''Agila ng Maynila'' () is a 1988 Filipino action film directed by Pablo Santiago, written by Pablo S. Gomez, and produced by

Fernando Poe Jr. Ronald Allan Kelley Poe (August 20, 1939 – December 14, 2004), known professionally as Fernando Poe Jr., and often referred to by his initials FPJ, was a Filipino actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, and politician. His long and s ...

, who stars as Mauro Reyes, the titular "eagle" of

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. The film also stars

Vic Vargas Jose Maria Marfori Asuncion (March 28, 1939 – July 19, 2003), better known by his stage-name Vic Vargas, was a Filipino film actor and judoka. Early life and career Vic Vargas was born on March 28, 1939. When he was 17, Vargas won three champ ...

Paquito Diaz Francisco Bustillos Diaz Sr. (May 28, 1937 – March 3, 2011), also known professionally as Paquito Diaz, was a veteran Filipino actor and movie director. He specialized in antagonist roles for both action and comedy films. Biography Early life ...

Charlie Davao Charles Wahib "Charlie" Valdez Davao (October 7, 1934 – August 8, 2010) was a Filipino actor known for roles in film and television. Early life Born Carlos Wahib Davao y Valdez in Iloilo City of a Filipino mestizo of Spanish and Arab descent ...

Raoul Aragon Raoul Aragon was a former Filipino actor in drama and action movies in the Philippines. Aragon was nominated in Gawad Urian Award 1980 as Best Actor in the movie ''Ina ka ng Anak Mo'' and he won the Best Actor award in Metro Manila Film Festival ...

Vic Diaz Victor Sunico Diaz'', popularly known as Vic Diaz, (July 29, 1932 – September 15, 2006) was a Filipino character actor who mostly portrayed villains. He was also the father of Teddy Diaz, the founding guitarist of the Filipino Rock band The D ...

Dencio Padilla Prudencio Baldivia (September 2, 1928 – October 10, 1997), better known as Dencio Padilla or Tata Dens (), was a veteran Filipino actor and comedian. Career He appeared in films as the favorite sidekick of Fernando Poe Jr. Known for his Bata ...

, Lito Anzures, Mario Escudero, and

Lucita Soriano Lucita Soriano (born Lucita Soriano Adriano; March 22, 1941 – July 8, 2015) was a Filipino actress, who appeared in more than 215 movies and television shows. She was runner-up in the Miss Philippine Press Photography (PPP) 1964 beauty pagean ...

. Produced by FPJ Productions, ''Agila ng Maynila'' was released on December 25, 1988, as part of the

14th Metro Manila Film Festival The 14th Metro Manila Film Festival was held in 1988. An unheralded and obscure movie, ''Patrolman'' was named the Best Picture in the 1988 Metro Manila Film Festival. The lead star, once unknown stuntman-actor Baldo Marro won the Best Actor awa ...

(MMFF). ''Agila ng Maynila'' was the highest-grossing film among the six entries of the festival, and R.R. Herrera won the MMFF Award for Best Child Performer.

Cast

as Mauro Reyes *

as Castro *

*Lito Anzures *Mario Escudero *

*Nello Nayo *

Max Alvarado Max Alvarado (February 19, 1929 – April 6, 1997) was a FAMAS award-winning Filipino film actor known mainly by his portrayals of villains in a career which spanned six decades. Early life Max Alvarado was born as Gavino Maximo Teodosio in ...

as Badong Busangol *Encar Benedicto * R.R. Herrera

Release

''Agila ng Maynila'' was given a "P-15" rating by the

Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (English: "For Intelligent and Responsible Viewing") , employees = More than 33 , chief1_name = Diorella Maria Sotto-Antonio , chief1_position = Chairperson , agency_type = Film and television classification , parent_agency ...

(MTRCB), and was released on December 25, 1988, as part of the

(MMFF).

Box office

On its opening day, ''Agila ng Maynila'' grossed ₱2.570 million, ahead of other MMFF films. By January, the film would retain its standing as the highest-grossing film among the six entries of the 14th MMFF. Poe's enduring popularity among the Filipino people is cited as the main reason for the film's success.

Critical response

Lav Diaz Lavrente Indico Anciro Diaz (born December 30, 1958) is a Filipino independent filmmaker and former film critic. Frequently known as one of the key members of the slow cinema movement, having made several of the list of longest films, longest na ...

, writing for the ''

Manila Standard The ''Manila Standard'' is a broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines. , it is owned by the Romualdez family. The Romualdezes, through incumbent speaker of the House Martin Romualdez, also own Journal Publications, Inc., the owner of tabloid pap ...

'', grouped ''Agila ng Maynila'' with ''Celestina Sanchez, Alyas Bubbles – Enforcer: Ativan Gang'' and ''

Patrolman A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as law enforcement officers, military personnel, or security personnel, that are assigned to monitor or secure a specific geographic area. Etymology From French ''patrouiller'', from Old Fren ...

'' as films which directly placed the "dark face of the police establishment" on public trial. Though Diaz did not give an assessment of the film's quality, he described it as possessing a positive outlook, with the main character having the perspective that society needs only a hero to fix its problems and the police.

Home media

''Agila ng Maynila'' was released on DVD by Viva Video in 2006. The next year, Viva Video would pair the film for its "Da King" collector's edition DVD with ''Ang Anino ni Asedillo'', a film starring Poe's half-brother

Conrad Poe Conrad Castro Poe (April 11, 1948 – June 26, 2010) was a Filipino actor, and half-brother of Fernando Poe Jr. Early life He was born on April 11, 1948 to Fernando Poe Sr. and former leading lady Patricia Mijares. He was a paternal half-brot ...

and featuring an appearance by Poe himself.

Accolades

References

External links

* {{Pablo Santiago 1988 films 1988 action films Filipino-language films Films directed by Pablo Santiago Films set in Manila Films with screenplays by Pablo S. Gomez Philippine action films