Compton is shown to be a decent American soldier, showing empathy toward the Filipino villagers, and another young solider falls in love with one of the local girls. Unfortunately, most of the soldiers don't feel the same way toward the Filipino people, and all of them are subject to their commander's orders, which generally don't include any kind of allowance for the locals. The movie isn't overly violent or gory, but there's plenty of war violence, and many of the characters' lives are altered because of the war.
Weapons are fired, many characters both major and minor are shot, and there's some blood. Children are involved in shootings. There's also a hanging and the suggestion of a cockfight, though brutal details aren't shown. One character has an STD from sleeping with prostitutes. Implied sex between a married couple. An American soldier has a sweet romance with a local girl no kissing or nudity.
Slight innuendo. Language is typical for a war-themed movie, with several uses of "f--k" and "s--t," plus "God" as an exclamation , "goddamn," "whore," "ass," "son of a bitch," "piss," and the "N" word. The American soldiers consume a local, homemade alcoholic drink; one becomes hooked on it, and he's often shown as slurring, sloppy drunk. He falls asleep on guard duty as a result of his drinking. Parents need to know that this war-themed drama set in the Philippines, circa , has a fair amount of war violence, with shootings, blood, death, and threats; children are involved in some of this.
Strong language includes several uses of "f--k," "s--t," and the "N" word about half of the movie is in English, the other half subtitled. There's also some sex talk, innuendo, and flirting, as well as heavy drinking. Written and directed by legendary indie filmmaker John Sayles , the movie tries to capture the point of view of American soldiers occupying a small baryo , as well as the locals who live there.
The result is both uncommonly intelligent and uncommonly downbeat, and it's likely that only the most adventurous of older teens will be interested. Add your rating. In a small baryo in the Philippines, circa during the Philippine-American War , Rafael Joel Torre is a fair and beloved "head man" whose brother is the leader of a band of guerilla soldiers. Before long, the U. Compton Garret Dillahunt and secretly helping his brother. A Spanish priest Yul Vazquez is also on hand to make things more complicated, while the bored Americans begin to dabble in drinking and flirting with local girls.
Soon Rafael and the lieutenant begin to understand each other, but will their newfound empathy protect them from the horrors of war? He burrows into individual characters, rather than battles; there are no clear "good guys" or "bad guys.
Families can talk about the movie's violence. How does its compare to what you might see in a blockbuster action movie? Which has more impact? Are there "good guys" and "bad guys" in this war? What does the movie have to say about war in general? Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners. See how we rate. Streaming options powered by JustWatch. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase.
Thank you for your support. Director John Sayles. John Sayles. Top credits Director John Sayles. See more at IMDbPro. Trailer Photos Top cast Edit. Joel Torre Rafael as Rafael. Chris Cooper Col. Hardacre as Col. Garret Dillahunt Lt. Compton as Lt. Irma Adlawan Josefa as Josefa. John Arcilla Nenong as Nenong.
Merlin Bonning Creighton as Creighton. Ermie Concepcion Dolores as Dolores. Dane DeHaan Gil as Gil. Brian Lee Franklin Lynch as Lynch. Joe Gruta Hilario as Hilario.
Jagunos Eloy as Eloy. Ronnie Lazaro Simon as Simon. Rio Locsin Corazon as Corazon. Diana Malahay Trinidad as Trinidad. More like this. Watch options. At the order of Col. Hardacre an underused, surprisingly one-note Chris Cooper , Lt. Compton and his men have taken over the village of San Isidro, freeing the Spanish captives held prisoner by the village's head man, Rafael, since its takeover by the Filipino guerilla army.
Aguinaldo's letter tells the men that anyone helping the enemy will be seen as traitors and killed; Lt. Compton's letter says exactly the same thing. The message is the same, but the "enemy" is a matter of perception.
Juxtapositions like this occur frequently in "Amigo," and for the most part, they are quite effective. Though one, comparing a military battle to a cockfight, had me asking the screen, "Seriously, John? Compton's eventual softening toward Rafael and the people of San Isidro is offset by Hardacre's coldness. Sayles splits time between Rafael, who understands his brother's stance but feels he must play along with the Americans for the safety of the villagers who see him as their advisor, and Rafael's son, who rejected his father's pacifist stance, running off to fight alongside his uncle.
The people are devoutly Catholic courtesy of Spain, and the priest, though technically a prisoner, continues to hear their confessions and serves as an equally trusted advisor. The priest, Padre Hidalgo Yul Vazquez , is a wild card. His colonial ideas, inherited from his country of origin, uneasily co-exist with his spiritual duties. Understanding English, Spanish and Tagalog, Padre Hidalgo is a regular Rosetta Stone, translating and not always accurately what is said between the villagers and their American occupants.
Compton's orders, fields that belonged to Padre Hidalgo before Rafael arrived. Vazquez superbly walks a fine line in his performance. I wasn't sure whether to trust him, and some of his dialogue seemed to foreshadow that I should not. In explaining the San Isidro festival, which happens every year in the town, he tells Compton that it is "partly religious and partly profane, like so many things in this poor country. The simplicity of the film's title, like most of Sayles' naming conventions, hides a much deeper meaning than its translation.
The climax of the film hinges on whether Rafael betrayed his "amigo," or "friend" status, leading Lt. Compton's men into an ambush.
One could certainly not blame him if he did, after Colonel Hardacre earns his Dick Cheney comparison by having Rafael waterboarded in order to get information about his brother. Sayles keeps the answer ambiguous, but Lt. Compton's reaction leans toward the interpretation I believe. His final act for the amigo, however dark, could be seen as the ultimate act of friendship. When she tells him maybe God will help him, he says "God is busy somewhere else.
Most of "Amigo" is subtitled Tagalog, Chinese and Spanish, the natural languages, for which I was grateful. Rafael and his villagers do not speak one word of English, and the only words he speaks that don't require Father Babelfish to decipher for Compton is "Me?
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