''On the Job'' (abbreviated as ''OTJ'') is a 2013 Filipino
neo-noir
Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates literally to English as "black film", indicating ...
action thriller
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include lif ...
film written and directed by
Erik Matti
Erik Matti (born December 21, 1970) is a Filipino filmmaker. He is known for directing '' On the Job'' (2013), ''Honor Thy Father'' (2015), '' Seklusyon'' (2016), '' BuyBust'' (2018), and '' On the Job: The Missing 8'' (2021).
Matti co-found ...
, who co-wrote the screenplay with
Michiko Yamamoto. Starring
Gerald Anderson
Gerald Randolph Opsima Anderson Jr. (born March 7, 1989) is a Filipino-American actor. He is managed and under contract to Star Magic, ABS-CBN's home based talent agency.
Recognized as the "Action-Drama Prince" of Philippine industry, He is on ...
,
Joel Torre
José Rizalino "Joel" de León Torre (born June 19, 1961) is a Filipino actor and producer who is best known for his numerous films such as the biographical film ''José Rizal'' (1998), crime thriller film '' On the Job'' (2013) and the historica ...
,
Joey Marquez
Joselito Perez Marquez (born Artemio Perez Marquez Jr.; October 7, 1957) better known as Joey Marquez, is a Filipino actor, comedian, politician and former professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association.
He was born to ...
and
Piolo Pascual
Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual (, born January 12, 1977) is a Filipino film and television actor, singer, model, and producer.
Early life
Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual was born on January 12, 1977, in Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center located in Malat ...
, it tells the story of two
hit-man prisoners (Anderson and Torre) who are temporarily freed to carry out political executions, and two law enforcers (Marquez and Pascual) tasked with investigating the drug-related murder case connected to the prison gun-for-hire business. The film co-stars
Angel Aquino
Angel Aquino (born Angelita Velasquez Aquino on February 7, 1973) is a Filipino film and television actress. She is currently part of ABS-CBN's contract talents.
She is mostly known for her lead antagonist roles such as Ether in '' Encantadia ...
,
Shaina Magdayao
Shaina Garcia Magdayao (; born November 6, 1989) is a Filipino actress, dancer, singer and model. She is currently working for Star Magic and a talent of ABS-CBN.
Magdayao is recognized as one of the country's premiere actresses and pretties ...
,
Empress Schuck
Empress Karen Carreon Schuck-Guingona (born 19 February 1993), also known mononymously as Empress, is a Filipino actress, model, singer, dancer and fashion designer.
Early life
Schuck was born on 19 February 1993 in Quezon City to a Filipino- ...
,
Leo Martinez
Leo Martinez (born March 7, 1950) is a Filipino actor, comedian and director. Martinez was the Director General of the Film Academy of the Philippines before Vivian Velez' appointment.
Personal life
He is married to Gina Valenciano (sister of Ga ...
,
Michael de Mesa
Michael Edward Gil Eigenmann (; born May 24, 1960), better known by his screen name Michael de Mesa (), is a Filipino film and television actor, and director.
Early life
Born as Michael Edward Gil Eigenmann to performer Eddie Mesa and actress ...
,
Vivian Velez
Vivian Velez (born 21 May 1960) is a Filipina actress who previously served as Director General of Film Academy of the Philippines. As one of the radio host of the 8TriMedia's weekly program called 'DOUBLE V'. She was known as the "Ms. Body Beauti ...
, and
Rayver Cruz
Raymond Oliver Cruz Ilustre (born July 20, 1989), better known by his screen name Rayver Cruz (), is a Filipino actor, dancer, singer, and host. He is the younger brother of fellow actor and dancer Rodjun Cruz.
Personal life
Rayver is a mem ...
.
The inspiration for ''On the Job'' came from a
Viva Films
Viva Films is a Philippine film production company established under Viva Communications. It was founded on November 11, 1981, by Vic del Rosario Jr.
History
Veering away from the Sharon Cuneta- Gabby Concepcion tandem, Viva became home to q ...
crew member who said he had been temporarily released from prison to commit contract killings before he was reincarcerated.
Star Cinema initially refused to produce the film in 2010, deeming it excessively violent compared with their usual
rom-com
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
projects; by 2012, however, they agreed to co-produce it with Matti's own film production company,
Reality Entertainment
Reality Entertainment is a Philippine production company founded and managed by the Filipino filmmaker Erik Matti and his producing partner Dondon Monteverde (son of the film producer Lily Monteverde
Lily Yu Monteverde, nicknamed Mother Lil ...
