Tondo: Libingan ng mga siga

Toto Natividad's strength is in evoking mood and atmosphere through the organic use of film narrative though the director is not always successful in utilizing this ability to create a cohesive and unified movie. Such is the case with 1992's Tondo: Libingan Ng Mga Siga.

On the technical front, an aspect which the film got partially right was the cinematography. The colors used in the movie are vibrant and vivid without being too saturated unlike in Natividad's 1991 film, Para Sa 'Yo Ang Huling Bala Ko. Though the movie fell short on the lighting of certain scenes; the fight sequences in prison for example, are badly lit and it's difficult to see what's happening to whom. The score of the film is mostly stock music used in all Moviestars Productions releases; it's an extremely boring, unimaginative and corny sound which doesn't help some of the scenes rise from their mediocre quality. There are usually two types of stock music used: a sad brooding one for the dramatic scenes and a jumping jacks one for the action sequences. Regardless, they both suck ass.

The action sequences themselves are a mixed bag; the evening gunfight in the middle of a busy street (Willy's lone surprise attack on Castro and his men) is simply beautiful and one of the few highlights of the film. On the other hand, the shootout in the woods isn't really that great and could've used a little more creativity in the staging department. The scene is lifted from Rupert Wainwright's television movie Dillinger starring Mark Harmon (Which is the best movie about the mythical Dillinger, not the Michael Mann hollywood garbage with Johnny Depp); the difference is that in Wainwright's film, the gunfight was actually pretty good, here it's just phoned in and was never given much thought or imagination. The result is a dreary, generic sequence and not something you'd remember with fondness after you've come out of the cinema. Part of the problem is that the financiers of the film are trying to make an average action film to make a guaranteed return on investment which clashed with Natividad's creative vision for the film, resulting in a muddled end product. The movie just feels like it's holding back on the depiction of bloodshed and violence; which is artistically dishonest for its adults only, R rating. This is the reason why the film actually resembles a PG 13 movie at times.

In spite of the film's shortcomings, it did an admirable job in the casting; all the actors and actresses seem very suited to their respective roles, more or less, with a few exceptions. Dan Fernandez is quite convincing as Joseph, the wicked but cowardly brother of the main villain played by Efren Reyes Jr., who himself is effective as the crooked cop Castro (the same Reyes Jr., who starred in a Zorro type movie called Maskarado back in the early 80s). Jessica Rodriguez is competent as Bella, the protagonist's sister and love interest of ex-convict Bumbay, played by then newcomer Raymond Bagatsing. The three youngsters playing Regala's comrades in the film have somewhat passable performances but their characters are really disposable and nobody cares what happens to them in the final act. For those into a lot of early 90s action, there's a familiar face among these young men, an actor who later vanished into obscurity named Eric Francisco; the kid is a knock-off of Raymart Santiago. One wonders why he didn't capitalize on this resemblance in the same way that Jeric Raval built his career from sharing a likeness with the then very popular Robin Padilla.

The star of the film, John Regala, immerses himself into the role of "Willy Cuevas' with much enthusiasm and dedication, bestowing on his character the personality and habits of a typical thug but giving him a peculiar habit (compulsively biting on a hanky around his neck) which is quite original from other tough guy mannerisms like chewing gum or using a toothpick. It's a very inspired "impersonation" of a sensitive toughie (if that makes sense); the sensitivity stems from the character's unusual piety and his innate affection towards his sister and mother. The script written by Humilde "Meek" Roxas from a story by Jun Lawas (the guy who shared writing duties on the horrible Walang Awa Kung Pumatay) gives Willy very human traits that make him believable and relatable. For example, in the first scene after the intro credits, we see him sneak into his humble home's kitchen in the dark, fixing a meal for himself when his mother suddenly turns on the light fixture (I kind of relate with this scene because at times, I also eat with the lights out). Another character establishing scene is when Bella's boyfriend pays a visit and Willy nonchalantly picks money from his breast pocket, suggesting that Willy is not a perfect and dull Gary Sue but a realistic dramatization of a man unfortunately fated for a life of crime. The character is another update on the "siga/sanggano" (tough guy/fighting bum) archetype popularized by the likes of Ace Vergel and Rudy Fernandez.

While Regala is spot on with his portrayal, the script itself has issues with realism and plot structure. The unrealistic and cheesy dialogue takes away from the serious tone as can be observed from the verbal tradeoff between Willy and his girlfriend or in his conversation with his mother in the cemetery. The script's method of resolving Willy's problem with Castro in the film's final set piece seem highly implausible and improbable; he already has his hands full with the cops at his tail, yet he was able to miraculously focus on Castro alone and send him to kingdom come. This is plainly lazy and unstructured writing/plotting (Though the writing did try to explore a few risque topics like the subject of incest; at least there was a vague suggestion that Willy and Bella have a sort of meta-platonic relationship based on the scene where they faked making out to divert the attention of Castro). It would've been a lot more interesting though if the problematic final sequence was rewritten in which instead of a boring last stand scene, Castro and Willy just went at it, like if you fused the final sequences from Mann's Heat and the Donnie Yen starrer Flash Point (you get the idea). Besides, the concept of criminals cornered by a horde of cops has been done to death; the last time it was a little amusing was in 3000 Miles To Graceland.

With these minor quibbles aside, the film still works as a form of junk entertainment, something to be discarded after its value is used up. The compromised nature of the movie as a corporate commodity fused with the more noble intentions of its director ultimately resulted in a perfunctory film, all flash, no substance.

To conclude, Natividad's film is a classic lesson on how not to make an action movie. It's a reminder that the profit motive has no room in the pursuit of art.