Ligalig: Just a tad short of being very good

Ligalig (CM Films) Director: Cesar Montano Screenplay: Willie Laconsay, Cesar Montano Cast: Cesar Montano, Sunshine Cruz, Johnny Delgado, Celia Rodriguez, John Regala, Rommel Montano, Rebecca Lusterio, Katya Santos, Bayani Agbayani The best films we’ve seen since the inception of the moving picture have the simplest plots ever. Like this: An unassuming taxi driver, who hires prostitutes on the side, meets his virginal girlfriend’s weird family for the first time. Meanwhile, a serial killer is on the loose and the cops are eager to find out who the psychotic murderer is. So who’s the killer? The taxi driver (Cesar Montano)? His innocent-looking girlfriend (Sunshine Cruz)? His girlfriend’s controlling mother (Celia Rodriguez)? The nutty brother who’s gun-obsessed (John Regala)? Or this madman who’s been driving around with a bolo knife (Johnny Delgado)? In the end, a video camera, inconspicuously left on by Katya Santos’s character, reveals the identity of the real killer. It’s a rather simple and excitingly sick plot and Ligalig could have passed as a very good film with its simplicity. Except that it includes a bunch of clichés found in bad Pinoy movies, a bit of bad acting, and distracting we-used-the-green-screen effects that looks like it came from a Bubble Gang segment. The use of the green screen for all of the moving taxi cab scenes diverts the audience’s attention from the dialogue, especially with the camera moving at every turn and the white outline of the cab visible on the big screen. Though the technique works well in some where there's no dialogue involved, it could have worked better with real music videos or if the special effects were seamless. The hackneyed scenes and subplots also veer the viewers away from the main plot. The scene where Bayani Agbayani’s character asks Katya Santos’s for a kiss before parting is very reminiscent of countless scenes from films in the 80s and the 90s. At the same time, the jumpy police characters failed to clue the viewers in on the identity of the killer or establish how far or close they are in their investigation, which could have helped give each character the back story they deserve. But save for these scenes, the movie exudes an aura of mystery and suspense, thanks to a fairly consistent lighting and the effective use of moving camera. Suspense-thriller fanatics would definitely appreciate the goriness of the deaths and the second half of the film succeeds in delivering an escalating terror. Though most of the characters are underdeveloped and appear two-dimensional, Sunshine Cruz was able to convince the audience of her terror, the audience could almost feel her fear. As expected, Cesar Montano and Johnny Delgado delivered the drama the film needs. Celia Rodriguez and John Regala are perfect for Sunshine Cruz’s psychotic family. The film may not be doing well in the box office, but compared to other entries in 2006’s Metro Manila Film Fest, Ligalig deserves much more than its eighth spot in the tills. A citation not based on sales perhaps? - GMANews.TV