Hot off the headlines

When action films were a popular staple of local movies, quite a number of them had a “hot off the headlines” topicality and vibe, which added significantly to viewers’ antsy interest in watching them now.

Quite a lot of them involved notorious criminals and their violent exploits, or the similarly cinematic heroics of the crimebusters who targeted and finally trumped them.

They included such titles as “Angelo Molave, Sa Dugo ng Isang Balang Pumatay,” “Kidlat ng Maynila: Joe Pring,” “Kapitan Paile— Hindi Kita Iiwanang Buhay,” “Kristobal: Tinik sa Korona,” “Anak ni Baby Ama,” “Ang Kingpin ng Maynila,” “Alyas Pogi, Birador ng Nueva Ecija,” “Boying Mañalac, Hoodlum Terminator,” “Kapitan Jaylo: Batas sa Batas,” “Markang Bungo: The Bobby Ortega Story,” “Oxo vs Sigue-Sigue,” “Alyas Ninong: Huling Kilabot ng Tondo,” “Cordora, Lulutang Ka sa Sarili Mong Dugo”—etc.!

Other “true-to-life” action blockbusters included “Sarhento Bobby Aguilar, Iisa Lang ang Buhay Mo,” starring Ian Veneracion. For his part, Eddie Rodriguez topbilled “Grease Gun Gang.” Lito Lapid portrayed the title role in “Lacson, Batas ng Navotas,” while Phillip Salvador topbilled “Lucio Margallo” and Ace Vergel starred in “Kanto Boy: Alyas Boy Guwapo.”

The even younger Raymart Santiago topbilled “Pacifico Guevarra: Dilinger,” Ricky Davao starred in “Patayin si Billy Zapanta,” Zoren Legaspi played the title role in “Shotgun Banjo,” John Regala headlined “Tondo, Libingan ng mga Siga” and Sonny Parsons portrayed “Turing Gesmundo, Kapitan Langgam.”

Other action titles in the ’90s before local actioners lost favor with viewers: “Alyas Waway” with Cesar Montano, “Tirador ng Cebu” with Jeric Raval, and “Manila Boy” with Robin Padilla.

Cases that hogged the headlines similarly engendered blockbuster actioners, like “Parañaque Bank Robbery” with Gary Estrada, “The Vizconde Massacre: God Help Us!,” “Chop-Chop Lady: The Elsa Castillo Story,” “Lipa Massacre—Lord, Deliver Us From Evil!” “The Fatima Buen Story,” “The Secrets of Sarah Jane,” “The Annabelle Huggins Story,” “The Jessica Alfaro Story,” “The Flor Contemplacion Story,” “The Lilian Velez Story—Till Death Do Us Part,” “The Marita Gonzaga Rape Case: In God We Trust!” “Victim No. 1, Delia Maga”—and “Duterte, Berdugong Alkalde.”

After that momentary film fad had run its suddenly perfervid course, action-drama filmmakers went back to movie bios on criminals’ and/or crimebusters’ exploits—until action buffs turned their back on local actioners and favored foreign blockbusters, instead!

The decades-long deep freeze is finally starting to thaw, thank goodness.

To boost the incipient comeback of local action movies, producers should keep an eye out for new opportunities to once more depict and dramatize criminals and crimebusters’ real-life, “hot off the headlines” exploits. It’s worked in the past, and could do the trick again!