BuyBust [2018 : Philippine : Filipino : 2h : Action]
Written & Directed by Erik Matti starring Anne Curtis & Brandon Vera
On Bluray from 16-oct-2018
Viewers discretion is advised
When the doors of Hell are locked from outside, She will lead to the way out.
The film is bloody violent. I quite often use an expression "... when shit hits the fan ...", after watching the film I now know that 'BuyBust' happens when shit hits the fan.
BuyBust reminds John Carpenters 1976 classic film "Assault on Precinct 13" and/or Walter Hill's The Warriors (1984). It could also be vaguely compared to cult film The Raid (2011). Erik Matti's BuyBust is highly creative and stands original to Action Genre even if the plot surronds around a bunch of policemen trying to escape 'Barangay Gracia ni Maria' (an imaginary slum created for the film) after their durg bust is blown. Here is how Iris Gonzales had described Barangay Gracia ni Maria :
'There are crying ladies and an old man is weepig in silence – a loved one’s body lies lifeless in a white casket. There’s a flamboyant boy in a black skimpy two-piece with Christmas lights wrapped around his body, dancing the night away; a mother and son are trying to get a good night’s rest. The shanties are dripping wet because of the downpour and the sound of pots and pans banging endlessly is echoing above the hodgepodge of makeshift homes. There’s soot, grime, and dirt all over. A riot has erupted and people are killing each other. There’s bedlam and silence all at the same time—bullets, explosions, incessant wailings, anger. This labyrinthine shantytown is a hellhole; you’ll get lost in the wink of an eye. This is Barangay Gracia ni Maria, a netherworld in Erik Matti’s BuyBust. It’s not real but it’s a cartographic reality; it’s just a setting of a movie, but fiction it is not — the desperation of the people here is as real as it can get.'
Eventhough Erik Matti has made an Action film, the fiction potrays the reality of the slums of Philippines, just like the universe Ranjith had (re)created in his film Kaala (2018). BuyBust too looks like a extended featurette of Kaala's Ramayana based climax, where the Hanuman profiled henchman of Hari Dada creates a riot inside Dharavi by lighting a hell's fire; only in BuyBust the terror is real that represents the gore of the soceity.
I had been waiting for this film since its announcement, strictly to watch Erik Matti's directorial and Anne Curtis presence. As the director, Erik Matii has relied on static metaphor when the cinematic storytelling embedes into dynamic metaphors as the plot advanced. As the police squads advances into the labyrinth, we discover the horror created by ourselves - the humans. Leaving behind all these social metaphors, the imaginary slum is highlighted by lights and environmental music. Red lights refering to sex and danger; Green refering to growth; Orange while entering unknown terriories; dim yellow for the dwelling areas; flickering lights for festival; bright light for moarning; last but not least religious songs playing in the background. All these audio-visual elements are mingled with static voices that the squad listen to on the happenings through the mic planted on to the snitch. Then there are varied footsteps, rain sounds, water falling on different materials and the noises of the routine of the slum dwellers. A huge paper work had been done before going into shooting where everyone assinged to the job are throughly professional.
Just like various lanes, the action is placed at every corner. Brandon Vera gets a monterous presence, while Anne Curtis has a two plus minutes solo 'Tony Jaa' style - a long brawl over the roofs of the slum where she fights against numerous badies. The action is raw, filmed through hand held camera which puts the audience right in the middle of slum. There is another long action block where both Brandon Vera and Anne Curtis battle their way out hitting the shit out of thier attackers, which is terrific. I always liked close combat suituation inside a confined area, be it a lane or a room, where the option to escape is limited and the percentage of survival decreased as you run out of bullets - this is where an empty water can can become a life saving weapon! BuyBust is filled with such dramatic action sequences filled with tension, suspense, uncertainty and fear .
Erik Matti stuns through his visuals. There is an ariel shot of Brandon Vera fighting his way through a water canal. The images emit the suituation without any audio feedback. For exemple towards the end there is a mirror shot describing the hesitation of Anne (I can't post the image to avoid spoilers, but you will indentify the scene when it plays on screen). And there is a 'picture-in-picture' takes too :
During the end credits there are several information about the OST. A cool metal song "Shoot to kill" plays while the credit rolls. The images are too peotical for an action film and the music too is rustic enhancing the description of the surroundings as well as establishing a mood over happenings. A varied style of music score accompanies the film.
For those who are into video games, they could easily recognise the tension - the voices speaking on the radio while raiding an unknown war zone. The tightness could be felt as the dramatics put us right inside the enviornment. In chapter 7 called 'A Hangover Sent Direct from Mother Nature' of Rockstar's Max Payne 3 video game series, Max must fight his way out of Nova Esperança do Sul, a municipality in the state Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. People who have played this chapter can assosiate with the adrenaline pumping sequences in BuyBust movies. This film has all the potential to become an excellent video game (story, scenerio, actions, weapons, characters, violence ... etc, are all well in sink to make the players stay awake long after the night). The film too has a collection of awesome posters.
There is a lot more to talk about of BuyBust, keeping apart that its just another action film. Soon several films shall follow pursuit of this gem from Phlippines.
BuyBust - Insane Nightmare
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