Arbitrarily arranged and awfully acted... proof positive that well-meaning creative wishes and savvy, low-fi merging of production means and narrative concept doesn't automatically produce heady results.
Cavite (2006)
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Reviews Counted:40
Fresh:29
Rotten:11
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: A gritty, low-budget thriller, Cavite takes us on a heart-pounding ride through the seedy Filipino underworld.
Theatrical Release:May 26, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: In the town of Cavite, Philippines, people will do just about anything to survive. This is the harsh reality for many Filipinos living in a poverty stricken nation. Adam, an American citizen... In the town of Cavite, Philippines, people will do just about anything to survive. This is the harsh reality for many Filipinos living in a poverty stricken nation. Adam, an American citizen visiting his home country for his father's funeral, soon realizes this when he arrives at the Philippines Airport and receives a phone call from an anonymous caller letting him know that his mother and sister have been kidnapped and will be killed if he doesn't comply with his demands. Helpless and alone in a country he barely knows he must submit himself to the fanatic's every wish or face the consequences. Soon Adam realizes that the caller on the other end is with the country's most infamous bandits, the Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim terrorist group fighting the Philippine government for Muslims to own the southern part of the country. Known for their kidnap and ransom and beheading of their victims if demands aren't met, he is at the caller's mercy. But when he finds out the caller's real motivation Adam finds himself in a dilemma to sacrifice the ones he loves or commit a horrendous act that will cost the lives of many. [More]
Starring: Ian Gamazon, Dominique Gonzalez
Starring: Ian Gamazon, Dominique Gonzalez
Director: Ian Gamazon, Neill Dela Llana
Director: Ian Gamazon, Neill Dela Llana
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Reviews for Cavite
A microbudget exercise in sensory overload that leaves you sick on all sorts of levels.
Suffers from a ceaselessly roving camera and overuse of shaky handhelds, as well as even less successful editing tropes, and some very fake-looking blood.
A harrowing but ultimately empty indie political thriller about Muslim terrorists.
Its herky-jerky camcorder style, jump-cut editing and sustained takes soon wear out their welcome.
The film suggests Jennifer Connelly's snorri-cam puke scene from Requiem for a Dream stretched out to 80 minutes.
The hand-held camera work gives the film an effective documentary pulse, but it adds up to only half a movie.
A last act full of reversals would have filled in the holes in Cavite.
a fresh bid for indie-thriller cred....[but] watching Gamazon and Dela Llana charge through their limitations is a bit like watching a sprinter run in clogs.
It might have worked if co-director/star Gamazon had taken an acting class, or if the kidnapper didn't sound like a villainous GPS navigating device.
A thrilling and scary ride through the side streets of a third world that is rarely seen in the movies, and carries a revolutionary message that is frightening in its political implications.
The budget for this film is one of those miniscule amounts when compared to a studio film, which just goes to show it's not how much you spend to make a movie, but what you put into it.
Gamazon is a capable actor for this hard tour. He and Dela Llana filmed with the kind of brave hustle and bustle that plows vividly through glib touches, repetition, razzle effects and shocks that whomp us hard.
A paragon of guerrilla resourcefulness and a model citizen of the global village, Cavite is a more anxious and vivid experience than most movies with budgets literally a thousand times bigger.
The film maintains an impressive narrative momentum throughout, but its documentary details make the biggest impression.
Story of a young Filipino-American who returns to the Philippines and becomes the pawn of Muslim terrorist with a malevolent plan for him to execute.
Latest News for Cavite
May 25, 2006:
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