1982 - Raging Vendetta(Seiko Films/Cinex Films/F. Puzon Film Enterprises)
[Philippines release date 27th April 1982, original title “Bagong Boy Condenado”; also listed as “Boy Condenado”]
Director Efron C. Pinon Screenplay Mauro Gia Samonte [listed in the Cinex export version’s credits as Carlo J. Caparas – did he write the komik version?] Executive Producer Robbie Tan Cinematography Jun Rasca Music Ernani Cuenco [other sources list D. Subido] Editor Joe Mendoza Sound Effects Danny Sanches Assistant Editors Edgar Gutierrez, Cesar Baltazar English Adaptation Jess Ramos
Cast Rudy Fernandez (Boy Morales), Mario Montenegro (Captain Simon Morales), Charlie Davao (Hildo Morales?), Dexter Doria, Laarni Enriquez, Tony Carreon (Merly’s Father) [IMDB incorrectly lists Tetchie Agbayani]
1983 – The Killing Of Satan(Cinex Films Inc./F. Puzon Film Enterprises Inc)
[Philippines release date 10th June 1983, original title “Lumaban Ka Satanas”; released in Spain as “La Furia de Satan”]
Director Efren C. Pinon Story/Screenplay Jose Mari Avellana Producer Pio C. Lee Executive Producer Conrado 'Boy' Puzon Associate Producer Francisco C. Puzon III Cinematography Ricardo Herrera Editor Edgardo “Boy” Vinarao Musical Director Ernani Cuenco Sound Supervision Rudy Baldomino Sound Effects Jun Martinez Field Soundmen Ruben Gatchalian, Ricardo Toralba, Albert Rima Opticals Supervisor & Animator Gerry Garcia Assistant Editors Willy Asuncion, King Casinao, Richard Aning Art Director Cornelio Ramirez Props & Setting Men Joseph Angelo, Erning Escobar, Jovani Lotivio Unit 1 Cameraman Culoy Salcedo Unit 2 Cameraman Freddie Medes Unit 3 Cameraman Roy Sangco Location Co-ordinators Boy Banaag, Manny Tibayan, Romy Misa, J. Janding Baritua Assistant Production Manager Glenn Parian Transportation Manager Leo Awatin Set Hands Arthur Amarante, Ding Arcilla, Loreto Malpas Assistant Cameramen Ver Duaz, Rene Pacheco, Oyet Capulong, Winny Abracia, Daniel Delena Prosthetic Makeup Cecile Baun Plain Makeup Medy Alpa Assistant Prosthetic Makeup Cora Ballesteros Assistant Plain Makeup Helen Santos Special Effects Jun Gapo Marvella
Cast Ramon Revilla (Lando San Miguel), Elizabeth Orospesa (Lagring San Miguel), George Estregan (Enchong), Paquito Diaz (Pito), Cecille Castillo (Luisa), Erlyn Umali, Charlie Davao (Satan)
Wild Phillipine horror/fantasy film which doesn't skimp on the gore effects. When Lando (Ramon Revilla) is shot in the head protecting his family from a gang of thugs, he miraculously recovers when the bullethole disappears. Meanwhile, half a continent away, Lando's uncle (who has magical powers) dies of a bullet wound to the head but not before naming Lando as his successor as protector of the village. Lando inherits his uncle's powers and he is going to need them, for as soon as he sets foot in the village his daughter is kidnapped by the Prince of Magic (Charlie Davao), who plans to give the girl to Satan for carnal pleasure. Lando follows the Prince of Magic into his huge underground lair where he must battle snakemen, the Prince's minions, the Prince himself and, finally, Satan to save the virtue of his daughter. Extreme gore (a face ripping, a chest bursting, a man crushed by a large boulder) and cheap optical effects somehow make this a highly watchable film. Viewing this film is like having a dream while running a 105 degree fever. It doesn't make much sense but it does pack a wallop. A cult classic begging to be discovered. Also starring Elizabeth Oropesa, George Estregan, Paquito Diaz and Cecille Castillo. Directed by Efren C. Pinon (ENFORCER FROM DEATH ROW and BLIND RAGE - both 1978).
