Pretty Good

Nice effects though.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Ron Morales' Graceland (2012) is a very well executed, and very complex film that doesn't fit neatly into one of the simple pigeon holes of "genre".This film is certainly a "crime thriller" that will keep you emotionally "on the edge of your seat" all the way through. The crime narrative is rather innovative too, with lots of unexpected twists.Yet, because this film is set in the Philippines, the filmmaker is offered a unique opportunity to concurrently create an effective "social criticism" film about life in a desperately poor, and undeveloped nation as well. This filmmaker creates much social criticism by skillfully framing certain select scenes that silently speak volumes of social criticism simply because the images portrayed would be just morally outrageous to the average viewer.This film is also a very deep, and insightful character study of the protagonist, a very poor, and very uneducated man, but a man who seems to have a good heart, and solid moral values, but yet a man who must compromise himself on a daily basis by committing unspeakable acts every day, just as a matter of course, for the physical, and economic survival of himself and his family.The most unique aspect of this film for me was the stunning coup de theatre near the end of the film, that made it necessary for me to reinterpret the whole story up to that point, to formulate a new answer to the question: "What is going on in this film?" for myself. As mentally and emotionally unsettling as this sudden revelation of facts about the story was for me so close to the end of the film, it was a very interesting, and very refreshing, and unique film viewing experience for me as well.Overall, I would say that Ron Morales is a very good filmmaker, with a real grasp on what it takes to make not only a film with artistic merit, but a film that is commercially viable as well. This filmmaking neophyte really deserves the opportunity to make many more films.

GRACELAND is a watchable, well-made crime thriller, but the similarities to Park Chan Wook's SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE were distracting.Spoilers ahead: Both films feature a man who, after being fired by his boss, decides to kidnap his boss' daughter to help pay for his sick loved one's organ transplant. The kidnappings don't go according to plan (what kidnappings do?) and one of the two abducted schoolgirls dies. Both films also feature shady organ dealers and of course the revenge theme. There are enough changes in the story to make it interesting in its own right though.End of Spoilers While SYMPATHY had stunning cinematography, GRACELAND was shot on hand-held DSLR video and it shows. It is what it is due to the low budget, but I think it's worth mentioning.It felt a lot longer than it was, but held my attention nonetheless. The violence is sudden and raw and the always changing story is intriguing. The acting was okay, although watching the main character cry in almost every scene was tiring. There are a couple scenes of underage nudity that felt unnecessary and exploitative.Overall it wasn't a waste of time. GRACELAND is passable, highly derivative entertainment, if you're in the mood for a bleak noir-ish crime thriller filled with repellent characters.

The story is very strong and the visuals accompany the whole thing very nicely. Unfortunately the script is not as strong. I guess you could also blame the actors a little bit for not being totally convincing (though the "father" himself and a few other characters are really good too) through the whole movie.It's more than gritty and people will either like it for the fact (and award more points than me) or dislike it, because of its nature. The camera does suggest and gives a documentary feeling. If only they had concentrated on the things that make this movie strong, it would have a greater impact (it already has, but there could be more).

I know usually audiences who had watched this kind of kidnapping movies would certainly look for more action and visuals. Then when i saw this the suspense came from a believable story that could really happen. The situation was really a torture since you would see where poverty leads to others.Child prostitution seems to be the worst case. The execution was great, i really admire the actors they were natural, they gave justice to the movie. I think the fast phase story has made it more entertaining to watch.Also i liked the twist because all along I thought "Marlon" has nothing to do with it but he was also a victim of Poverty, He would take the risk just to help his ill wife and her daughter. It was all good for me but still depressing at the end. He didn't have any choice because he had the life he had which takes risks and his daughter has to live in a lie.I just wish the movie would have been longer.