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Review: ‘Heneral Luna’ Is a Patriotic Biopic That Aspires to Epicness

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John Arcilla as Antonio Luna in “Heneral Luna.”

By Ken Jaworowski

• Oct. 29, 2015

I’m only a little embarrassed at liking “ Heneral Luna ,” an audaciously manipulative movie that’s more involving than it should be. But really, when a film works this hard to rouse you, there’s no shame in just giving in.

A patriotic biopic that veers toward propaganda, “Heneral Luna” is about Antonio Luna, who in the late 1800s led the Philippine Revolutionary Army during the Philippine-American War. Early in the story he’s given command of the military. (“General Luna, it’s up to you now. This war is in your hands.”) Cue the sweeping orchestral music.

Battles are waged, speeches are made and foreign enemies soon become the least of Luna’s problems: Bureaucrats, cowards and other homegrown spoilsports continually try to sabotage his unconventional plans. “General Luna, you may be a military genius, but you do not understand politics,” one of those skeptics whines.

The film, directed by Jerrold Tarog, portrays the general as a Patton-esque figure, bucking authority and doubters, all for love of country. There’s frequent grandstanding and staring off into the distance as the movie aspires to epicness. Even Luna’s adversaries admire him. “He must be the bravest man I’ve ever seen or the looniest lunatic this side of Frisco!” an American proclaims after Luna single-handedly charges the front line. Under fire. With only a revolver. On horseback.

John Arcilla, as the general, remains gallant and charming despite appearing in nearly every scene to deliver exposition amid cheap-looking sets. Still, with so much energy and eagerness to please, it’s easy to be enthused. The makers of “Heneral Luna,” the Philippine entry for foreign language film for the coming Oscars, know their audience wants a hero, and they aren’t here to hold back.

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‘heneral luna’: film review.

Jerrold Tarog’s historical drama about a military commander's struggle for independence is the Philippines' submission for the best foreign language film Oscar next year.

By Clarence Tsui

Clarence Tsui

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Paying tribute to a heroic military commander spearheading the Philippine struggle for nationhood at the end of the 19 th century, Heneral Luna is a sturdy, stirring if perhaps sometimes simplistic historical epic about bravery and treachery in a country at war. Based on the final years of Antonio Luna , a European-educated scientist-turned-soldier who was murdered by his rivals when he was just 32, Jerrold Tarog ’s big-budget blockbuster has generated immense buzz in the Philippines. Local audiences have warmed to John Arcilla ’s high-octane turn as Luna and also how his story mirrors the chaos of contemporary Philippine politics.

A hearts-and-minds piece serving a primer in the Southeast Asian nation’s history and two hours of relentless swashbuckling drama, Heneral Luna has now been selected as the country’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar next year . While the film does thrive on some universal truths about the futility of ideals in politics, its appeal beyond the Philippines and its global diaspora might be limited. Meanwhile, its mainstream production values — an achievement in itself at home, given its standing as a production independent from the local major studios — might hinder its fortune on a festival circuit seeking either genre-benders like that of Erik Matti’ s, or grittier fare from critical darlings like Lav Diaz , Adolfo Alix Jr . or Jun Robles Lana .

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Tarog’s mission in reconstructing his country’s national narrative is pretty obvious, given the way he begins the film with an on-screen text stating how “bigger truths about the Filipino nation” could only be broached by mixing reality and fiction. His pedagogical objectives are manifested in the film’s framing device of Joven ( Arron Villaflor ), a fictional character whose name is Spanish — the lingua franca in colonial Philippines in the 19 th century — for “young man.”  Heneral Luna is meant to be this generic bespectacled journalist’s observations of the life and death of a national hero. He begins the film listening to Luna recalling his rise to power — the recollections visualized as a long flashback — while he then gets to witness the general in action, during his final battles against foreign forces and then adversaries within his own ranks.

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Shunning the inconvenient truths of Luna’s early-life brushes with politics — he started out advocating political reforms rather than outright revolution — the film begins in 1898, when he has already delved headlong into the armed struggle and is the commander of the Philippine Republican Army. By then, the U.S. military have already defeated Spanish colonialists and readying themselves to annex the Asian archipelago, and Luna is busy steering the independence movement towards a direct confrontation with a superpower aiming to gain a toehold in Asia .