Gunter Mueller's review from the Weird Asia website:
THE KILLING OF SATAN kicks off with a weird ceremony. We see a few men walking along a street, all the while their bare backs are whipped, littering them with bloody weals. One man is wrapped up into a sort of rag and a sharp knife is drawn across his side without hurting him. Big wooden crosses are carried onto a hill, then they are set up on top of it, all this accompanied by a monotonous, sad music tune. A man begins to speak, saying that they all have met here in order to thank God and ask for his blessing. They take off their charms and put them onto a rock. Suddenly a redclothed man appears on the scene with a few menacingly looking guys at his side. Without loosing any time he challenges the people and there’s a small battle at a psychic level. The redclothed man, known as the Prince of Magic, comes off a winner and later Miguel, the loser of the duel (who was spinned round and round at a breakneck speed), lying weakly in his bed, appoints his nephew Lando San Miguel as his successor. Much to the surprise of his son Renzo.
Cut to a small town far away and we meet said Lando San Miguel (played by an overweight, mustached Ramon Revilla) who doesn’t know anything of his luck yet. Lando has a dark past: after killing a man in self-defence he was sentenced to a few years in prison. However, the brother of the man Lando has killed thinks that he has got away too easily and plans some revenge. Then we see Lando strolling through an inhospitable, rough landscape when suddenly a huge boulder comes loose and rolls straight at Lando. But there is another man, his uncle Miguel, and he notices the lethal danger immediately. Yelling loudly he desperately tries to warn Lando, and in a moment of incomparable insanity he lays down in front of the approaching rock (which doesn’t make any sense at all as the rolling stone is still incredibly far away from Lando!). I guess Miguel wants to stop the boulder but the rock is not the least bit impressed by his efforts. It rolls over the screaming uncle who is literally mashed into the stony ground. His head seems to be fully intact though and so he shouts at Lando to stop the rock, ignoring the fact that his body is a crushed mess. Lando looks bewildered as the boulder rolls at him in slow motion! Then he wakes up from this horrible nightmare...
A short time later the vindictive brother pays Lando a visit, accompanied by three trigger-happy killers. Lando’s young son spontaneously thinks it’s a good idea to go outside and is promptly shot to death. Lando, not amused at all, shoots two of the intruders but catches a bullet in the head for his trouble. The police arrive on the scene and kill the other two gangsters, but it’s too late for Lando who dies from his fatal injury. At the very same time Miguel dies too - seemingly from a bullet in his head, although no one has shot at him. Yes, he has sacrificed himself for Lando, who - to the amazement of all around - opens his eyes and returns from the dead as if nothing has happened. His son stays dead though. Lando is attracted to the small island where his uncle was living and together with his beautiful wife Laura and his daughter Betty he starts off on a journey. They are welcomed by a young boy who disappears without a trace when an avalanche of stone (caused by a spectacular explosion of a mountain peak) nearly buries the family under it. Later, the village community meets them with a friendly reception.
Next day, Renzo (the late uncle’s only son) takes Lando to Miguel’s grave... which is not so easy as his body was put to the sea. So Lando takes a small boat and searches for the uncle’s resting place. Don’t ask me why. Without warning the boat’s motor fails and he continues paddling in the direction of the shore. Strange noises rush at him and he collapses unconsciously. He wakes up to the sound of a piece of wood knocking against the side of the boat. Lando grabs it and throws it wide away. Moments later, the knocking sound can be heard again, and yes, it’s the same piece of wood. Irritated at this stubborn log he reaches for it when all of a sudden - in an ingeniously effective shock moment - a horrendously looking living water corpse jumps out of the water right at him, one of its eyes creepily hanging out of its socket. The thing (which obviously once was Miguel) croaks something and sinks down into the deep waters again. Lando returns to the village...