. Filming took place in
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 ...
and lasted 33 days, on a production budget of
₱47 million (about US$1.1 million).
''On the Job'' was shown as part of the
Directors' Fortnight
The Directors' Fortnight (french: Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) is an independent selection of the Cannes Film Festival. It was started in 1969 by the French Directors Guild after the events of May 1968 resulted in cancellation of the Cannes festiv ...
at the
2013 Cannes Film Festival
The 66th Cannes Film Festival took place in Cannes, France, from 15 to 26 May 2013. Steven Spielberg was the head of the jury for the main competition. New Zealand film director Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the Cinéfondation and ...
, where it was praised and received a
standing ovation
A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim. In Ancient Rome returning military commanders (such as Marcus Licinius Crassus a ...
on May 24. The film was released in the Philippines on August 28, 2013, and in the United States and Canada on September 27 of that year. It received positive reviews from foreign and domestic critics. In 2021 the film and its sequel ''
On the Job: The Missing 8'' were re-edited as a six-part
HBO Asia
HBO Asia is the Asian division of HBO, based out of Singapore. It was originally launched on 1 May 1992 as MovieVision, later rebranding on 1 June 1995 to its current name after being purchased by Home Box Office, Inc. The Singapore-based broad ...
miniseries titled ''
On the Job''.
Plot
In the
Philippines
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 ...
, Mario and Daniel are prisoners who are frequently released and paid to commit
contract killings. Mario spends his earnings on Tina, his daughter, and Lulette, his estranged wife, while Daniel sends
remittances to his family and spends the rest on goods and privileges in prison; he has come to see Mario as a mentor and
father figure
A father figure is usually an older man, normally one with power, authority, or strength, with whom one can identify on a deeply psychology, psychological level and who generates emotions generally felt towards one's father. Despite the literal te ...
. After they murder
drug lord Tiu and return to prison, Tiu's murder case is assigned to
NBI Agent Francis Coronel through Congressman Manrique. When Coronel and his partner, Bernabe, arrive at the local precinct, they clash with
PNP Sergeant Joaquin Acosta, who believes that the case was taken from him for political reasons.
Mario and Daniel carry out a hit on a woman named Linda, whose husband Pol seeks help from Acosta, his former colleague. Pol reveals that Tiu's murder is one of several assassinations ordered by Manrique's close friend Pacheco, a military officer campaigning for the
Philippine Senate
The Senate of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Senado ng Pilipinas'', also ''Mataas na Kapulungan ng Pilipinas'' or "upper chamber") is the upper house of Congress of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines with the House of Representatives a ...
. Acosta agrees to protect Pol and heads to the station; along the way, he encounters Coronel and Bernabe. Meanwhile, Daniel shoots Pol, but his pistol
jams before he can fire a fatal shot. The three officers converge on them, forcing Daniel and Mario to flee, although they manage to locate and kill Pol at a hospital. As they split up to escape, Bernabe is shot and Acosta catches a glimpse of Mario's face.
Coronel confronts Manrique and tells him that he intends to arrest Pacheco. Manrique warns Coronel that Pacheco's indictment will cause their downfall, as he considers Pacheco his last resort after having exhausted all his other options to remain affluent. Meanwhile, Acosta relays Mario's
composite sketch
A facial composite is a graphical representation of one or more eyewitnesses' memories of a face, as recorded by a composite artist. Facial composites are used mainly by police in their investigation of (usually serious) crimes. These images a ...
to be broadcast on television before deciding to work with Coronel. When Coronel discovers Mario's identity, he visits Lulette and sees her flirting with Mario's friend, Boy. Coronel tells Acosta about his discovery, and Acosta uses it as leverage when he interrogates Mario. Although Acosta is unsuccessful, Mario later expresses to Daniel his feelings of betrayal. Mario then phones Tina, who tells her father that she saw his police sketch and that she intends to live independently.
Tiu's father tells Acosta and Coronel that he has evidence that they can use to arrest Pacheco. Coronel goes to visit Pacheco, who admits to killing Coronel's father to "save the country". Coronel then uses his cellphone to
secretly record a conversation between Pacheco and his men about the murder of Tiu's father.
Soon after, Daniel kills Coronel in front of police headquarters, causing an enraged Acosta to attack Pacheco and Manrique's security detail. Meanwhile, a disheartened Mario realizes that he has no reason to leave prison since his family no longer wants anything to do with him, and stabs Daniel to death to remain incarcerated. Coronel's death prompts an investigation of Acosta, who is relieved of duty, and Pacheco, who tells journalists he is ready to be investigated. After attending Daniel's wake from afar, Mario goes home, kills Boy in front of his family, and returns to prison.
