MMFF: 10,000 Hours

(We are running this guide to help moviegoers plan their holiday cinema tour. The 39th MMFF runs from Dec. 25 to Jan. 8, 2014.)

Robin Padilla

Directed by Joyce Bernal; stars Robin Padilla, Michael de Mesa, Mylene Dizon, Alden Richards, Bela Padilla, Pen Medina, Carla Humphries, Cholo Barretto, Markki Stroem, Winwyn Marquez, Joem Bascon, Antonio Aquitania, Bibeth Orteza

Loosely based on the life of Sen. Panfilo Lacson, “10,000 Hours” follows ace cop-turned-senator Gabriel Alcaraz (Padilla) and his exploits in pinning down notorious organized kidnap-for-ransom groups.

Along the way, he piques a corrupt general, who turns out to be a syndicate leader. With his enemies cooking up schemes to get him behind bars, Alcaraz is forced to go into hiding in Amsterdam, where he seeks shelter in a former kidnap victim’s (Carla Humphries) home.

He befriends a TV journalist (Bela Padilla) who helps disprove his enemies’ malicious claims.

“We shot a lot of scenes in Amsterdam. We had a permit, so production value wasn’t compromised,” says Bernal. Allan Policarpio