Meanwhile a bunch of sleazy men invade the village and attack Laura, Betty and Luisa, Renzo’s wife. Laura is brutally hit in the face and the village people have got no chance against the supernatural powers of the villains. Weird, psychically produced beams make the helpless people slump down unconsciously. Renzo and Lando return in time to see the villains kidnap Betty and Luisa onto a boat, but they can’t prevent it from happening. But then Renzo orders Lando to raise his left hand, which he does, and suddenly a sort of shield appears in front of the two, protecting them against the supernatural beams of the criminals. Even bullets can’t penetrate the shield. The attackers beat it, since they have already got what they came for. With his new-found powers and a spell Lando is able to heal Laura’s disfigured face (which is quite an achievement as she looks like a freak). And then, together with Renzo, he takes up the pursuit of the criminals, searching for his daughter Betty and Renzo’s wife Luisa. What he doesn’t know is that at the bottom of all these strange goings-on is none other than Satan personally (Charlie Davao has the great honor to portray Beelzebub) who has chosen Betty as his bride...
Directed by Efren C. Piñon (whose filmography includes ENFORCER FROM DEATH ROW (aka THE NINJA ENFORCER, 1978), BLINDE RAGE (1978), and KRIMINAL (1984)) the legendary THE KILLING OF SATAN is an incredible, almost delirous piece of trash that is played totally straight from start to finish. None of the cast members batts an eyelid when confronted with some of the most insane and most ludicrous goings-on imaginable. They keep their faces totally straight while muttering crazy lines and/or fighting silly monsters. The flick is based on a story and screenplay by Jose Mari Avellana, and frankly speaking I can’t help but wonder if he was on a bad trip when he started writing it. Including as many symbols of Christianity as he could possibly think of, THE KILLING OF SATAN is a mysterious if laughable fantasy adventure that has our hero fighting against the most imaginable evil of all time, the devil himself. In its best moments this hilarious flick has a truly peculiar, strange atmosphere that has to be witnessed as I can’t describe it with words. The story moves along rather slowly, particulary in the first half of the movie. The music score by Ernani Cuenco is quite good and manages to intensify the weird mood without being too obtrusive. The camerawork by Ricardo Herrera is also thoroughly okay for such a low budget fantasy film, as is the fine lighting (the standout setpiece is an eerie cave that is red-lit).
Truth be told, I can’t think of any movie in cinematic history that is comparable to this one relating to its sheer hilarity and stupidity. There are so many moments of insanity that I have a hard time naming them all. Here are just a few. The Prince of Magic’s speciality seems to be making his victims spinning round and round until they loose consciousness. There are innumerable laser-beams on display, accompanied by incredibly cool sound effects. In one sequence Lando literally blows his opponents away like the evil wolf in the story of the three piggies. The water of a waterfall turns to bloodred in a crucial moment. Most of the cast members overact so desperately as if they get money for it. Watch out for a snake woman called Eva. In a cave Lando is attacked by a snake that jumps at him from a hole. He catches it, hits it on the head, knots it (!) and hurls it against the wall of rock. There’s a bit of nudity (lots of naked girls locked up in an electrified cage) but nothing you want to write home about. The effects are cheap but cheerful, and although they look very dated by today’s CGI standards they have a certain charm that’s missing from most of the comtemporary movies.
The violence against animals is not nice at all, but thankfully those scenes are kept quite short. The first half of the film drags from time to time, but the moment Lando and Renzo start searching for their loved ones the pace increases and there’s always something going on so there’s hardly a boring second amidst the strange happenings. The evil characters are a pretty pathetic bunch of losers, like the stupid Prince of Magic and his no-good henchmen. Special mention must of course go to Satan who looks a bit like a pathetic version of Count Dracula with a plastic pitchfork in his hands. At least he can change his form, is able to dematerialize into thin air, plus he can beam himself through the scenery, throws people around and shoots laser beams (although more often than not he misses his target spectacularly). And, of course, he can laugh malicously, a real ‘must’ for something so unspeakably evil. Apart from that he doesn’t seem to have any further abilities (he doesn’t like to be called ‘yellow’ though) so it’s no wonder that Lando has not much trouble killing him. He dies most unspectularly, vanishing into thin air, together with his followers. I bet he regrets that he has chosen Betty as his bride...
