When I first saw the poster of "Boy Golden" with lead actor Jeorge ER Ejercito sporting that ridiculously fake-looking facial mustache and beard, it actually discouraged me from watching this. But when I saw that this was directed by no less than Chito S. Rono (who simply wowed me with his last work "Badil"), I decided to give it a chance.
"Boy Golden" is the story of a real-life gangster from the 1960s named Arturo Porcuna. Porcuna, alias Anino, was the head of the notorious Bahala Na Gang. After his arrest and eventual release, now sporting the monicker Boy Golden, he is hot on the trail of the rival gang leader Tony Razon (John Estrada) who was responsible for his incarceration and the rape/murder of his sister Baby. With his benefactor Atty. Dante Sagalongos (Eddie Garcia) and a feisty sexy dancer in distress Marla De Guzman (KC Concepcion) behind him, Boy Golden plots and executes his revenge on Razon, but not without his own losses.
As from his previous MMFF entries, the problem with the films of Gov. Jeorge Ejercito is himself. He does not really project well as an action star because of his benign visage and un-athletic physique. He also has a rather unrealistic style of acting which tends to go over- the-top. He is lucky that the over-all quality of this film and how technically meticulous it was somehow makes up for his deficiency as lead star.
Again as in his two previous films, the strong supporting cast does more memorable work than the lead. Eddie Garcia has that easy-going style that made him a popular character actor. He had to endure a particularly harrowing torture scene, surely very difficult for someone of his age. John Estrada we know can play a good villain as from his TV work, and he projects that same sinister charisma here. Gloria Sevilla (Aling Puring), Baron Geisler (Datu Putla), Mr. Ho (Leo Martinez), Roi Vinzons (Alias Tekla) and Dick Israel (Boy Bungal) all have their moments to shine as members of Razon's gang. They all have their moments of hokey melodrama as well though.
Special mention has to go to Ms. KC Concepcion for bravely tackling this very daring role. It was very daring not only superficially (she had to wear tight, bosom-baring costumes the whole time), but also physically (she had one very long fight sequence) and emotionally (she actually had to convince us she fell in love with Boy Golden). She is really a striking presence here, and can command attention from the viewers.
I have to commend the production designer who really took pains to recreate the 1960s in the houses, the streets, the cars, the costumes and make-up. These sets and little details all brought us back in time. The blood did not look very real though.
The story-telling felt over-stretched though to achieve an "epic" feel, when it could have been more compact. There were parts that felt bloated and preachy. Less could have been more. I did appreciate the attempts at humor to break the film's violent core. That said though, I felt the classification of R-13 was a little too generous, given the film's depiction of criminal gang activity with all the attendant blood, gore and violence.
Overall, it was an earnest and generally well-made gangster movie, but it is not without its flaws. 7/10.
