The new indie action movie, Dennis Trillo's "The Janitor," Cinemalaya's number one film in 2014, might be my favorite flick this year.
For most people (including me), the "The Janitor" comes as a soothing respite -- taking a rest from all those commercial movies talking about the same "love triangle" plot and "boy meets girl" stuff.
Based loosely on a true-to-life robbery case which transpired at an RCBC Cabuyao branch mid-2008, the film tackles the usual "cops-and-robbers" theme, but with the flair of an independent movie and a dash of mainstream cinema.
To those who can't remember the RCBC massacre case, this was the sensational news item where a group of armed robbers barged inside the bank, took about P15 million in cash and then, methodically, shot ten bank employees in the head.
The movie is directed by Michael Tuviera and starring Dennis Trillo, Richard Gomez, Derek Ramsay, Ricky Davao and Danter Rivero.
Also in the cast are Irma Adlawan, LJ Reyes, Raymond Bagatsing, Alex medina, Jerald Napoles and Nicco Manalo (yes, he's the son of Eat Bulaga's resident comedian/host Jose Manalo).
SYNOPSIS:
On July 16, 2013, a small savings bank in San Pedro, Laguna was robbed. The robbers killed all ten employees of the bank while lying on the floor. Approximately P10 millions pesos was stolen.
As the nation grapples with the shocking violence, the police chief of the area is suspended, a new one is posted with extreme pressure to bring the perpetrators to justice.
But the newly assigned officer has his own idea of justice. He believes due process will only lengthen the sufferings of the victims’ families. When a tricycle driver is apprehended, tagged as the lookout during the crime, names of those supposedly involved in the crime surface in a bloody interrogation.
This is the story of Crisanto Espina, an ex-cop dishonorably discharged because of a fatal mistake. Currently teaching at a security guard training school, Crisanto is tasked to liquidate the people who masterminded the robbery/massacre. As he diligently executes his orders while dealing with his own personal demons, he begins to realize that the whole circus of the investigation will eventually consume him and make him question his own brand of justice.
The film followed another hit indie action movie, "On The Job," which starred Piolo Pascual and Gerald Anderson. OTJ earned recognition in almost all international award-giving bodies, including the Cannes Film Festival.
So, do we expect another advent of action movies in the future? I'm sure a lot of people hope so.
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