There also is a little bit of gore to spice things up, but this is so cheaply made that it’s almost impossible to take for real. I’ve already mentioned the smashed uncle Miguel (this scene clearly borders on the surreal), but another highlight involves a ripped-off cheek and an exploding breast. As you might expect there are countless fights, mostly Lando against Satan’s followers: snake-people, cat-people, and the likes. Unsurprisingly, Lando defeats them all. But it’s fun to watch and I like the cheap make-up on the monster’s faces. All in all I can honestly say that I have had a very good time watching this mind-blowing Filipino trash epic. And, frankly speaking, how many films are there where a human hero defeats the devil himself? Not too many, I reckon. Besides, God also makes a memorable cameo appearance, helping Lando on his tough way. Lando, not knowing who the white-haired old man can be, is quite stunned when he says “Those who love me call me their father!” If laughable Filipino fantasy trash is your cup of tea than THE KILLING OF SATAN comes highly recommended. This reviewer at least enjoyed it very much.
For this review I’ve watched the Dutch tape release on the Empire label which comes in the full screen format and in a surprisingly good picture quality, considering both the low budget and the obscurity of this flick. The language is English (the dubbing is terrible) and there are Dutch subtitles. As far as I know the movie was also released on tape in the United States (from Paragon Video) so take your pick if you want to see it.
The coolest thing with The Killing of Satan is the poster, or DVD-cover. It's to cool almost. A perfect example how to make a cheap exploitation movie interesting. But the nicest thing with this movie is that it's quite good. It's wacko of course, not to mention weird and naive. But it's one hell of a ride. I bought the Substance bootleg-DVD much because of the cover, so... I'm guilty to being a dead fish ("döda fiskar flyter med strömmen" as we say in Sweden).
Storywise it's just a revenge thriller that quickly evolves into a fantasy-horror-action-hybrid wich involved Satan himself (no surprise really), snake people, some minor but nice cheapo-gore, primitive visual effects, magic, religion and a manly mustasche-hero, Lando (played by nowdays Senator Ramon Revilla, who where attacking Alec Baldwin recently because of some joke he made about mail-order brides from The Philippines!). There's something special with these very local movies, they feel extremly exotic, and especially mixing religion and traditional beliefs into the story. I felt the same thing, but stronger, with Queen of Black Magic. This is something that never could have been done these asian countries.
The Substance-release was better than I thought and boasts a good VHS-rip that still shows some of the amazing colors and (most of the time) great cinematography. The visual effects is primitive, but works better than some of the stuff I seen in other movies from this time. The elbow/arm-shield is quite cool. Acting is... yeah, it's okey. Seen worse. The hero is a bit stiff sometimes, but but handles the action well.
It's nothing wrong with naive movies, as long as they are made with love. Here we have Satan, dressed in red and with horns and black widows peak. He's played by a young man, but sometimes he's also acted by an older man. The first incarnation of Satan is quite creepy, if you try to look beyond the silly costume.
This is one bizarre ass movie, and I love it! There is no discernable reason this should work, but it does. This Indonesian, pro-Christian, fantasy, horror action film has it all. Women that turn into snakes (I have an ex-girlfriend who did that), oodles of gore, nekkid babes, a hilarious red underweared Satan who turns into a much larger different actor between cuts and a handy hurricane that I think just really happened and the plucky crew kept the camera's rolling.
Oh yeah, God shows up too! He and his little kid (Who I do not believe is supposed to be Jesus. Oh no, the Christians are gonna burn this movie now!) give our hero a magic staff that can whoop Satan's tutu wearing ass! This is the kinda movie that keeps us sleaze mongers searching. It sure as hell isn't perfect, maybe not even good, but it is endlessly entertaining and gives you the wherewithal to keep searching through the video Sludge in hopes of finding more rough edged gems like it.
"What Power Should a Man Possess to Challenge the Prince of Darkness?"
So, this evil guys rules this island. Next to it is an island of good people, protected by a good magician. He is shuffles of his mortal coil, and they go off to the city to get his nephew and replacement, Lando (Ramon Revilla), a big guy whose son has been killed. He takes his family to the island, and then goes out on a boat and gets attacked by the remains of the old magician, who bites his arm and gives him a magic elbow (I kid you not).
