On the Job (2013)
On The Job is about the ambitions and passions of four men trying to make a living, for themselves and their families. It shows the parallels between two prison inmates who are contract killers, and the two agents of the law investigating the murders. As they get caught in a web of machination of corrupt government officials, their jobs lead them on a head-on collision against each other with their loved ones as collateral damage.
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Simply A Masterpiece
It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.
I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Director and writer Erik Matti has created a gem in On the Job.Starring Piolo Pascual.Also starring Gerald Anderson.Also starring Joel Torre.I enjoyed the violence and realistic settings.If you enjoyed this ass much as I did then check out other classic hit-man flicks, John Wick: Chapter 2 2017, Collateral 2004, The November Man 2014, 24 Hours to Live 2017, The Silencer 1999 and No Country for Old Men 2007.If you also enjoyed seeing a classic flick from the Philippines then check out Metro Manila 2013.
Dark and Thrilling. Exactly what it has to be. Though it suffers from old movie clichés of it's genre and questionable camera handling, the film is still jam-packed with thrill and action good enough to keep your eyes to the big screen, eating your popcorn, contented and intrigued.The film is excels on it's smart writing, strong character development, realistic characters and character dialogue, and with a strong and commanding performance by Joel Torre and Gerald Anderson the movie is a masterpiece of the Philippines and a step to the right direction of the Philippine movie industry.All-in-all, if you want to see a hands-down, a recent Philippine masterpiece, "On The Job (OTJ)" is the nail-biting movie for you.
Set in the modern day Philippines. The film describes interactions among prisoners, crime families, police, police leaders, and politicians.Tatang and Daniel get releases (under the radar) recurrently from prison in order to carry out assassinations. Tatang's parole has been approved, and he hopes to pass the torch to Daniel after Tatang leaves prison. Daniel clearly is not ready, but it is hoped he will learn quickly on the job.At the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation), Francis takes on new responsibilities. He is both blessed and cursed by the shadow of his father's accomplishments, such as they were. One of his main jobs is to keep secret the traces of the assassinations. Francis is mob-connected, as it turns out, since his significant other is the daughter of a crime boss.As one might expect, this network of relationships, held together by blackmail and corruption, is doomed to break. One of Francis' potential witnesses in his corruption investigation gets targeted for assassination.Looks like the house of cards could all fall down. Which group gets the most damage?Tatang, Daniel, and Francis all have personal lives that they conduct through all of this. Will they keep their relationships together?-----Scores----- Cinematography: 9/10 Well shot; looks good consistently.Sound: 10/10 The actors are adequately miked, and the music was wonderful.Acting: 8/10 Joel Torre was wonderful as Tatang. Joey Marquez, Gerald Anderson, Piolo Pascual, and Vivian Velez were all good in their roles.Screenplay: 7/10 The film did good story telling here, with a lot of texture, and just enough threads to follow. Almost two hours was not too long at all.
The story and pacing smoothly complimented each other. I like how the intensity just builds up right from the get go during the first scene up until the last one. Wonderfully moody cinematography combines with an excellent soundtrack and some breathlessly tight editing to create a surprisingly dark and nihilistic film.It's also great to see characters that were fleshed out especially that of the three main characters. We get to know them more instead of simply just following what they do. This is one of the things I like about the film in terms of characterization, we get a glimpse of their individual lives as opposed to just going right at the center of the conflict.This film pretty much shows what an ensemble really is. There are really no small roles here, as everyone's given something to do and they all did their parts well. From the opening assassination to the hospital shootout to the sequence that closes the film, the action beats in "On the Job" are technically polished while simultaneously visceral—even intimate—in their brutality. Matti and his cohorts have scored a home-run here.