raid 2. Lasting almost two hours, it devotes a significant amount of time to character development, so the audience is truly invested in Oscar and his family and their urban plight by the time the film shifts gear and reveals itself as a heist story. Shot on location by director Sean Ellis (Cashback), the photography is atmospheric and detailed, perfectly capturing the disparity between the realms of the wealthy and the realms of the impoverished. And the eventful third act satisfies on the two most important levels: the resolution is both very exciting and very poignant.

A-

Metro Manila

This is fantastic. It's a hard-truth crime thriller, full of the grim reality of poverty in The Philippines' central metropolis, Manila. Wonderfully shot, beautifully scored, with top performances and really quite a heartfelt dramatic presence, Metro Manila manages to present the real sacrifice of a good, old fashioned, honest man, for his family's future prosperity. The armoured truck profession is a fantastic backdrop for this type of film, and it uses it very well. In one film it manages to be my favourite Filipino film of all-time and also my favourite film about the profession of security.

A

Glad you dug it!

You, sir, have great taste in films, and a keen eye for knowing what I will enjoy.