While this is happening the evil guys attack the island and make up with the women folk. So, Lando and his new buddy from island go off to rescue them. The have to face the evil magician, shape changing women and finally Satan (Charlie Davao) himself in ridiculous make up and outfits. Its OK though, because he has a magic elbow, Kirk-fu fighting skills, then God and baby (well, young child) Jesus show up too. God give him his righteous stick of whoop ass, and when the silly bugger doesn't keep misplacing it, it's pretty good with the smiting.
What's wrong with it?
It kinda reminds me of what we made in drama class in secondary school (that's high school for you yanks). Now, consider we had the world's crappist drama teacher who, in three years, never taught us any drama. It's a cheap mess made with much enthusiasm and little talent. Actually, thinking about it I think our stuff was actually better.
What's right with it?
Its enthusiasm and silliness makes it actually quite fun if you are in the right mood.
How bad is it really?
On a technical level it's just phenomenally bad and amateurish. On any others level, well it's bad there too.
Best bit?
Apparently inspiration failed here - The Prophet
What's up with...?
God gives our hero a stick, and he keeps losing it?
The devil changing actors, and bad outfits?
The devil's terrible eye make up?
The magic elbow?
Ratings:
Production values: No. Seriously it looks like it was done on a budget of "Ee will work for food. Cheap food". The costumes are laughable, the makeup spectacularly overused and the (really not) special effects are drawn on the film. I'd give it a 20, but a read the review of Ankle Biters, so I know worse does exist. 18
Dialogue and performances: Kinda hard to tell with a foreign film, still the evil guys were very campy, although I'm not sure it was intentional. The good guys were very wooden. I'll be generous and give it the benefit of the doubt, and only a 14.
Plot and execution: It starts off with a basic plot, guy looking for fresh starts, offer of being the magic savior of an island, and then needs to rescue the womenfolk from evil. When the rescue starts it just get weirder and weirder. Where do the shape changing women come from? What's the deal with the little statue and the storm effecting the island of good people? 15
Randomness: Magic elbows? God's smiting stick? The devil in lycra? Oh yes. 16
Waste of potential: Er. I'm not sure what the standard is for Filipino films about killing Satan. At the very least on the same budget they could have not looked so stupid. 12
This is a Philipino effort, with lots of cheap OTT gore and very poor dubbing.
On a remote island, Uncle Miguel has a confrontation with the Prince of Magic. Defeated, Miguel summons his nephew Lando [short for Orlando] from the Big City to take over the good fight.
Lando brings his wife and daughter, and while he can hardly leave them in the Big City [where he is hunted by well-armed criminals] it seems a bit daft to subject them to all the mysterious goings on and life-threatening situations.
Lando's woman gets captured by the villain, and selected as the bride for his master ... Satan!
Horror fantasy fight flicks don't get more lo-fi (or weird) than this trippy little number from the Philippines. A local lad must save his village from The Horned One
The production values of The Killing Of Satan are so low that it cannot fail to be more than the sum of its bargain basement parts.
Ramon Revilla plays Lando, an ex-con trying to make good in rural Philippines. When his uncle is killed by a satanic sect during a local power struggle, Lando inherits the old man's powers of sorcery and sets out to do battle with the occultists, their diabolical master (the Prince Of Magic), and ultimately Old Nick himself.
If your expectations of cinema are stuck in the slick perfection of the silver screen, you'll find it hard to enjoy The Killing Of Satan. The script is woeful, acting is atrocious and frankly they made better special effects on 'Blue Peter' with an old Fairy Liquid bottle and some sticky back plastic. But it comes from a wild imagination (witness the dwarves, the laser-firing demon, snake-women, spinning heads, exploding bodies and a cage full of naked chicks). And when you accept that it is what it is - a joyful cut of trippy lo-fi nonsense - then you realise that Piñon's film has more charm, chutzpah and laughs than an average week's cinema releases put together.
This is no better exemplified than when the Devil himself appears in all his satanic majesty dressed in a red spandex leotard complete with horns and trident.
Verdict
It takes some getting used to, but this diabolical pic can offer a uniquely enjoyable experience that'll leave you in stitches. It will keep you off the acid for months.
