Maria

As a reviewer old enough to remember when these films were made only one place on the planet -- Hong Kong -- I consider this a solid effort with above average fight scenes. The problem could be that, in an effort to make English viewers feel more comfortable, the actors had to read some of their lines in English as if they were slang phrases -- something common in Japanese movies but which seemed awkward and stilted here. So ignore that. And the obligatory husband and child both seemed whiny and annoying so it was almost a relief when they were removed from the story. The rest of the movie is fine.

I had low expectations. I don't give movie reviews, ever. But reading all the other bad reviews, I just lost it. So here goes. First, most of the fight scenes are amazing and I have NEVER SEEN before in a Filipino action film. Most of them, at least. Some were flawless, some were just too choreographed. The acting, well, thanks to Ronnie Lazaro and Freddie Webb, it wasn't all that bad. I wish Christine Reyes just didn't speak English at all. But her facial expressions and overall acting, fight scenes, and stunts were incredible compared to her previous roles. The gunfights were great and to those saying they were bad, oh please, it's because you're comparing it to Hollywood movies. Stop. This isn't a Hollywood caliber one but it was entertaining. A few more polishes, a more in-depth storyline and screenplay and better acting would've made it much, much better. Kudos. This is tge start, please keep it up.

This film is the average of films in every dimension. It is generic and completely forgettable. There are worse ways to spend the time it takes to watch it, but there are equally many better ways.

In this revenge thriller, we follow Maria (Cristine Reyes) a woman with a troubled past as an assassin who has now retired and started a family. When her old partners discover she is still alive, they murder her husband and daughter in cold blood and she vows revenge. For the most part, it does drag quite a bit and I think that's due to a really poor script. The bad guys say typical bad guys things which completely detracts from the authenticity and just feels very last minute. The acting is not too bad at all; particularly from Reyes who brings a good lead performance and Ronnie Lazaro is also fun as Sir Greg. There are a couple of really well choreographed fight scenes with a keen focus on martial arts and take a lot of inspiration from recent action hits such as John Wick. It's biggest saving grace is the soundtrack with awesome pounding rock songs by Mr Bones & The Boneyard Circus which went straight onto my playlist! I'd recommend the soundtrack and Maria's incentive for vengeance is justified propelled by a disturbing sequence half way through. Not for the faint hearted but also retreading old ground and not bringing much new to the table

This film begins with an assassin named "Maria" (Christine Reyes) stealthily sneaking onto the inner courtyard of a heavily-guarded mansion. Not long afterward a fierce gun battle breaks out and she ends up killing all of her intended targets. The scene then shifts to seven years later where that same woman now has a husband by the name of "Bert" (Buji Lorenzana) and a young daughter named "Min-Min" (Johanna Rish Tongcua) and is quite content with her new life. Unfortunately, this changes when her former boss named "Kaleb" (Germaine De Leon) happens to see her and it's then disclosed that he has a score to settle with her which complicates things for all involved. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this turned out to be a pretty good action film all things considered. I especially liked the confrontation between Maria and her replacement "Miru" (Jennifer Lee) which I thought was well played. Admittedly, while not in the same class as any of the "John Wick" films, this one managed to hold its own and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.