John Seal Filipino film-making was once exemplified by the ubiquitous presence of Vic Diaz, who snarled his way through countless Roger Corman-produced action flicks shot in the archipelago, usually clad in a really ugly floral shirt and wielding a machete. The now-very ill Diaz is nowhere to be seen in Cavite, but fans of those low-budget Corman flicks might still enjoy this film. Produced, written, and directed by Ian Gamazon, Cavite stars - who else? - Ian Gamazon as Adam, the American-born son of Filipino parents on his way back to the islands to attend his father's funeral. Once there, he learns that his mother and sister have been kidnapped (presumably by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas), and that in order to save them he must follow a very precise series of demands. The perp seems just as interested in educating Adam in the ways, means and motives of Islamic revolution as in reclaiming the money his father apparently stole (or hid) from the insurgency. This isn't a horror or exploitation film; it's a serious and exemplary political thriller about a man being forced to come to terms with his cultural and religious heritage. Shot verite style in and around some of the worst slums on Earth, Cavite offers rich rewards on many levels.

D A Intense, and intensely low-budget, this action-suspense experimenter is one of the most effective student-like movies I've seen. Keeping true to their moniker (gorilla productions), rookie film-making team Neill Dela Llana and Ian Gamazon (also the star) show a surprising amount of skill in their hard-edged, guerrilla approach. The fast-paced thriller, also masking as edgy Philippino travelogue, traces the nervous steps Gamazon must undergo after being virtually hijacked by an unknown overseer. Playing out much in the same vein as many popular "momentum flicks" (Crank, Nick of Time etc), here these gifted newcomers instill a realism even they could not have hoped for at times.Once thrust has been set into motion, Gamazon is shot in an alluring realism amidst the scenic decay of our title city. The technique will be a bit much for many viewers of more stable cinematography, coming across mostly as a Tony Scott with few dollars to spare. At times intrusive and overbearing, somehow the effect manages to end up complimenting this little project splendidly, working better then it should because the perfectly exploited locations and real crowds this amateur crew uses to perfection completely engage the viewer with the breakneck plot as it unfolds.Not all is well however. We are all willing to suspend our disbelief in favor of embracing a well enough thought out piece of fiction, but the groundwork that makes for this immersed experience is not firm enough to sustain the realism it so graciously offers for the eye. Lead, and pretty much only, character Gamazon is also somewhat disappointing in the self-casting, really never breaking out of a self conscious projection and loosing himself inside the part. His puny presence could perhaps be another reason some would reject the movie, but of course those would be the action purists. Others interested in more experimental fare would do well to check out this little gem of a young team coming with a lot of adventurous film heart; the darkly appropriate political insight, as elementary as it is, becomes that much more affirmative once viewed in direct parallel to the reality of it all, making Cavite more then the frenzied action it showcases.