[Philippines release date 17th March 1979; released internationally via Liliw Films International as "Sabotage", in France as "Chantage a l'Apocalypse" and in Germany as "Geheimcode Death-Force"]
Director Efren C. Piñon Story/Screenplay Efren C. Piñon, Greg Macabenta, Jerry O. Tirazona Producer [uncredited] Tony Ferrer Music Ernani Cuenco Cinematography “Juanito “Jun” Pereira Editor Edgardo “Boy” Vinarao Cameramen [1st Unit] Ricardo Herrera [2nd Unit] Amado “Botong” de Guzman [3rd Unit] Zosimo Corpuz [4th Unit] Eduardo Cabrales [5th Unit] Oscar Querijero [6th Unit] Rey Lapid
Cast Tony Ferrer (Agent Falcon, Agent X44), Azenith Briones (Cristy Mendoza), Andy Poe (Montalban), Max Alvarado (Michael), Olivia O’Hara (Marlo Andrado), Nick Romano (Manolo del Castillo), Ruby Anna (Ruby), Manny Luna (Greg Africa), Romy Diaz (Douglas), Val Iglesia (Aris Atlonxa), Conrad Poe (Jojo Martinez), Perry Baltazar (Johnny Fernandez), J. Antonio Carreon (Don Franco Madriaga), Mike Cohen (Dr Ivan Skovsky), Manolo Noble (Colonel Nemesio Camus), Protacio Dee (Takeo Kurosaka), Henry Salcedo (Atty. Gene Marquez), James Gaines [Jr] (Jonas Grey) , Rey Sagum (Dr Skovsky’s Aide), Ben Dato (Dr Skovsky’s Aide), George Webber, Richard Olney, Carol Meyerdierks, Rick Fuller, Lourie Ann Churchill, Truman Festos, Barbara Churchill, Adolf James, Elaine Blacher, Tsing Tong Tsai [rumoured to be in the cast, but may be in Last Target instead: Bill James, Kate Atkins, Cathy Young]
The road that lead me to Tony Falcon, Agent X-44: Sabotage was, as is often the case with these things, a somewhat long and circuitous one. It began when I was watching the third Christopher Lee Fu Manchu movie, the Shaw Brothers co-produced The Vengeance of Fu Manchu, on TV, and found my attention drawn to the actor Tony Ferrer, who was playing the fairly substantial supporting role of Shanghai Police Inspector Ramos. Ferrer was certainly charismatic, and handled himself admirably in his action scenes. But what really struck me was that here was a Filipino actor playing a character whom the filmmakers had gone out of their way to identify as Filipino (why, after all, name a Shanghai policeman “Ramos”?). Given that this was a film in which a pasty-faced Englishman with putty on his eyelids was being sold as Chinese, made at a time when few in the movie business were losing sleep over whether their Asian casting was race or nationality appropriate, this seemed to me like an unusual consideration. Furthermore, while a character such as his would normally have had a pretty limited lifespan in a movie of this type, Ferrer survived to the end of the movie, playing a decidedly heroic role in the climax. These factors combined gave me a strong hunch that, while Tony Ferrer may have been a nobody to a large portion of The Vengeance of Fu Manchu’s international audience, somewhere he was a big, big star.
With a geek fire of white hot intensity now raging beneath me, I set to digging, and before too long found that Tony Ferrer was indeed a big, big star in the Philippines–and that he was known as “The Filipino James Bond” thanks to his recurring role as secret agent Tony Falcon, Agent X-44.
Starting out as a contract player with his older brother Espiridion Laxa’s company Tagalong Ilang Ilang Productions (the company responsible for introducing some of the biggest action stars of Filipino cinema, including Fernando Poe Jr., aka “FPJ”), Ferrer had a fairly undistinguished early career, consisting mostly of supporting roles. This changed in 1965 when his brother developed the Agent X-44 character with him in mind, casting him in the first of a hastily churned out series of films helmed by director and cult film actor Eddie Garcia. Within a year, the Tony Falcon films had become a bona fide phenomenon in the Philippines, and the series would go on to chalk up somewhere around twenty entries, spanning from the mid-sixties to the early eighties.
