On the Job has the type of premise which
is begging for a Hollywood remake, excitingly
original content for a genre that has been overdone in many countries. The
promise of this unique plot is wasted somewhat in the execution, mostly because
this Filipino film chooses character study over action sequences. There are
still some riveting moments within the film, but it ends with more of an
introspective whimper than a bang.
The story is
split between two cops investigating a series of murders that suggest police
corruption, while two convicts secretly carry out the tasks being investigated.
If these were the only characters in this film, it would be a more concise
narrative, but instead gets tripped up in layers of social, political and
police corruption. This tends to detract importance from all of the
protagonists, making each appear as little more than pawns in the grand scheme
of the story.
With the latest
public assassination of a prominent drug dealer, police Sergeant Acosta (Joey
Marquez) teams up with Federal Agent Coronel (Piolo Pascual) to figure out why
their suspects continue to vanish. They are unaware that the hit team consists
of two convicts (Joel Torre and Gerald Anderson) secretly released from prison
long enough to carry out the assassinations, returning before their absence can
be noticed by the oblivious prison guards. The mentor/apprentice relationship
between the two jailed killers takes on more importance when one is scheduled
to be released from prison after serving his time, especially when this will
also result in termination from the job as a secret incarcerated hit-man.
Though the
corruption elements make all the rest of the plot points possible, it also
tends to overshadow everything else more enjoyable in the storyline. I can
already imagine how this would be altered in a remake, which seems inevitable
with the success of the basic premise. The Blu-ray release of On the Job includes a making-of
featurette, as well as deleted scenes and a trailer.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7.5/10
Historical
Significance: 7/10
Disc Features: 5/10
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