On the Job

This Filipino film is an interesting police v. corruption drama inspired by actual contract killings taking place in the Philippines in the mid 2000's. A couple of prisoners are occasionally released for a day to initiate an assassination, at which point they are paid and return to prison. The sheer volume of corruption that is required for this to happen is astounding (from the top person ordering the hit, through several layers of middlemen, down to the many prison guards who look the other way). This gives some indication of how ubiquitous corruption is when the police, even amongst this massive number of people involved, can't get enough of a lead to prosecute anyone. With this plot structure as a basis, I found the relational interactions in the film to make it worthwhile. The two assassins (mentor and protege) and their own familial relations are all complex. The characters display the angst of separation, dishonesty and secrets. Put these characters next to the police (a local detective and the national police investigator), and we see they have the same angst. The mirroring of police and criminal and the confusion about "who is right" probably makes this "too real" to be enjoyable by a large audience. If we are all depressed about corruption in the end, I can see why it didn't make any money. But if we enjoy this for the social commentary and the character portrayal, how is it any different from any other dark, police procedural that we consume. I liked it.

3 stars (out of 5)