With this new information turning tantalizing cartwheels in my brain, I was now, of course, dying to see these movies. Unfortunately, I had to steel myself for the probability that this simply would not be possible. Film preservation was a foreign concept to the Philippines until only very recently, and the more distant a film’s vintage, the more likely it is to have long ago returned to the dust from which it came. This is a real shame, because from what I’ve gathered, the Filipino popular film industry of the sixties was very similar to its Turkish counterpart: As prolific as it was impoverished, and with a profligate disregard for copyrights, it churned out hundreds of films a year at a combined cost that would fund one decent-sized Hollywood production, those films loaded with spies and goofy costumed heroes, including undisguised versions of Batman, Robin and Superman. (Not to mention, I imagine, Jesus showing up to make someone bleed out of their eyes or something–because the three things I’ve come to count on from Filipino genre cinema are singing, violence and, wherever you’d least expect it to pop up, jarring evidence of the particularly punitive brand of Catholicism that holds much of the country in its thrall). Despite my pessimism, however, and after a few months of rooting around, the gray market came through for me, and I eventually came into possession of an example of Agent X-44’s impressively voluminous screen output.
The 1966 film Sabotage was not the first Tony Falcon film. In fact, there were at least five other entries in the series produced that same year. But it was the first to launch the series as a true phenomenon, as well as Ferrer’s career as a superstar in his home country. The film premiered at the first Manila Film Festival–a festival dedicated to showcasing the country’s homegrown movie industry–and out-grossed all of the other films on the program. Like pretty much everywhere else in the world, the Philippines was going through a major spy craze at the time, and there would be a number of other film franchises starring super secret agents of their own–Bernard Bonnin as Agent 707, Alberto Alonzo as Agent 69 and Eddie Fernandez as Lagalag among them–but, from the time of Sabotage’s release on, Tony Falcon was the undisputed box office champ above all.
Of course, I should make clear that the particular Tony Falcon film that I had come into possession of was not, as I had hoped and expected, the original 1966 Sabotage, but rather the re-titled international release of another film from the Tony Falcon series’ waning years, 1978’s Sabotage 2. Furthermore, as is often the case with these things, the currently circulating copy of Sabotage is of a quality similar to what you might expect a broadcast signal intercepted from a very distant planet to look like–given that very distant planet is very dark and perhaps underwater. So, while I was looking forward to tasting a new flavor of 1960s secret agent cool–or, at least, a woefully underfunded and technically over-matched facsimile of same–I now had to resign myself to the fact that what I was actually going to be tasting was something quite different and probably a lot less savory.
Or perhaps not. Because Sabotage is indeed a rich slab of nada-budget cinematic cheese. Ferrer was sporting a noticeable paunch by this time, a state of affairs that Tony Falcon’s trademark white suits did little to improve upon. Still the actor is commendably game, always ready to dole out some spirited faux kung fu whenever the action requires. But what’s most impressive about Sabotage is how, by way of its by-necessity minimalism and utilitarian aesthetic, it manages to strip the spy movie down to its essential elements, leaving us with what is basically a Roadrunner cartoon featuring people in suits and bikinis.
The film’s action begins with a team of hired killers–a couple guys with mustaches, a hot chick, and an afro sporting, smooth talking Jim Kelly wannabe–discussing their intention to assassinate a visiting Latin American diplomat. After that we’re immediately into the first assassination attempt, and from there to the arrival on the scene of the resplendently pompadoured Tony Falcon, who chases down the assassins in his car, doles out some faux fu and shoots at them. Another assassination attempt, in which Tony saves the diplomat from an exploding horse on a polo field, follows right on the heels of the first one, and then another, all leading to more chasing and shooting–and all, interestingly, played out with very little dialog. In fact, we don’t hear Tony utter more than two isolated lines at a time until the final twenty minutes of the picture. What dialog there is, however, is all uttered in heavily accented English, rather than Tagalog as I had expected.
Once it’s determined that they’re not going to be able to assassinate the visiting Latin American diplomat with Tony Falcon showing up to chase and shoot at them all the time, the hired killers decide that they should start trying to assassinate Tony Falcon instead. What follows is a series of set pieces in which we get to see what Tony Falcon does in his free time. While most movie secret agents seem to cool their heels by lounging in swanky cocktail lounges, what Tony appears to be doing here is attending a series of wedding receptions that are complete with buffets and awkward, seemingly obligatory ballroom dancing. Then we see him waterskiing with one of his gal pals and, later, golfing. All of these activities, of course, are interrupted by the killers showing up to shoot bullets at Tony through scope rifles, after which he chases, fu’s and shoots at them. These scenes also afford us an opportunity to marvel at some of Tony’s high-tech spy gadgetry, including some X-Ray Specs that work just as advertised, rendering everyone they gaze upon naked while having no effect upon the strategically placed furniture and foliage that hides their nasties.
