Neomanila (2017)

Toto, a teenage orphan, is recruited by a notorious death squad. Irma, the groups leader, soon becomes a maternal figure to the young boy. As the two form a familial bond, their loyalties ... See full summary »

Director:

Mikhail Red

Writers:

Zig Madamba Dulay, Mikhail Red

Stars:

Timothy Castillo, Eula Valdez, Rocky Salumbides

4 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Timothy Castillo	...	Toto
Eula Valdez	...	Irma
Rocky Salumbides	...	Raul
Jess Mendoza	...	Dugo
Ross Pesigan
Angeline Andoy
Angeli Bayani	...	Irene
Ron Villas
Raul Morit	...	Mackoy
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Shandii Bacolod	...	Trixie
Donna Cariaga	...	Gang Member
Astrid Hernandez	...	Amanda

Storyline

Toto, a teenage orphan, is recruited by a notorious death squad. Irma, the groups leader, soon becomes a maternal figure to the young boy. As the two form a familial bond, their loyalties will be put to the test when one of their targets turns out to be a familiar face.

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | topless female nudity | 

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Genres:

Crime

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User Reviews

A flawed but well done film

For starters, this film needs a cinematography award nomination... simply outstanding use of colors, filters and angles. Showcasing the slums of Manila was done so well, it felt like you were right there, next to the characters. The directing was decent, especially coming from a novice director, but Mikhail Red should've directed the stale, emotionless and monotonic Timothy Castillo better. The rest of the casting was on point and all actors were convincing in their roles. The three (again novice) writers did a decent enough job getting their story across, and although there were very few plot and technical writing issues, some of the long, dragged out and unnecessary scenes needed to be cut/trimmed down. Even though the runtime was only 90 mins, the very slow pacing and extended scenes made the film feel like 120+ minutes. The writing could've also used more clarity in certain scenes, as the direction the story was heading, sometimes felt convoluted and/or needed more emphasis. The sound/score was just right and very fitting. All in all, this Philippine produced neo-noir thriller was enjoyable and well put together for the most part. It's a 7/10 from me.

Details

Official Sites:

Facebook

Country:

Philippines

Language:

Filipino Tagalog

Release Date:

13 March 2019 (Philippines)

Also Known As:

ミッドナイト・アサシンズ

Company Credits

Production Co:

TBA Studios, Artikulo Uno Productions, Buchi Boy Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 101 min (commercial cut)

Color:

Color