65
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91The PlaylistNikola GrozdanovicThe PlaylistNikola GrozdanovicMetro Manila is a horror story in its own unflinching way.
- 80EmpireDamon WiseEmpireDamon WiseFilmmaker Sean Ellis does terrific work balancing the disparate elements of his crime-laced drama.
- It's a resourceful, distinctive film that builds to a satisfying crescendo.
- 80The TelegraphRobbie CollinThe TelegraphRobbie CollinMetro Manila is so spellbound by its setting that it is a good hour before we discover what kind of film it is going to be. It begins as a swirling drama of survival in the Filipino capital — but then suddenly it slips off down an alleyway, only to emerge a scrupulously engineered, Christopher Nolan-ish crime thriller.
- 80Total FilmMatt GlasbyTotal FilmMatt GlasbyA moving morality tale set in a world rarely seen in western cinema, Metro Manila is an underdog drama that feels as authentic as it is original.
- 70VarietyAlissa SimonVarietyAlissa SimonThe screenplay (co-written with Hollywood scribe Frank E. Flowers) boasts the stock characters and situations, sentimentality, foreshadowing and melodrama of soap opera. Yet by cleverly blending these ingredients with those of an action caper, the pic presents a fresher appeal.
- 60Time Out LondonTrevor JohnstonTime Out LondonTrevor JohnstonEllis’s twisty plotting gets too clever-clever for its own good. But it’s pacy, engrossing, and Jake Macapagal’s turn as the plucky schmuck protagonist is stellar.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweThe Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweAlthough the pacing would have benefited from some judicious tightening, much of the film’s effectiveness is attributable to the lead actors’ well-modulated performances.
- 60The DissolveScott TobiasThe DissolveScott TobiasIt’s false as social document, often gripping as entertainment.
- 38Slant MagazineKenji FujishimaSlant MagazineKenji FujishimaSean Ellis doesn't so much understand Filipino society as merely sees it as grist for standard genre fare, perhaps hoping that the foreign setting will somehow automatically make the clichés feel fresh.