Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Review of TANDEM: Bedevilled Brothers

February 23, 2016




"Tandem" was first shown in local theaters during the MMFF 2015 New Wave, the week before the MMFF proper. Because of the hectic holiday schedule and the limited movie houses showing this film, I was not able to see it despite its good word of mouth and it being Rated A by the Film Evaluation Board. I did not have to wait too long for this film to have a regular theater run just last week. My work schedule in the past few days was so toxic and topsy-turvy. Fortunately, I finally got to watch it today on its last day.

The word "tandem" has earned an unsavory meaning in the Philippine setting as it has been applied to criminals who work in pairs riding on motorcycles doing a variety of crimes from the petty, like bag snatching, to the heinous, like assassinations. Brothers Roman (Nico Antonio) and Rex (JM de Guzman) thrive on such criminal activity. 

Having served time before and expecting a new child with his wife Che (Rochelle Pangilinan), Roman tended to be more cautious and low-key. Younger brother Rex though is rash and impetuous, whether he is riding his motorcycle or his girlfriend Nadine (Elora Espano). Desperation for money, crooked cops (Allan Paule and Paolo O'Hara) and botched jobs lead the two brothers to a critical and deadly point of no return.

JM de Guzman is really a very intense young actor. It is his character and his foolhardy decisions that makes this movie move forward. This film shows us another aspect to his repertoire, in very sharp contrast to his box-office hit "That Thing Called Tadhana". "Tandem" is as dark as "Tadhana" was whimsical, and de Guzman nailed them both. I am not surprised that de Guzman tied for Best Actor (with Francisco Quinto for "Ari: My Life with a King") when the festival awards were given out.

Nico Antonio has that kind of sadsack face that makes you sympathize with him despite some pretty despicable things he is doing onscreen. I had seen him before playing petty criminals in indie films like "Posas" (2012) and "Red" (2014), so he is right at home with his role here. He had rich chemistry with his co-stars, not only with JM de Guzman as his brother, but also with Rochelle Panganiban, who was a refreshing presence as his pregnant wife Che. Those tender scenes when Roman was apologizing to Che in his unique way were quite touching.

Granted the storyline may sound familiar and may have been done some other ways before, the script of Zig Marasigan, while slow to build up at first, was engaging and riveting to the end. Director King Palisoc, with the help of film editor Benjamin Tolentino, had assembled a suspenseful crime thriller over an underlying drama of the human condition in the slums of Manila. 8/10.


15 comments:

  1. This sounds good. Lucky you, Fred to have finally squeezed time out in seeing this movie! I guess I should do same.. 8/10 is a done deal, must see it!!

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  2. This sounds like a fun movie to see. I am not fussed on too much gore, so a good action film with a touch of humanity is nice.

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  3. SOunds fun. I won't be able to watch it here. But thanks for the review anyway!

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  4. I haven't heard of this movie yet but it does sound interesting. I'm glad it sounds like this is a great movie. That's great for the Philippines. I'll definitely look for this and watch it with my family. You rated it pretty high which I trust. More of a reason to watch this. Thanks for sharing Fred.

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  5. Sometimes local movies churn out real good performances...The story is interesting and should appeal to even international audience.

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  6. I don't mind a slow build up if it has a great ending. Thanks for the share!

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  7. A good story is nothing if the actors telling the story couldn't act. I love how you described the performance of the actors here. It makes this film very interesting.

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  8. Oh no I am not able to watch this movie although I like this kind of storyline. Will try to check out more about it.

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  9. Crime thrillers have quite an interesting story line but then depending on the actors performing.

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  10. JM is really among the better actors in the country and can pplay a range of character from cheesy to edgy. It looks like a good movie that talks about the ills of the community.

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  11. Sounds good. I really like the FBI, criminal, heist movies and this sounds awesome...

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  12. 8/10 meaning this is a good movie to watch. I wonder I haven't see it here in Davao cinemas.

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  13. Sounds good! I like this kind of storyline. Will try to check out more about it.

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  14. Jm de guzman is a nice actor. I like how he delivera a character

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  15. Havent seen this movie being promoted in my country, was wondering whether they are going to release it or else i might have to find other ways to catch it.

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