“White Force” Film Artwork
Director: Eddie Romero
Cast: Sam J. Jones, Kimberley Pistone, Tim Hughes, Raul Aragon, Jaime Fabregas, Vic Diaz, Ruben Rustia, Ken Metcalfe, Mike Monty, Tsing Tong Tsai, Anthony Ogunsanya, Eric Romero, John Falch, Mauricio Go
Running Time: 90 min.
By Paul Bramhall
The Philippines has always had a slightly different take on the action genre compared to its South East Asian counterparts. The western influence through being an American colony for almost 50 years, gaining independence in 1946, saw it become a haven for actors who didn’t quite make it in Hollywood, and all manner of directors – from A-list names like Francis Ford Coppola using it to double as Vietnam in Apocalypse Now, through to B-movie maestros like Edward D. Murphy leveraging the budget-friendly conditions to create masterpieces like Raw Force. Plenty of Filipino directors got in on the action as well, from the post-apocalyptic madness of Cirio H. Santiago (Equalizer 2000, Stryker), to the bullet riddled mayhem of Teddy Chiu (Ninja Warriors, Blood Ring).
Another Filipino director synonymous with the B-movie was Eddie Romero. It wasn’t always that way though, with the young Romero directing his debut just one year after the Philippines gained independence, with 1947’s Ang kamay ng Diyos, made when he was just 23. It would be his latter work though that would define his legacy. The likes of the Blood Island Trilogy, made during 1968 – 1970 and starring frequent collaborator John Ashley, found Romero embracing the world of B-movie horror (although whether it was an intended embrace is up for debate), and would lead to trashy fun like Twilight People and Beyond Atlantis. Soon he was also directing blaxploitation and women in prison exploitation flicks like Black Mama White Mama and Savage Sisters, but by the time the 80’s rolled around he turned his focus once more to the dramatic fare that he was associated Continue reading →
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