"Bilang pagpupugay natin sa 44 bayani ng Elite PNP-SAF officers na nagbuwis ng buhay sa Mamasapano clash, isasapelikula ng inyong lingkod ang makulay na buhay at kabayanihan ng ating mga magigiting na sundalo upang mabigyan ng tamang pagkilala at pagpupugay ang #Heroes44"("As our salute to the 44 heroes of the Elite PNP-SAF officers who gave their lives at the Mamasapano clash; I will bring to you a film that will depict the colorful lives and heroism of our courageous soldiers so that we would get to know them and salute the #Heroes44") [hit the jump to continue]
The story of the Fallen 44 is one that is rich with military action, tragic drama, and serious political intrigue. It is the kind of story that deserves to be brought to life in film only by serious filmmakers that could wishfully emulate the skills of artists like Oliver Stone, Steven Spielberg, or Ridley Scott. Perhaps at least, a filmmaker who could balance serious political dramas, intrigue, action, and dramatic tragedy, and translate it well in cinematic beauty. Many of us would consider it a great artistic tragedy if it falls to the hands of filmmakers and producers who will only give it a cheap soap opera treatment. And that tragedy seems to be coming, with Ejercito in charge of making this movie.
Ejercito's earlier ventures into film production with "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story" has proved that his films are gimmicks; they create a certain hype (be it by the use of blatant copies of Hollywood styles) that are over-bloated enough to overshadow whatever artistic intentions the film could have. His venture into film production, wherein he is usually the main protagonist in his films, have all been suspiciously been linked as a tactic to further his political career. Because of his track record with "El Presidente" and "Boy Golden" which have all been works that only revived Tagalog cinema's biggest mistakes, many of us fear that this "Special Action Force"movie will be another venture that will just be a vehicle for self-promotion. In addition, Ejercito's close ties with the former president Joseph Estrada might create a certain political bias in this movie.
It could be debated whether or not this planned movie is indeed exploiting the current issue. This current issue that is heating up the recent national news, and is obviously the kind of story that will have serious repercussions on the future of the nation. What makes this project easily seem to be a work of exploitation is the fact that this project has been announced this early, too early, less than a month after the actual incident has passed, there is still a process of fact-finding going on and the film's producer (Ejercito) is already jumping on the heat of the issue; complete with poster. The smoke has not cleared yet, but the producer has already put their flag on this story. It's as if no pre-meditative or planning thought has been put on this project, just the immediate grabbing of the story for a movie.
If I'd be fair, I'd say that we may give this the benefit of the doubt. But I wish I indeed could give it that. It's because my doubts on this project is almost a hundred percent. It would be a great relief... almost a miracle (in a good way that would actually make me happy)... if I'm going to be wrong about this. For now, this news is just too depressing.
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