His boldness contrasts sharply with the meek, reconciliatory voices which dominate the movement. While Luna is constantly at loggerheads with the former colonial-era apparatchiks who have reinvented themselves as pro-independence leaders, his biggest adversary here is actually the movement’s leader Emilio Aguinaldo ( Mon Confiado ). While Luna is shown living and working alongside his soldiers and talks his talk of the need to put country before family and everything else, Aguinaldo operates behind a neat desk — an indecisive man under the sway of his backers, his cronies and even his mother.

This is a man who has previous experience killing off his dissenting comrades, as in the case of the execution of rebelling commander Andres Bonifacio , a brutal murder glimpsed in a brief flashback, and serving as the harbinger of things to come. With Luna’s demise very much predestined, Tarog’s film plays out a whirlwind j’accuse in which a warrior defies his double-dealing detractors, rages against the dying light and lurches towards a grisly end.

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And the film hardly strays off message: Luna’s lover, Isabel (a fictional amalgamation of the general’s many partners, and played here by Mylene Dizon ), turns out to be as audacious and patriotic. After Luna’s laments in bed about war being “a cross I have to bear,” Isabel — who also happens to be a leader of the local Red Cross chapter — ends their relationship, proclaiming their respective public duties as more important than their clandestine affair.

Heneral Luna does have its lighter moments, such as the general’s near-slapstick attempt to commandeer a train for his soldiers or his gallows humor while trapped in the trenches. But comic relief is rare in this bulldozing epic about a selfless patriot in a dangerous age, and the film is filled with scenes and dialogue highlighting Luna’s vision of his country being free from external domination (namely the US, seen here butchering and bayoneting locals with impunity) and internal division (as Luna enforces standard-issue uniforms to rein in clan-building commanders).

While the odd historical anachronism does mar the film — such as Woodrow Wilson ’s “manifest destiny” speech from 1920 being used to augment the argument of U.S. expansion in the 1890s  — the message here is certainly loud and clear. Charging onwards unflinchingly, Heneral Luna trades in as little subtlety as its titular hero does.

Production companies: Artikulo Uno Productions

Cast: John Arcilla , Mon Confiado , Arron Villaflor , Mylene Dizon

Director: Jerrold Tarog

Screenwriter: Henry Hunt Francia , E.A. Rocha , Jerrold Tarog

Producers: E.A. Rocha

Executive producer: Fernando Ortigas , with Leo Martinez, Vicente Nebrida

Director of photography: Pong Ignacio

Production designer: Ben Padero

Costume designer: Carlo Tabije

Editor: Jerrold Tarog

Casting Director: Jaime Habac Jr .

Music: Jerrold Tarog

International Sales: Artikulo Uno Productions

In Tagalog and English

No rating, 118 minutes

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Heneral Luna

Amidst pacing problems, Heneral Luna   manages to tell a compelling story – allegorical and timely to present day – supported by a fantastic script, an impassioned score, and inspired cinematography.

At first glance, one might mistake Heneral Luna  as your run-of-the-mill historical biopic that showcases a hero of yore whose bravery and passion unite his people in the face of dastardly foreign invaders. Well, this is only partly correct. There are invaders, Heneral Luna ( John Arcilla )   is indeed fiercely brave and madly passionate, but there is no unity to be found amongst country men – only infighting, personal interests, and politicking.

Directed by Jerrold Tarog and with a script co-written by him,  Henry Hunt Francia , and  E.A. Rocha ; Heneral Luna  takes a different approach in telling the story of how we lost the battle and got occupied by the Americans. Taking cues from Oro, Plata, Mata;  the movie deliberately puts the colonialists in the periphery, making them merely a backdrop whose presence stirred the pot. The real focus here is the tension, the inner turmoil, that brewed in the ranks of our so-called Filipino founding fathers. Heneral Luna  is a tale of how a dissenting voice can get swept away and ultimately perish under a wave of egos and personal interest.

Carrying the weight of the story is the above stellar performance of John Arcilla in the title role of General Antonio Luna. Arcilla plays with the whole spectrum of emotions in his portrayal of the larger-than-life general. He is able to showcase the fierce, boisterous, and volatile man the general has been historically known to be, yet he is also able to flip the coin and show the passionate, sympathetic, and battle-weary softer side of the character. Here’s a man who rides head first screaming into battle just to rile up his troops’ morale, but at the same time he is a one who can share warm moments and some banter with his mother.  He is an antihero – the  Wolverine of the Filipino insurrection.

One prime example of just how dynamic Arcilla’s portrayal can be is during this one scene involving a chicken vendor. Delivering virtually the same line of dialogue on two separate moments, Arcilla is able to convey anger bordering on madness at first and compassion nuanced with frustration soon after. It is truly his performance that propels Heneral Luna  (and, sadly, his alone).