Finally we are introduced to Dr. Ivan Skovsky (Mike Cohen), a super villain who sits in a control room staffed by women in bikinis and men in orange jumpsuits, considerately making calls at regular intervals to an army officer named Campos to explain his motivations for doing all of the things he’s having the hired killers do. These motivations, however, don’t seem very well thought out–or, at least, Skovsky doesn’t appear to be very committed to them. At first he want to assassinate the diplomat and extort just a bit of the Philippines’ gold reserves. Then he wants to extort all of the Philippines’ gold reserves under threat of him launching all kinds of nuclear missiles at the Philippines. When asked the very reasonable question of why he’s interested in the Filipinos’ gold in particular, he answers that he’s not so much interested in the gold itself as he is in sending a message to the world that he means business. He figures that, once he has either extorted all of the Philippines’ gold or annihilated the Philippines with all of his nuclear weapons, the rest of the world will simply lay down at his feet. This plan makes Skovsky come off more like a super-bully that a super-villain. After all, if you have to make an example of a country, why pick on one as poor and already troubled as the Philippines? It just doesn’t seem very sporting.
Eventually, by means of donning a fake beard, Tony Falcon gains entry into Skovsky’s secret compound, setting Sabotage’s spectacular climax in motion. Because Sabotage is a zero-budget action film, this will involve a lot of helicopters–or, more accurately, one helicopter playing a bunch of different helicopters–because nothing says “production value” like a helicopter. This leads to one of my favorite out of all the helicopter-related, zero-budget action film scenarios, in which someone fires a handgun at an airborne helicopter and it explodes like it was made entirely of atom bombs. After that comes the paratrooper assault, which is accomplished by having exactly two guys dressed as paratroopers filmed from various angles and in different locations to give the appearance of being many. Finally, with these items ticked off the list of things you need in a spy movie, a model of the villain’s compound is blown up and we’re free to go home.
Just a couple of years after making Sabotage, Tony Ferrer would star in his final Tony Falcon feature, a team-up with Fernando Poe Jr. titled The Eagle and The Falcon. After that he would only revisit the character by way of cameo roles in other films that served as either direct references or knowing-but-vague homages, in both cases reflecting the enduring affection with which Agent X-44 was regarded by the Filipino movie-going public. The first of these was when Ferrer played the boss of Weng Weng–that leathery, pocket-sized star of both Filipino action cinema and my most disturbing nightmares–in For Y’ur Height Only, a fact which should clue people in that Weng Weng’s Agent 00, with his blinding white suits, was as much an affectionate spoof of Tony Falcon as he was of James Bond. More recently, Ferrer reprised the Tony Falcon role in a 2007 comedic update of the character appropriately titled Agent X-44, in which he passed the torch to young star Vhong Navarro (who also starred in the Spider-Man spoof, Gagamboy). All of this is evidence that Ferrer has left a deep imprint on his country’s popular culture and, while I have no doubt that his status is well deserved, it will take far more than a viewing of Sabotage alone to fully explain it.
To be honest, I would rather not have watched Sabotage. But to its credit, it didn’t completely kill my desire to see some of the earlier entries in the Agent X-44 series. While the Tony Ferrer who’s on display in this particular example doesn’t present the most suave and sophisticated of secret agents, he is thoroughly likeable, and there’s something in his manner that suggests perhaps an echo of something more fabulous. I’ll just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope that some day, if the gray market gods are willing, that murky, garbled artifact that is the nth generation bootleg of the genuine Tony Falcon, Agent X-44: Sabotage will make its way into my eager hands. Hey, nothing is beyond your reach when you dare to dream.
1982 - Raging Vendetta (Seiko Films/Cinex Films/F. Puzon Film Enterprises) 
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