Policewoman Mariano (Maja Salvador) is a member of a team tasked with escorting a key witness (Archi Adamos) of a major drug bust. However, a bunch of corrupt cops ambushed their car midway down the isolated country road in Bataan, killing all of the passengers except her after pretending to be dead.
Officer Torejon (Art Acua) and his colleagues arrive not long after to wipe up any evidence left. That's when they discovered Mariano was still alive. The policewoman manages to flee after a few gunfire exchanges but not without bruises and wounds. Her escape forces Torejon to contact Sonny (Mon Confiado), the violent gang boss and cop.
There are several scenes in Mikhail Red's "Arisaka" that discuss the struggle of Filipino soldiers during the 1942 Death March, and for a brief moment, the film appears to be a study of the violence. But it turned out to be just a shallow look into this tragic history.
Red has lavished so much attention on Bataan's illustrious past that he is unable to give proper justice to its role in juxtaposition with “Arisaka” story. It made no impact on the film which is disappointing.
In case you forgot, during the Death March, the Japanese forces rounded up the surrendered Filipinos and Americans and forced them to march 65 miles in Bataan. The exact numbers are still unknown as of now, but it is believed that thousands of troops died as a result of their captors' brutality, who starved and beat marchers and bayoneted those who were too weak to walk.
"Arisaka," like the tragedy, may be a story of power struggles, injustice, and violence. However, there is so much going on in this movie that it's impossible to know if this is really what it's trying to communicate. There are simply too many concerns it wants to address, and each one is vying for attention.
To say that this is about the province's dark and brutal history during World War II is an understatement. There's a lot going on in Red's "Arisaka," and that could be one of the problems. It attempted to address the pains of indigenous people at one point, but then jumped about from topic to topic without getting to the heart of the matter.
To be fair, "Arisaka" delivers a gripping action-thriller with excellent performances from all of the cast members, particularly Maja Salvador, and stunning photography by Mycko David. It is a solid thriller and for sure fans of the wunderkind Red will undoubtedly enjoy this flick, but there's a lot more to be had here.
2/5