There isn’t much to be said about the rest of the cast of movie, which is a pity given that Heneral Luna assembles quite an ensemble. You’ve got names like Joem Bascon, Alex Medina, Mon Confiado, Nonie Buencamino, Mylene Dizon, and even Ronnie Lazaro; but sadly none of the other performances stand out. Not that there are any weak performances, it’s just that none are able to keep up with the gravitas of John Arcilla’s Luna. Mon Confiado’s Emilio Aguinaldo seems more like a spineless weakling who hides behind his cohorts rather than a respected political foil; while Ketchup Eusebio’s Capt. Janolino, the leader of Luna’s killers, feels too forced as a villain scorned by the titular general. The closest character who can keep up with Luna’s onscreen presence is his equally proud contemporary,  Heneral Mascardo (Lorenz Martinez) – whose refusal to give in to Luna provides a tension-filled back-and-forth sequence in the middle of the film. Unfortunately, because of some jagged pacing, tension such as is this is not consistent throughout the movie.

This erratic pacing is felt most during the first act of Heneral Luna – where things play out very much like an oral history. Used as plot device to serve as the audience’s perspective, Arron Villaflor portrays journalist, Joven Hernando, who is tasked to interview the general. This frame narrative leads to various snippets that feature Luna’s patriotism: from an expertly-shot rowdy meeting with Aguinaldo’s cabinet to earlier battles against the Americans. Oddly, these scenes just feel lacking in connective tissue. Its pacing is too quick to really tie the storytelling together and it doesn’t help either that some set pieces looked too clean and glossed over – lacking the grit and weariness you’d expect from a war movie. Couple this with efforts to add humor at some odd moments throughout the film, and you’ve got a trifecta that hinders the movie from fully immersing you.

Heneral Luna more than makes for these flaws though through its artistic components – such as its beautiful score, well-crafted cinematography, and, most especially, its fantastic rhythmic script.

Technically marvellous is the only way to describe the movie’s sound design – from Luna’s table banging overpowering the raucous in a cabinet meeting, to a guitar mini-concert midway the film, to the overall masterful score. You have to give it to effort put in by Jerrold Tarog, who not only directed the movie but also provided its music.

All sorts of appealing too is Heneral Luna ‘s cinematography. One scene you have to look out for is the flashback sequence to the general’s youth. This particular scene employs one long take, seamlessly moving from different sets that pass of as a childhood home, Europe, and other settings from different timelines. It is a visual spectacle, innovative and masterful in its execution.

Most notable though among the movie’s artistry is its script. Poetic yet conversational, Heneral Luna ‘s script is filled to the brim with flowery lines of dialogue as if lifted from a sonata. It’s not everyday that you get to hear lines as beautifully crafted as  “kailangan mong tumalon sa kawalan,” “digmaan ang iyong asawa, ako lamang ay iyong querida,”  and “ para kayong mga birhen na naniniwala sa pag-ibig ng puta.”   Here is a script so elegant that it can even make curse words sound so cultured, so tasteful.

Overall,  Heneral Luna  is not just a film but a wake up call driving the ever reminder that some things never change. Its message – we Filipinos are our own worse enemies, lacking in resolve and torn by self-interests. It is a story representative of not just our current and still chaotic political landscape but of who we are and what we can do but don’t. Though it may not be perfect in its execution, the film does its duty in leaving us with the question lingering “ Bayan o sarili? “

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10 thoughts on “ heneral luna ”.

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I agree on what you’re writing about the pacing of the movie, BUT, i think it’s still understandable considering the fact that they want it as accurate as possible, and if they’re basing it from true history, it’s really hard to connect the pieces of the puzzle without compromising the history of the war and what is analyzed by their consultants. the truth is, what’s written on our history books is insufficient in terms of pacing a movie. it’s really hard to connect the pieces of the puzzle. And i think HENERAL LUNA as a movie worked out that weakness excellently without compromising accuracy. but dont get me wrong, this is the best review i’ve seen so far. but hey, lets celebrate the fact that H.L. raised the standards of Filipino Films to a whole new level. Faith in filipino film makers is restored 🙂

Hi Sir/Madam. This movie is R-13. The school of my son let the pupils age 8-12 watched this movie. Is there something wrong?

