''Agent X44'' is a 2007 Filipino

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

spy

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Joyce E. Bernal and starring

Vhong Navarro Ferdinand Hipolito Navarro (born January 4, 1977), known professionally as Vhong Navarro, is a Filipino comedian, actor, dancer, recording artist and television host. He is a regular host on ABS-CBN's noontime variety show '' It's Showtime''. H ...

as Agent X44 with

Mariel Rodriguez Maria Erlinda Lucille Termulo-Padilla (born Maria Erlinda Lucille Sazon Termulo; August 10, 1984) professionally known as Mariel Rodriguez-Padilla or simply Mariel Rodriguez (), is a Filipino-born American commercial model, endorser, televis ...

in her film debut. The film was also the last movie of veteran actor

Tony Ferrer Antonio D. Laxa (June 12, 1934 – January 23, 2021), better known by his stage name Tony Ferrer, was a Filipino actor, film director and producer. He was tagged as the James Bond of the Philippines for his films in which he played a spy named To ...

following his death in 2021. The film was produced by Star Cinema. The film is based on the Agent X-44 character previously played by

, which originated in the 1965 spy film ''G-2'', directed by

Eddie Garcia Eduardo Verchez Garcia (; May 2, 1929 – June 20, 2019), known colloquially as Manoy, was a Filipino actor, television personality, film director and producer. With almost 600 film and television roles and a career spanning seven decades, he ...

. In addition, ''Agent X44'' and its director Joyce Bernal's third and last film where Navarro is the lead star after '' Mr. Suave'' (2003) and '' D' Anothers'' (2005).

Plot

The plot revolves around a secret agency with Reserve Agent King Aguila (

) tasked to recover the Philippines' most important artifact. The artifact is the bolo of Lapu-lapu which he used to kill Magellan in 1521. King Aguila and his best friend, Junior Iskalibers (Mura) take the entrance exam of the academy for secret agents. King is the godson of Agent X44 Tony Falcon (

) who is approaching retirement. Ever since he was a child, King has idolized his ninong Tony and wanted to be a secret agent like him. King and Junior are admitted into the academy under the supervision of Colonel Cynthia Abordo (

Pokwang Marietta Subong (born August 27, 1970), known professionally as Pokwang, is a Filipino comedian, actress, television host and singer. She started in a reality show on ABS-CBN and subsequently appeared in dramas and sitcoms of the network. She a ...

), but they are the most incompetent trainees. In the academy, King meets Mary Grace Talagtag (

),another neophyte agent. She develops a crush on King, but keeps it to herself. One day, she asks king out on a date and decides to tell him her true feelings. She had barely said, "I love you" when King rushes out of the restaurant to save a girl. Thinking that King was embracing the girl, Mary Grace is convinced that he is a playboy. After graduating from the academy as Agent 690, she decides to accept the

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

training being offered to her, and leaves the country with bitter feelings towards King. When she returns from her training, Mary Grace immediately becomes the top agent in the country. Meanwhile, King and Junior graduate as "reserve agents" who temporarily work as janitors in the agency headquarters, much to their dismay. One night, the Philippines' most important artifact,

Lapulapu Lapulapu or Lapu-Lapu (ᜎᜉ̰-ᜎᜉ̰), whose name was first recorded as Çilapulapu, was a datu (chief) of Mactan in the Visayas in the Philippines. He is best known for the Battle of Mactan that happened at dawn on April 27, 1521, where ...

’s bolo which he used to kill

Ferdinand Magellan Ferdinand Magellan ( or ; pt, Fernão de Magalhães, ; es, link=no, Fernando de Magallanes, ; 4 February 1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer. He is best known for having planned and led the 1519 Spanish expedition to the Eas ...

in 1521, is stolen from the Philippine National Filipino Museum of the Philippines. Minerva Castillo ( Cassandra Ponti), the museum’s curator, contacts the agency for help. King is given three cases to solve, but he fails each and every one of them. The agency has no choice but to demote him to a clerical job. He longs to be given some fieldwork, but the agency will hear none of it until Magellan's dagger is reported stolen. Being the top agent, Mary Grace expects the high-profile mission to be assigned to her. Thus, she is shocked when Tony Falcon pushes that King is the best agent for the mission. With the help of Junior, King nearly gets the dagger but he loses it again. Disappointed with King, Tony gets depressed and accidentally falls into a manhole. Cynthia (Pokwang), the agency head, decides to take King out of the mission. During Tony's wake, the ghost of Tony Falcon appears to her, telling her to put King back in the mission. Actually, Junior masterminded this trick. Cynthia decides to pair King with Mary Grace to retrieve the dagger for the final time. The dagger falls into the hands of three rival crime lords - Mustafah Saleh (Uma Baron Khouny), an Arabian vampire millionaire who wants to retrieve the dagger because it is a threat to his family's oil business; Leah (Juliana Palermo), a Polynesian princess who wants to retrieve the dagger because they have the seawater resources but not the equipment to turn it into oil; and Purubutu-san (Epi Quizon), a Yakuza head who wants to retrieve the dagger because he has the seawater resources plus the machinery to market it all over the world.

Cast

as Reserve Agent King Agila / Agent X44 *

as Mary Grace Talagtag / Agent 690 * Cassandra Ponti as Minerva Castillo *

Uma Khouny ''Pinoy Big Brother'', retroactively known as ''Pinoy Big Brother: Season 1'' is the first season of the Philippine reality show, ''Pinoy Big Brother''. The season ran for 112 days with Willie Revilliame, Toni Gonzaga and Mariel Rodriguez host ...

as Mustafah Saleh *

as Cynthia Abordo * Mura as Anton / Agent Junior Iskalibers *Juliana Palermo as Selecta Papadakis *

John Lapus Jonathan Anthony Solis "John" Lapus (born July 7, 1973), also known as Sweet, is a Filipino actor, host, comedian, and film and television director. Lapus is known for his various roles in films such as '' Shake, Rattle & Roll''. He was a head ...

as Baklus *

Epi Quizon Jeffrey Smith Quizon (born January 23, 1973), professionally known as Epy Quizon, is a Filipino actor, television host and the son of comedian Dolphy. He is known as the antagonist, role as Jepoy / Stryker in the 2003 film '' Lastikman''. Ea ...

as Karansai Purubutu-san * Juddha Paolo as Mr. Clean

Special Participation

as Tony Falcon / Agent X44

Reception

Rating

MTRCB The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board ( fil, Lupon sa Rebyu at Klasipikasyon ng Pelikula at Telebisyon; abbreviated as MTRCB) is a Philippine government agency under the Office of the President of the Philippines that is respon ...

, a Philippine media board, has initially rated the movie R-18 due to topless scenes of both Cassandra Ponti and Mariel Rodriguez but was re-rated to PG-13.

Box office

On its opening day, ''Agent X44'' did well as it grossed . After a week of its showing, the film made a . Its overall gross was .

References

Agent X44 a big hit!

External links

* * {{Joyce Bernal 2007 films 2007 action comedy films 2000s spy comedy films Films directed by Joyce Bernal Star Cinema films 2000s films 2007 comedy films Philippine action comedy films Filipino-language films