Filipino action movies died in 1993 for two reasons: mediocrity and censorship. From this point in time onwards, most tagalog action flicks were content to dish out the same tired concepts and ideas, refusing to embrace darker themes and devolved rather than evolve. Couple this with the censorship drive of the entertainment regulatory arm of the government whose members are faint hearted old women and this unique cinematic art form is finally laid to rest, with this film in particular being the last nail in its coffin. Afterwards, the complacent viewing public continued to patronize these generic productions; a few decent attempts to bring back the style in its former glory such as Toto Natividad's Moises Arcanghel and Melencio Magat as well as Efren Piñon's Seth Corteza were commendable efforts but these projects were marred by the same censorship restrictions.
"Manila Boy" represents everything that is wrong with the genre with its emphasis on comedy/melodrama and less on actual drama and action. Robin Padilla plays Diego, a neighborhood bum who decides to seek greener pastures in the country's capital and who later ends up working as a hitman. The first act of the movie felt like a corny sitcom or a bad episode of Ober Da Bakod; Padilla also doesn't act like an action star and seems more interested in usurping Vic Sotto's throne. Usually in tagalog action films, a supporting actor handles all the comedy routines by playing the sidekick of the protagonist but here we have the lead star do his own comic impressions. Clearly, this is far from the serious portrayals Padilla essayed before becoming a top headliner. Based on the performance in this film, the actor surely took a big dump on his legacy. Sure, he made a movie before where he also clowned around (Grease Gun Gang) but at least it was tolerable because it had a decent story and a few colorful characters. Not so in this particular film.
Not only is the movie like a sitcom but it's also built like a "teleserye" (soap opera for those living under a rock) for its touchy feely melodramatic mush. Soap opera star Judy Ann Santos makes a guest appearance as a blind girl whose vision Diego vows to restore when he hits the big time. Of course, people would suck up this crap and are probably going "oh that poor girl".
The movie tries to be cute by promoting illiteracy in the scene where Diego says "You cannot eyes me anymore". Surely, those behind the film must scoff at education because the script doesn't require a lot of brain cells to be understood.
It also doesn't help that the movie barely has any blood effects to compensate for the lame script. Note that iconic hard action flicks like A Better Tomorrow 2 had buckets of fake blood because blood signifies realism. It means life at any moment could be taken away. Even the great William Shakespeare knew this and used pig's blood in the theatrical presentations of his written works such as Julius Caesar. In 1993, the censors were dominated by politically correct liberals who feel that realism in films should be erased at all cost.
To conclude, "Manila Boy" is garbage. It's a waste of film and a waste of one's time and attention.