Sorry for the late reply Clifford. Well there is some minor nudity and profanity within the film that may be sensitive to 8 year olds. Maybe you could ask the school if the cut they showed had those explicit scenes? We believe though everything was done in good taste so as long as they watched it under adult supervision, the experience would be nonetheless inspiring and educational. 🙂

Hi global, j saw your reply just now. Thanks for engaging. Well, in my personal opinion, that’s where the challenge comes in filmmaking. Because even if historical accounts may be fractured — with long gaps in between — when it comes to laying it out for the audience, things must feel cohesive and engaging. You don’t want to pull the audience out of what’s on screen. Heneral Luna had scenes that straight out plucked me out of the unfolding narrative, e.g. from somewhere up north the next scenes he’s already in cavite. Basically, what i’m trying to say is that the passage of time and of location didn’t feel fluid. it was a bit jagged. You just think it’s a matter in which you don’t have to compromise accuracy. Well this is just my two cents. Thank you though for the praise. 🙂 And you’re right, I do believe Heneral Luna raised the bar of mainstream cinema. Here’s looking forward to Goyong!

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Heneral Luna - Movie Reaction

Heneral Luna is a heartwarming yet a strong movie that depicts the life of General Antonio Luna during the Philippine – American War. Antonio Luna was a Supreme Chief of the Army of the First Philippine Republic which was under the reign of President Emilio Aguinaldo. He was known for his great leadership skills because of the way he ruled the army even though many people are against him because they are irritated to his strong and fierce personality that he possess. He is the most intelligent in the Philippine military because of his one of a kind strategies that can fool his opponent. He is a kind of a leader that if there is a problem to his ways, he will not ask his subordinates to solve it for them, instead he will be the one who will find ways to solve the it because he is a man who lead with pure actions not a man who lead with so many commands. He is also a wise men because of his words of wisdoms that he often share to his subordinates just to boost their love for our country. It is really true that people have different opinions and perspective in solving certain things and how they strongly justify that their opinions are more effective than the others. In this movie, there are two kinds of people that can be seen, a person who is a risk taker and a person who choose the easy way out. Here, a person who take risks is the one who truly show their devotion for the nation, an example of this is Antonio Luna and his men. They bravely risk their life buy fighting the American soldier until their bullets run out. Despite having a risk taker there will always a person who will choose an easy way out. These people are the one who only thinks for their own life and not considering others. An example of this is the businessman Felipe Buencamino who would rather choose to be an ally of the Americans because they think being with them means that their business will be safe because the Americans will not think ways that could bring down their business since they already earned their trust. It is a shame that these people still exist nowadays because they are being lead with the strong greed for money and power. It is true that the American colonizer is not our biggest enemy but instead it is our co – Filipinos who have a strong ill desire for their own benefits. It is so ironic that most of our heroes didn’t died to the hands of the colonizer instead they actually died to hands of the people that they are protecting. These kind of people will do everything that they can so that no one will be able to block their wrong intentions even if it means to put the life of others to death. These people should not be look up to because they will bring no good to everyone instead they should be treated as a pest because they are a living cancer in society. Sacrificing life is really dangerous especially that the opponents are known to be strong. But, I still don’t get it why some people, in the middle of the fight, are choosing to back down and continually move backward to escape the battlefield. For me this kind this is an act of a coward person because they weren’t able to end the war with the good fight. They wouldn’t even finish what they have started and choose to retreat when they think that things are not going out well. It is saddening because they not only failed the people around them but they also failed themselves as a soldier who devotedly oath to the mother land to retrieve the Her from the colonizers and to turn things to its right places. The movie gives us an idea how Filipino soldiers were killed brutally. Some of them were shot multiple times and others receive the bomb that makes their head blow off. It really showed how these soldier are accepting what life are putting to them. They know what will happen to them if they continue these and yet they choose to continue fighting because they know to themselves that after winning these big fight will result to a big change to the life of their co – Filipinos. We should honor them more especially that we already have an idea how their life ended which is an awful one and I know most of the people wouldn’t want it to be their death scenario. Heneral Luna wasn’t able to receive the same recognition as the other heroes but thanks to this movie because many people will now be able to know that there are really many people who are willing to cry the pain and shed blood just to have the freedom that were deprived to us. I am really thankful that historical movies like this are being produced because it will not only make us to know what really happened in the past but will also make us appreciate the sacrifices that they made just for us to have a better future. These people is the key why we attained the liberty, so us, as a Filipino citizen, should not put to waste the things that they have done to us instead we should continually grow the love to our country because this is our home, our motherland that needs to be protected always and forever.

