Review: 'Beyond the Call of Duty'

Currently showing in cinemas is Jose “JR” Bolinares’ Beyond the Call of Duty, written by Eldwin Veloso for PINOYFLIX, with Luis Chavit Singson and Stephanie Singson as its executive producers.

In a nutshell, the film centers on the lives of three friends and their colleagues with the many challenges and perils they face as members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) where Ricky (Martin del Rosario) and Anna (Maxine Trinidad) are part of the SWAT, and Daniel (Marco Gumabao) serves in the Bureau of Fire Protection.

Fresh view

The screenplay offers a fresh presentation on the lives of policemen and firefighters. Here we see the characters portrayed by Del Rosario, Gumabao and Trinidad serving their causes with commitment and passion.

Adding realness to the narrative are the men from the police and the firefighters shown who were part of the motion picture — hands-on, ready and committed to resolve difficult situations.

There is authenticity in the manner the hostage situations are presented in the action drama, noting that they are not overtly dramatic and staged.

Impressive as well is the longish car and river chase sequence that highlights the competence of the police force without the usual movie gloss and sheen. Onscreen, the police are hands-on and manning their state-of-the-art monitoring and communication equipment, ending with the capture of culprits.

Also, the antagonist’s story arc does not seem banal and trite, but rather makes the narrative more plausible.

Time and again, motion pictures depict policemen as always the last to arrive at the crime scene, templated as the wrongdoer, villain and authority figures that cannot be trusted.

This movie is a welcome change as the policemen and firefighters here, despite the characters’ issues and struggles, take their duties and responsibilities to heart, carrying their assignments with the use of tactical and technical knowhow and, yes, teamwork as most crucial way to resolve a crisis situation.

Of course, it is not a perfect action drama. Some scenes need trimming. A few lack the requisite tension and how it escalates. More punch and wallop to the shooting affray and conflagration segments ware needed.

Still, director Bolinares and PINOYFLIX deserve a pat on the back for putting on the silver screen the lives of these men and women in uniform who truly protect and serve.

Praise-worthy

The actors’ performances are also a major strength of movie. Because of them, it becomes an engaging and relatable watch. It is obvious that they had some sort of training because they handled their guns quite well, spoke with authority, not just lip servicing their lines during the hostage sequences. And to the actors tasked to extinguish the fire situations, bravo to all of you for playing your parts with emotional commitment and truth.

For the male leads, Del Rosario as the policeman Ricky and Gumabao as the firefighter Daniel, it is amazing to see them as men in uniform, in the most difficult of situations. They pull off their respective characters with heart and intelligence. They are believable in their roles.

A new female lead actress is born in the person of Maxine Trinidad who portrays Anna Jacob with skill and sincerity.

Her Ivana Chubbuck technique comes in full display because she gives a great level of truthfulness to her Anna role, making it not only convincing but credible — a dynamic performance.

Trinidad and Del Rosario also share a pronounced chemistry that can make wall paints and chocolates melt.

Of the antagonists, Mark Neumann makes being bad delicious thanks to his thirtysomething handsome face and a dark side that screams this is not the guy you mess with. Jeffrey Santos raises the bar of being sinister to a whole new level.

There is no small role for Devon Sawa. Despite the limited scenes, every time she is on screen, you feel and watch her. That is the acting power that she holds.

Beyond the Call of Duty, a must-see action drama, worth the moviegoers’ time and their hard-earned pesos because it showed that our law enforcers go beyond their badges and are fully committed to protect and serve.