Every once in a while, an action film unexpectedly surpasses one's expectations, transcending its more immediate function as pop culture mythology (the equivalent of stories around campfires in ancient times) and becoming a meta commentary on the socio-economic paradigm. Through this, the genre is elevated into something almost resembling Greek tragedy or sometimes, even tragicomedy.
In the case of Willy Milan's Anak Ng Cabron, the connection between social disparity and crime is depicted through the dramatization of the protagonist's domestic affairs and how it eventually contributes to his life as the community's top hoodlum. Ace Vergel's Donato is a fine example of what we'd call a sociopathic personality, perhaps he could even pass for a psychopath because of his occasional lack of remorse or moral bearings. Donato's peculiar relationship with his parents, especially with his father is vividly portrayed as something that's unorthodox; it could be more accurately described as the business association between a big boss and his goon. His own relationship with his mother is also somewhat problematic; obviously, dysfunctional parental relationships is a signature style of Milan as this is a recurring thematic concept in several of his films from Barumbado, Dalawa Man Ang Buhay Mo, Pagsasabayin Ko and Boy Praning. Aside from Milan's personal touches, the movie features a few usual staples in an Ace Vergel feature: a sidekick played by the late Larry Silva (in other movies, the sidekick is played by Max Alvarado or some other actor) who provides comedic relief or just be the protagonist's faithful assistant. And of course, Vergel's snarling and scowling tough guy schtick.
It is quite obvious that Vergel is the perfect choice to play this character; his thoughtful portrayal combines just the right amount of angst and vulnerability. In the scene where he's shown infatuated with Vivian Foz's doctor character, he endows this sequence with a sense of innocence and subtlety, which is hard to pull off for other actors with lesser abilities. It's also important to note that Vergel doesn't overact which is, far too often, a common pitfall for these types of roles (See for example, John Regala, George Estregan Jr., Robin Padilla).
The film's action set pieces also don't disappoint as they are handled with remarkable aplomb by Milan's deft directorial hand, courtesy of his previous forays into the action format; the sequence where cops conduct a mass search for crooks inside a slum area was very well executed and staged, as well as the scene in which Donato assassinates a rival gang member (played by the fabulous Dick Israel), is also masterfully shot and choreographed. Before, Milan had a reputation as a b-movie impressionist, he was able to eventually define his own filmmaking style; his movies in the late 80s to early 90s for example, feature a few stylistic quirks: 1. The boss villain (usually played by Mark Gil) beds one or two bimbos in the course of the film's running time. The simulated sex scenes are often quite long and are kind of gratuitous (not that I'm complaining). 2. Depiction of New People's Army guerillas (communist rebels) and 3. The aforementioned dysfunctional family relationship.
The music in the film is also quite pretty good; it's a fusion of heavy metal and hard rock which is kind of similar to the music score in Uzi Brothers. The film's fault though lies in its photography; back in 1988, this type of color scheme and screen resolution are already obsolete. It's simply painful to watch with that ugly hue permeating everything in the movie. There's simply no excuse for the financiers of the film not to use better film stock as other movies from that time period like Agila Ng Maynila and Tubusin Mo Ng Dugo have superior cinematography.
To finally wrap up this review, Ace Vergel's award worthy performance is highly deserving of accolades. He's like the Al Pacino or Robert De Niro of Filipino action films. The movie itself deserves a much needed restoration for it to be appreciated by a new generation of action fans.