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I don't think running away in a war is seen as being a coward after all we are all human beings.it takes a lot or courage and motivation to be at the frontlines so I think we should be more compassionate to those who back down because if we were in their shoes we would have done the same.

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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

“History was written by those who hanged the heroes.”

The quote from Mel Gibson’s Braveheart (1995) rings truest in the Philippines, where history, or at least the one that was crafted to instill within the people an illusion of a pristine and glorious nation, is as fragrant as a little girl’s fairy tale. Filipinos have been led to believe that the country was birthed from the untainted bravery of our forefathers who dispelled vicious colonizers with both their words and weapons.

However, this history that we are enjoying is one painted with half-truths and veiled lies. Those details of the nation’s past that may or may not have a more lasting impact on our state as a people are either left as footnotes or completely forgotten and neglected. Distilled of dirt and sin, all that is left are perfumed memories that can only fuel a pride that may be as misplaced as it is dangerous. 

History in cinema  

Local cinema has mostly been complicit to this bamboozlement. Most of the films that have been made to tackle the nation’s history have portrayed the prominent men and women who fought for our freedom as saints, almost bereft of faults and mistakes.  (READ:  Heneral Luna: Para sa bayan o sarili? )

Line them all up, from Carlo J. Caparas’ Tirad Pass: The Story of Gen. Gregorio del Pilar (1997) to Marilou Diaz-Abaya’s Rizal (1998) to Mark Meily’s El Presidente (2012), and all you’ll see are narratives that lead only to the goal of sanctifying the historical figures they center on. Even Enzo Williams’ Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo (2014) ended up putting its titular hero on a pedestal even if it had the audacity to dwell on some of the details of the hero’s death at the expense of another historical figure. (READ:  10 movies featuring PH national heroes )

The few films that managed to shape the historical figures as actual humans instead of icons and idols are films with too small a budget to be able to pull off the requirements of a period piece. Mike de Leon’s Bayaning 3 rd World (2000) ingeniously dissected the famous myth of Rizal. Mario O’Hara’s portrayal of Andres Bonifacio in Ang Paglilitis ni Andres Bonifacio (2010) is so laced with humanity that a lot of its viewers considered it close to sacrilegious.

Bridging the divide

The divide between the gutless but glossy epics and the braver but more intimate independent productions is so immense. As a result, movie-going masses are fed with didactic rubbish that are designed primarily to treat viewers like kids who prefer their stories visualized like soap operas than read from a textbook, oblivious of the fact that there exists another vein of historical cinema that dares to ask more questions than provide the same answers over and over again.

Jerrold Tarog’s Heneral Luna provides that essential middle ground. It is a film that is crafted with just enough meticulousness a reasonable budget can afford but does not pander to common but erroneous knowledge and wisdom. Instead, it goes straight to the point of unravelling those details in history that were left out by those who hanged the heroes. Tarog’s film is an immense risk, one that is probably fueled not by quick profit but by a profound desire to unmask demons of idols. 

Tarog cleverly starts his campaign with Antonio Luna, who has always been known as a gifted military strategist, capable of leading an army composed of farmers plucked out of nowhere to victory against both Spanish and American foes. His tragic demise paints a picture of what was wrong and what is still wrong in the country. 

In a way, Luna personifies the fractured hero that defines the country’s fractured history. His life, like history, has been severely whitewashed with great deeds brought to the fore while deficiencies in character are veiled out of sight. 

What Tarog does to Luna is to treat him with enough respect to release him from being just an object of this victor’s history we have been blindly celebrating throughout the years. Tarog makes him human, drawing him with virtues as well as warts, and in so doing, creates an essay of everything that is wrong in our nationhood.

Intent and craft

What is most fascinating about Tarog’s Heneral Luna is that it does not place its intent ahead of its craft. The film is beautiful to gaze at. The score made by Tarog is subtle during moments when the drama does not require distracting melodies, but hauntingly intense at the high points.

The film is plotted precisely, never really focusing on the larger aspects of history but on the smaller stories that perfectly construct a hard-hitting picture of a revolution built on suspicion and dissent. 

John Arcilla is excellent as Antonio Luna. His performance displays an innate understanding of the character. Driven not by boring reverence but by his own interpretation of what exactly is noble madness, Arcilla is exhilarating to behold in his various interpretations of Luna’s many personalities. (READ:  John Arcilla on bringing ‘Heneral Luna’ to life ) 

As ferocious leader of a seemingly hopeless army, he is rabid and stern. As a pal to his trusted lieutenants, he is unpredictably hilarious. As son to a devoted mother, he is heartbreakingly dear, echoing the same sentiments he has for his family as if it were for his motherland.

