DISKARTE (Zero Stars)
I have no problem with fantasy films, but this one is sickening. How is it a fantasy film you might ask? It's about guys trying to one-up each other by showing how better they are at killing people, and in between scenes, how easily they fornicate with beautiful whores. After seeing DISKARTE, you'll wonder how the industry got so low in selling rotting pieces of manure like this to the masses.
The movie is about a drug bust by a bunch of mercenaries gone wrong. One of their members played by Emilio Garcia sets up the rest of the group's massacre after they've taken a load of drugs and money from a drug syndicate headed by Roy Alvarez's character. And guess what, the group's leader, played by Rudy Fernandez, miraculously survives (try not to be shocked). He plans his revenge against those who set him up. I left halfway into the movie since it was entirely on autopilot anyway, gliding on a story which is completely predictable. Why watch when you know in your very bones what's going to happen next.
Virtually all Filipino action movies are about revenge. Why is this the only motivation that we can concoct for our action heroes? They all want to get back at the bad guys for something. Almost all of them have had their (insert in this space a family member or loved one) murdered, tortured, and/or raped. I'm sure a subject like this can be made truly tragic. Why not show the story of how a man feels helpless against such an event, and portray it without film clichés? In DISKARTE, we are conveniently given information that Rudy Fernandez's character's wife was raped and murdered (thankfully, we didn't have to see it). But he shows no hint of rage every time he is reminded of it. And who is his girlfriend in the film? A stripper! What was his wife's profession? A prostitute? More on this subject later.
If you want to make an action film, fine. But do it with some flair, some creativity, some hint of inspiration. Not the endless gun battles where the good guys can hardly miss, and the bad guys can't hit the side of barn. In one of the film's first sequences, Rudy Fernandez's character scopes out for the drug syndicate members on top of the Greenhills Shopping Center. How does he know who the suspects are? He just points out people with vans! How many people own vans in Metro Manila? And how can he cover the entire parking lot when he is the only one on the roof! He also seems to have eagle eyes since he can see people exchanging car keys from his binoculars with astounding clarity and stillness. This guy is a real piece of work.
Now about the women. They are the worst people in this movie. I don't care what people think about their characters. You can't dispute this fact... they're whores. Ara Mina's character is the most tired type of whore, the one with the heart of gold (if her heart is made of gold, imagine what her chest must be worth). This might be hard to believe, but she's actually the tame one. Another actress, Karen Montelibano, plays her younger sister who happens to work in the same nightclub (I didn't know stripping was such a family affair). She writhes on stage and in bed with such reckless abandon (with several men at a time), all for the sake of her boyfriend cop who uses her for undercover work. How lovely.
And then there's the sex. Sex does have a place in movies, as long as they flow with the story and serve it's purpose. How does sex serve this story? It doesn't. Ara Mina's character is not sensual (she's kind of plump actually). She's just a girlfriend who serves as Rudy Fernandez's sex slave, a toy for the movie to show men playing with. And so is Karen Montelibano, who should just about put on a dominatrix suit and hold a whip for all her character is worth. She argues with her boyfriend, but all he has to do is ravish her, and she succumbs like a kitten. DISKARTE knows nothing about women. It shows them as subordinates willing to spread their legs as soon as their aggressive mates want to, and wanting more.
And let's be honest. Seeing Rudy Fernandez, a nearly 50-year old actor waaay out of shape, sporting a tattoo that's supposed to make him look tough (but makes him look even older), smothering himself on Ara Mina liked a dirty old man who's just come out of jail... is revolting. The movie could at its very very least, cast a younger, more fit lead to extract some sort of physical acceptance from the audience, but it's too late. At least Fernando Poe Jr. and Lito Lapid have the decency to keep their clothes on.
The only good thing about the movie is Tirso Cruz III. He underplays his character and presents a fascinating aura as the corrupt police chief. He has the least screen time among the lead actors, but projects the most gravitas. But sad to say, the movie makes little use of Joonee Gamboa, one of the Philippines' most versatile character actors ever. Is that what our great actors have been reduced to? Taking inconsequential roles due the lack of good ones? Even Roy Alvarez, a dependable player, has been limited to bad guys in his past few films.
DISKARTE is a typical Filipino action film, a male sexual fantasy pretending to be an action movie. It has a coherent plot as compared to SUPER-B, but its desires make it even more reprehensible than that mess. I find it disturbing that our local film industry sells this type of abomination to the public. You can get this voyeurism from the internet if you want to for a lesser price and more exposure... it's called porn.
Posted by FLIPCRITIC at June 18, 2002 01:15 PM