randonneur14 It didn't get off to a very good start with the impossible-to-see nearly black and bouncing shot of someone making their way through the dark streets of Manila, onto a Jeepney, followed by something, then cut to San Diego and our main character. We'll only find out later that it was our hero's father on a forced suicide bombing mission to save his family.Back in San Diego Adam gets two calls, one from his mother telling him to fly back to the Philippines, though again the reason isn't given that he is called back to attend his father's funeral, so we have no way of connecting the previous scene with these new characters? The second is from his presumedly white American girlfriend telling him she is going to get an abortion because he's such a loser with his crummy night security job, that she can't have a baby with him.Then he's off to Manila, via Taipei, just like my first visit to the Philippines, though luckily I didn't have the additional addiction to cigarettes to deal with on my 24 hours of flying, waiting, and changing planes, just SARS and a sore ass. He seems to have mastered the telephone system around the world though, while I was never able to use any phone in the Philippines, my calling card from AT&T completely useless.While he's sitting around the airport and calling his mom over and over we're left to guess that's he's never actually been to the Philippines before and doesn't even have enough sense to get a taxi and go to where they live or are staying. So we never know why he was raised in the US, while his mom, sister and previously his dad are all in the PH.From there we begin the "story" when he hears a ringing and à la The Matrix he finds a mysterious cell phone in a "Manila" envelope in his carry on bag, and on the other end, instead of "Morpheus," though suspiciously with the same ability to see everything Adam is doing, everywhere, and directs him similarly to the office scene in The Matrix, is a horrible Muslim extremist kidnapper from Mindanao, who's holding his mom and sister at rape and knife point if Adam doesn't do exactly as he's told. Which includes leaving his larger suitcase behind.Out on the streets Adam is introduced to the horrors of Manila, from children with no pants, to shanty towns, to burning fields of garbage, to people wading through polluted water. All of these scenes are obviously the actor and a cameraman walking around Manila while everyone is looking simply because they have a camera. But they make it seem as if they're all looking at Adam suspiciously, giving him the stink eye maybe, which isn't how the PH is at all, even for a tall white guy.After the wandering Adam gets into the action when he witnesses the murder of a "faggot" by a couple of thugs hired by the kidnapper, being forced to eat balut to distract him while his carry-on bag is stolen by a little kid, and finally he is told what exactly he has to do to get his family back: go to the bank and take out his Dad's $75K in reward money for ratting out the terrorists to the Army. He does this easily and at the cock fighting arena exchanges the money for his carry-on bag, which is now considerably heavier.The second part of his mission now becomes clear: he has to bomb a church full of people, but not suicide, he gets to walk away. Still he ponders the decision for a minute. Here's where most people will get confused by this movie but not I, and I will tell you: Adam doesn't go through with it out of selfishness. He doesn't chose the lives of the few he knows over the lives of many strangers, he decides to bomb those people because, as a Muslim himself he has been conditioned by his religious upbringing and egged on by the reminders from the kidnapper of the violence done to Muslims in the Philippines, he is easily convinced that it is the right thing to do! His conception of "jihad" is too slow and too hard, and he's already shown he's a loser with a crappy job.We never hear the bomb go off, never see him reunite with his family, and end with his ex-girlfriend telling him how she could never raise a kid to be a Muslim, further justification for everything he did. If the whole world's against you, why not bomb some kids? Many people are unsure if this message is eye-opening or we just watched an Islamic propaganda film? I'll assume the former until assured of the later. The major problem with this movie is any ignorant people watching this will assume that all these people in Manila are Muslims, when they're most certainly not, but instead are all Catholics, the effective state religion. The kidnapper's a Muslim, the main character is a Muslim, his thugs must be Muslim, the kid he hired to steal the guy's bag must be Muslim. No and no to the last two.Finally, the point of the story showing how poor the Filipinos are is lost in the confusion. They're not saying there are Muslim extremists because the people are poor, they're trying to say, "Look how poor the Filipinos are!" And in addition, "Hello, there are a few cells of Muslim terrorists from Mindanao plotting in Manila." The scene with the kid sharing his McDonald's with his grandma is the former point.

Sokratis Dimitriadis Despite my big surprise when I saw that this film got a low IMDb score (only 6/10) I decided to see the film because the preview looked promising. I was not wrong. I found it to be one of the very best of its kind. Fascinating in every aspect. Very well written scenario, real life story, exciting camera, strong acting, very talented direction without anything superfluous, and very real and interesting scenes of the life and people in the Philipinnes. The images will remain in my mind for a long time.Some reviewers complain about the continuous hand held camera, but although it makes you a little dizzy I think that it has its purpose. It wouldn't be as convincing otherwise. Some Philipinno reviewers got offended because they consider that the film misrepresents the Philipinnes because it shows the miserable aspect of the country. However, having lived in various third world countries it seems to me that what is portrayed is a very real part of the Philipinnes, Also it does not matter because in a film we should be looking for art rather than for advertising a country. Other reviewers seem to consider it an amateur/experimental film but I found it to be a very complete film. The directors managed with limited means, not only money but also cinematic, i.e. with one actor, with a minimal plot, etc. managed to make a very full film second by second, image by image, word by word.Congratulations to the directors, the main actor and the cameraman. I strongly recommend this film to all the non-Hollywood film lovers, and all the Philipinnos.