Flick ReView: BuyBust

08/03/2018 02:42:18 AM

One of BuyBust's official movie posters. (Obtained thru IMDb)

We have seen a sudden influx of resurgence of action movies in the current landscape of Philippine movies since earlier this decade. For one moment we thought of kingpins and hoodlums being showcased (with a glimpses of glorifying) the reasons beneath the crimes; and the next time around we just witnessed a perspective-twisting kind of crime thrillers (hey, who said we need spirits and ghosts to create horror-like films?).

In 2013, we have seen the first of critically-acclaimed film director Erik Matti's patented violence-driven thriller called On The Job, the flick that has raised the level of action movies to stratosphere and has stamp Reality Entertainment on the current crop of film-making brands. And his masterful direction has set the bar high anew on the technicalities of an ideal motion picture.

And five years later, here we are seeing a much challenging and defiant Anne Curtis headlining the film director's latest offering titled BUY BUST, a movie that tackled the perilous pitfalls of crimes with drugs and law enforcement being modeled as a business on hindsight. She is literally slaying all throughout the movie, fighting all the struggles of her own self, the environment, and theories beneath the wild.

Brandon Vera is such a horrific monster beneath his gentle giant image. Hell, he even seems more powerful than any of the antagonists during these sets of free-for-all melees. For a while, you would even notice how quite fluent he speak in Filipino compared to his usual self. Not perfect, though, but still a respectable one.

Arjo Atayde may have little exposure among them all, but he is so effective and made sure that he will to fuck the crap of everyone's minds. Levi Ignacio is just as brutal as it gets. Joross Gamboa, on the other hand, fits enough to be that wacky mad scientist among the swamp of henchmen.

Victor Neri has been clearly the foil to Curtis' trust issues-driven interpersonal fights. He tamed his prized cursed agent when needed the most; sparing the team from the lone wolf that's hungry for redemption – and later on, revenge. Alex Calleja and Lao Rodriguez reprises their 'double-crossed' roles very well.

For years I have seen movies that left me practically sleepless on nights, not because of the horror-like reasons but of the impact it made in my mind and nerves. This one, though, is a different level of madness. Not only it fucked my mind and run all over my nerves – it made me wanna unleash the madman in me. For nearly two hours, I have nothing but two hard closed fists on my side that are waiting to land on someone else who dares to block my walkway or something.

YES, that may sound OA kung I'm on THAT KIND OF RAGE.

Its beauty lies in the grotesque kind of ugliness – and we don't even mean the slums, muds, and storms alone. Hell, saying the word “chaos” is such an understatement. Catastrophe and pandemonium are even the fitting ones to describe, from the choreography of fight to several action-packed shots from all angles possible. The brutality of violence speaks on how Buy Bust has been compelling enough.

The scoring and sound design may be different from the usual suspects, but is fitting enough to describe the chaos surrounding the setting and the scenes. No any form of grandeur were present, but almost everything were damn powerful to back everything up from the swinging and slashing blades, grunts, punches and kicks, to stealing the thunder (literally).

However, anyone can get lost in the dark, especially when adrenaline reach its penultimate gear. While Matti has been wonderful in mastering the overall fight feel in Grasya Ni Maria, the editing can only do much as the cameras tried to keep up with the fast-paced visually description of the slums during chasedown and barbaric acts. Some of the transitions felt a bit sudden cut-and-pasted. 

Nevertheless, a fitting example of smacking the hell breaking loose.

I can't say so much on the storytelling since poverty and crime noir has been the names of the game,  but the manner of showcasing them still somewhat left a stinging taste in the mouth – a goddamn good impression of bad; a humane kind of horror; and a totally-escalated violence from the nearly get-go. The drug goons and agents of law enforcement get entangled in a “war” where nobody left winners, put the residents of Grasya Ni Maria on their chaotic neutral selves, and everyone as victims of crossfires and corruption.

Buy Bust somehow found its way to offer the audience the clamor of action-packed thrillers and left them stressing than their initial expectations; on how life fucks everyone out in such a ton of twists done in gritty, nasty forms driven by both anger and greed. And how political films can be such a thoughtful food for the mind, especially when it comes to putting up stance against the harrowing effect of using illegal drugs in the society and the impact of the campaign against it. 

Not a totally-perfect kind on execution but still managed to fuck people's consciousness by putting up the superb kind of Pinoy action movie in their possible ways, and I mean from storyline to technicalities to even fighting techniques and stances ranging from guns, knives, and intense physical movements. Talk about package.

The Verdict: 9.6/10

BuyBust is a crime-suspense action movie by VIVA Films and Reality Entertainment. Starting Anne Curtis, Brandon Vera, Victor Neri, Arjo Atayde Levi Ignacio, Nonie Buencamino, Lao Rodriguez Alex Calleja, Joross Gamboa Sheenly Gener, Mara Lopez AJ Muhlach, Tarek El Tayech Maddie Martinez, Ricky Pascuam Nafa Hilario, Ian Ignacio, and Mikey Alcaraz. Screenplay by Anton Santamaria, and Erik Matti; Story by Erik Matti; Music by Erwin Romulo and Malek Lopez; Cinematography by Neil Derrick Bion; Edited by Jay Halili. Produced by Vincent Del Rosario, Veronique Del Rosario-Corpus, and Erik Matti; Directed by Erik Matti; Distributed thru Viva Films (Philippines) and Well Go USA Entertainment (North America).

Author: slickmaster | © 2018 The SlickMaster's Files