''Deathrow'' is a 2000

Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

film co-written and directed by

Joel Lamangan Joel Lamangan (born September 21, 1952) is a Filipino film director, television director and actor. His award-winning films includes '' The Flor Contemplacion Story'', ''Sidhi'', '' Deathrow'', ''Hubog'', '' Aishte Imasu 1941'', '' Blue Moon'' an ...

. The film stars Cogie Domingo and

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 ...

. This is

GMA Films GMA Pictures, formerly Cinemax Studios and GMA Films, is a film and television production company in the Philippines, established by GMA Network in 1995. Its films include ''Jose Rizal'', '' Muro Ami'', and '' Deathrow''. Filmography Histor ...

' last feature film before entering a 4-year hiatus. It was one of the entries in the 2000 Metro Manila Film Festival, where it won Best Actor, Best Production Design and Best Film Editing, among others.

Plot

16-year-old Sonny Corpus (Cogie), born and raised in the slums of Manila, frequently hangs out with his friends Celso, Jimmy, and Rodel, who also pressure Sonny to spend more time with them. Unbeknownst to Sonny, his friends plan to rob a house one night. During the robbery, Celso accidentally fires at the owner of the house (

Anita Linda Alice Bueñaflor Lake (November 23, 1924 – June 10, 2020), better known by her stage name Anita Linda, was a Filipino film actress. A romantic lead in her youth, she later gained critical acclaim for her portrayals in maternal or elderly r ...

), killing her. Police arrive at the scene and Jimmy and Rodel are killed, prompting Sonny to freeze and Celso to run. The police find Sonny at the scene and arrest him. Sonny is detained and cross-examined, and his lawyer points out that his client is still a minor. However, he fails to show ample evidence. Although Sonny didn't kill anyone during the robbery, he is found guilty of

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

and subsequently sentenced to

death row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting Capital punishment, execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of ...

. After a harsh introduction to prison life during his struggle to come to terms with the court's verdict, he finds his place among the

convict A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former convict ...

s. 'Mayor' Mio, a fellow

inmate A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

who holds a position of power in the prison

hierarchy A hierarchy (from Greek: , from , 'president of sacred rites') is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) that are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another. Hierarchy is an important ...

, attempts to recruit Sonny as a

dealer Dealer may refer to: Film and TV * ''Dealers'' (film), a 1989 British film * ''Dealers'' (TV series), a reality television series where five art and antique dealers bid on items * ''The Dealer'' (film), filmed in 2008 and released in 2010 * ...

for his

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

business. Sonny hesitantly accepts. The cocaine business is known to the jail warden Fajardo (Spanky Manikan) who is also an accomplice in the illegal business. Gabino (

Pen Medina Crispin "Pen" Parungao Medina Sr. (born August 27, 1950, in Arayat, Pampanga) is an actor from the Philippines who started acting in theater plays in his youth. He eventually played versatile roles on the big screen and in various television s ...

), Mio's second-in-command, attempts to win Sonny's support as part of his secretive preparations for a coup against Mio. Fellow inmate Lolo Sinat (

), a 77-year-old gangster who appears to be the most powerful and senior inmate on death row, eventually takes Sonny under his wings. He advises Sonny to stop his involvement in the drug business. When a high-ranking official visits the prison, Sonny confesses to him about the drug business. Gabino exacts

revenge Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." Pr ...

by giving Sonny a severe beating; he is also raped and tortured. Sonny seeks the help of Gina (

Jaclyn Jose Mary Jane Santa Ana Guck (born October 21, 1964), better known by her stage name Jaclyn Jose, is a Filipino cinema and television actress who has earned international critical acclaim. She is best known for her roles in the films ''Private Sho ...