While Arcilla dominates the picture with his prodigious performance, Mon Confiado comfortably stays at the side, playing Emilio Aguinaldo, portrayed in the film as a cunning puppeteer instead of the victorious liberator of the Philippines, with such engrossing sobriety. Confiado’s Aguinaldo is vicious in his quietude, amply balancing Arcilla’s Luna, who is as boisterous as he is outwardly violent. It is a generous performance, one that gives the film deeper layers as opposed to being just a battle of wits between prominent figures of the past. 

Beyond stereotypes

Ambiguity is not typically regarded as a virtue when it comes to historical films about national heroes. Most of the films that have tackled our history past have a definite agenda of feeding their viewers with a very general emotion of pride for one’s country.

Heneral Luna , while precise in its storytelling and in its depiction of the major players of the revolution, evokes ambiguous emotions about a nation that has been revealed to be built on a rickety foundation of questionable motives and personalities. 

Tarog is as blunt as he is poetic. He does not shirk away from detailing the violence of war. In fact, he often laces the gruesome deaths he stages with humor, perhaps to reflect on the folly of war despite its inevitability. Amidst the indulgence in spilling blood and exploiting gunpowder is a tenderness that is genuinely affecting.

Heneral Luna begs you to look beyond the stereotypes of both the man and the history that has been made around him. It begs you to see everything with clearer eyes, with just enough cynicism, and more importantly, without the influence of those who have the greatest to gain for turning our history into a pageant of brave and unblemished patriots, of those who hanged heroes without owning up to their sins. – Rappler.com

Francis Joseph Cruz litigates for a living and writes about cinema for fun. The first Filipino movie he saw in the theaters was Carlo J. Caparas’ ‘Tirad Pass.’ Since then, he’s been on a mission to find better memories with Philippine cinema. Profile photo by Fatcat Studios.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Heneral Luna

Gore doesn't mean guts and this film needs more guts (and less exposition).

(SPOT.ph) We want to say "spoilers," but that wouldn't make sense. By the time we graduate from high school, we're supposed to be familiar with at least some of our heroes—especially those with mustaches as majestic as that of General Antonio Luna . His face is without a doubt familiar (as is his white hat) yet, we forget the little details of his life...like the names of the men who may or may not be responsible for the death of the greatest and some say the only general the Philippines ever had. 

John Arcilla commits to the role unabashedly. The screenplay depicts General Luna as loud, abrasive, a bit brash, and borderline mad (as most brilliant men seem to be). The first 30 minutes seem like postcards of his personality, with brief scenes showcasing his bold patriotism, the troubles he had in dealing with President Aguinaldo's cabinet members, and singleminded dedication to "Artikulo Uno." It's a rule that gives a general the authority to carry out a fatal punishment for insubordination, i.e., General Luna will shoot you if you don't follow his orders. It's wartime, after all...or at least, that's what he wants Aguinaldo to finally accept. 

The story is meaty and, without need for embellishments, rather gripping. We've been taught to think of heroes as nothing else but that, yet the truth holds a richer and more complicated tale. As soon as the film starts presenting the reason why we were "defeated" by the Americans, it becomes a truly compelling movie. Sadly, the focus shifts unsteadily—much like the resolve of President Aguinaldo at the time. 

While the colors of the film are easy on the eyes and the costumes are noteworthy, the composition of the frame and the trajectory of the narrative at times fail to present General Luna as a larger than life character, save towards the end when Captain Pedro Janolino ( Ketchup Eusebio ) and his men not so much murder as butcher the mustachioed general. Yes, there will be a Spoliarium reference. No, it will not be subtle. It will be as discreet as the scene where a man's head gets obliterated by canon fire. 

Heneral Luna the movie is as erratic as the character it seeks to glorify, but it is also as fascinating. If it had sustained the tension between General Luna and General Tomas Mascardo ( Lorenz Martinez ), we would've been on the edge of our seats the entire time. Not that we didn't appreciate what Archie Alemania (as Captain Eduardo Rusca) and Joem Bascon (as Colonel Paco Roman) brought to the table. It's just that the film should've had the guts to face the darkness of history head on, like General Luna storming to the Americans in the other trench, presenting us with very awkward truths about our nation's bitter past.

RATING:  3 out of 5 spots.

Heneral Luna opens in theaters on September 9 .

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