The Janitor movie review with insights from director Mike Tuviera

In my 5 years of reviewing movies, I never got to see any entry of Cinemalaya until now. Making movies in the mainstream, for most of the time, is giving the masses purely entertainment but not quality movies. Movies that changes perspective or liberating lives. That is what Cinemalaya is about.

A scene from The Janitor. Dennis Trillo(L) and Nicco Manalo(R)

For The Janitor, it shows us a reality which you may or may not accept. According to director Mike Tuviera, he got the idea for the story from current news headlines. The Janitor is an action movie that will make you think which characters are good or bad. You may or may not side with the main character but it is up for the viewer's perspective. There are ethical points to consider when watching this movie.

Director Mike Tuviera

The audience intended for this movie is not just for those who need to be entertained only but also to immerse himself or herself in the story. When I ask director Mike about how this movie differentiate from traditional Pinoy movies, he answered;  a traditional Pinoy action usually shows unbelievable feats of the protagonist but this movie is more character based than action based.

The new generation of movie goers may not be familiar with how action movies where done in the Philippine cinema before. When The Janitor was shown during Cinemalaya X, Mr. Tuviera was surprised that young people showed interest and asked questions.

It's rare that action movies have strong women character that also influence the men in the story. director Mike told me that this is an inclusive movie that women can also appreciate. A traditional action movie is considered a guys' movies especially before the year 2000.

I inquired about the fight scenes after watching the movie.  Mr. Tuviera said that he got a fight choreographer who got a background in MMA(mix-martial arts) and the actors did most of the stunts except for that really put them in real danger.

For Dennis Trillo's role in the movie, His character shows how limited he is as a human being and even though he is a strong person when dealing with suspected criminals which he hunts. It also shows that he still has weakness and that makes him human. If you are wondering why is it titled The Janitor, you may see it in a figurative manner and not literally. 

For dancer and resident gag show comedienne Sunshine Garcia, she showed potential in this movie as an actress. The movie also stars LJ Reyes, Dante Rivero, Irma Adlawan, Richard Gomez, Raymond Bagatsing, Derek Ramsay, Ynez Veneracion and more. Nicco Manalo got the award for Best Supporting Actor.

The movie bagged many awards including best director and best screenplay This is the first action movie for Direk Mike. He shared that he is a fan of action movies and he was influenced by Luc Besson, the movies The Professional, the first Die Hard, First Blood(Rambo), and the Taken movies. These are also examples of character-based action movies. The Janitor opens in regular Philippine cinemas on October 8 through Star Cinema. For more reviews and reviews, follow this blog or like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.