), a public attorney who also handles the case of Lolo Sinat, to appeal his case. Lolo Sinat does not trust Gina, often calling her a stupid lawyer; she responds by telling him he does not know how to love. Lolo Sinat tells Sonny about his past and how he was brought to jail. The two become closer, and Lolo Sinat promises Sonny that he will help the boy so that when Lolo Sinat faces God, he could say that for once in his life, he has done something right. With the help of Lukas (Mon Confiado), Lolo Sinat and Sonny manage to escape, but are caught the next day. Gina then tells Lolo Sinat that his death penalty will be served the next week. With his death drawing near, the old man encourages Gina to help Sonny appeal his case. Gabino tries to rape Sonny again, but the boy fights back with a bread knife and stabs Gabino several times, killing him. Lolo Sinat covers up for Sonny. Before being brought to the

lethal injection Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium solution) for the express purpose of causing rapid death. The main application for this procedure is capital puni ...

chamber, Lolo Sinat gives his old

walkman Walkman, stylised as , is a brand of portable audio players manufactured and marketed by Japanese technology company Sony since 1979. The original Walkman was a portable cassette player and its popularity made "walkman" an unofficial term for ...

to Sonny. After several weeks, Gina's appeal for Sonny's case becomes successful. Celso is found and brought to justice and Sonny is released from jail.

Cast

* Cogie Domingo as Sonny Corpus *

as Lolo Sinat *Ray Ventura as 'Mayor' Mio *

as Gabino *

as Gina * Angelika dela Cruz as Sabel *Tony Mabesa as 'Governor' Asunta *Spanky Manikan as Fajardo *Mon Confiado as Lukas *

Nonie Buencamino Anthony Buencamino (born November 28, 1966), professionally known as Nonie Buencamino, is a Filipino character actor known for his theater work. He is strongly associated with Philippine New Wave Cinema, playing roles such as Mayor Bartolome in J ...

as Nardo *Ace Espinosa as Young Lolo Sinat *Janine Desiderio as Ruby *

Allan Paule Allan Paule De Guzman (born January 1, 1970 in Cebu City), better known as Allan Paule, is a Filipino actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and television series. He also unsuccessfully ran for councilor of Muntinlupa from the 1st district ...

as Cenon *Mel Kimura as Cenon's wife *Jim Pebanco as Lupe *Maureen Mauricio as Sonny's aunt *

as robbery victim *Joseph Izon as Celso *Marky Alonzo as Rodel *Randy Ramos as Jimmy *Richard Quan as Armand *Tessie Villarama as Judge *James Patricks as Sonny's lawyer

Awards and nominations

In the 2000 Metro Manila Film Festival, it won 2nd Best Film, Best Actor (Eddie Garcia), Best Production Design (Joey Luna), Best Film Editing (Jess Navarro and Kelly N. Cruz), Best Sound Recording (Albert Michael Idioma and Rudy Gonzales). In the FAP Awards, it won Best Actor (Eddie Garcia), Best Editing (Jess Navarro), Best Production Design (Joey Luna) and Best Supporting Actor (Pen Medina). In the

Gawad Urian Awards The Gawad Urian Awards are annual film awards in the Philippines held since 1977. It is given by the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (MPP, "the Filipino Film Critics") and is currently regarded as the counterpart of the United States' New York Fi ...

, it won Best Actor (Eddie Garcia), Best Editing (Jess Navarro and Kelly N. Cruz) and Best Sound (Albert Michael Idioma and Rudy Gonzales). It was given the Prix Du Meilleur Film Engage au Service d’une Cause (Prize for the Best Committed Film Championing a Cause) at the 23rd International Festival of Independent Films in Brussels, Belgium in 2001 for its sensitive yet realistic depiction of the plight of a juvenile delinquent on death row. It was nominated for Golden Cairo Award in the 2001

Cairo International Film Festival The Cairo International Film Festival ( ar, مهرجان القاهرة السينمائي الدولي) is an annual internationally accredited film festival held in Cairo Opera House. It was established in 1976 and has taken place every year sin ...

. It was shown and competed in other international film festivals. It was shown at the 2001

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Deathrow (Film) GMA Pictures films 2000 films Philippine crime drama films 2000s Tagalog-language films Films about capital punishment Films directed by Joel Lamangan