Sometime later, a recovered Bernabe looks through Coronel's possessions and requisitions the phone Coronel used against Pacheco as evidence.
Cast
Production
Development
![Erik Matti 10-20-14 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Erik_Matti_10-20-14_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Director
Erik Matti
Erik Matti (born December 21, 1970) is a Filipino filmmaker. He is known for directing '' On the Job'' (2013), ''Honor Thy Father'' (2015), '' Seklusyon'' (2016), '' BuyBust'' (2018), and '' On the Job: The Missing 8'' (2021).
Matti co-found ...
was inspired by a
Viva Films
Viva Films is a Philippine film production company established under Viva Communications. It was founded on November 11, 1981, by Vic del Rosario Jr.
History
Veering away from the Sharon Cuneta- Gabby Concepcion tandem, Viva became home to q ...
service driver, an ex-convict who said that he used to be temporarily freed from prison to commit contract killings and reincarcerated.
Matti shelved his idea until he ended his hiatus from directing with ''The Arrival'', a
short film
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
he released to positive response at several
film festival
A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...
s in 2009.
He opened the screenings with an eight-minute trailer for ''On the Job'', with
Joel Torre
José Rizalino "Joel" de León Torre (born June 19, 1961) is a Filipino actor and producer who is best known for his numerous films such as the biographical film ''José Rizal'' (1998), crime thriller film '' On the Job'' (2013) and the historica ...
attempting to
pitch the film.
The trailer also had a favorable response, particularly from
Twitch Film
Screen Anarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...
editor Todd Brown, who asked if the project had entered production. When Matti told him that the film did not yet have a screenplay, Brown encouraged him to write it while he looked for financing.
During the script's ninth revision, screenwriter
Michiko Yamamoto helped finalize the remainder of the draft.
Four uncredited consultants were also hired to develop details of the story.
During the writing process and after the final draft was complete, Brown was unable to attract investors; some felt that the story was too nontraditional for Philippine cinema or too large a risk for the overseas market.
Star Cinema (the Philippines' largest production company) refused to make the film in 2010, deeming it too violent compared with their usual romantic-comedy projects.
Matti offered the project to two of Star Cinema's talents, who also declined due to the film's violence.
The project was again put on hold as Matti entered the
post-production stage of his
horror fantasy
Dark fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporate disturbing and frightening themes of fantasy. It often combines fantasy with elements of horror or has a gloomy dark tone or a sense of horror and dr ...
film, ''
Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles'' (2012). He was then contacted by a Star Cinema agent, who requested the revised script; three days later, the studio agreed to fund the film.
Reality Entertainment
Reality Entertainment is a Philippine production company founded and managed by the Filipino filmmaker Erik Matti and his producing partner Dondon Monteverde (son of the film producer Lily Monteverde
Lily Yu Monteverde, nicknamed Mother Lil ...
, an
independent film company co-founded by Matti, co-produced ''On the Job'' with Star Cinema. Reality Entertainment co-founder Dondon Monteverde,
Lily Monteverde
Lily Yu Monteverde, nicknamed Mother Lily (born August 19, 1938), is a Filipina film producer and businesswoman.
She is the first and many Filipina Movie producers who produced the boom of blockbuster films in different genres in the 70s and 80 ...
's son, said that many studios were impressed by the script but were reluctant to finance a big-budget
action film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...
.
Although the production team considered cutting the film's budget, they decided against it in the hope of shifting away from
low-budget film
A low-budget film or low-budget movie is a motion picture shot with little to no funding from a major film studio or private investor. Many independent films are made on low budgets, but films made on the mainstream circuit with inexperienced or ...
s. Monteverde remembered arguing that it was "really time to do something big-budget and showcase it, rather than making something small and claiming budgetary restrictions. This time we didn't give ourselves any excuses. We went all the way".
The film's production cost
₱47 million
(about
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
1.1 million in 2013).
Pre-production and filming
Joel Torre, who plays Mario "Tatang" Maghari in the film, had already been cast before Matti's script revision.
Torre said about the role, "
ariostuck with me, fought for me. And that gave me a lot of confidence, a Bushido Blade samurai."
Matti asked
Piolo Pascual
Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual (, born January 12, 1977) is a Filipino film and television actor, singer, model, and producer.
Early life
Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual was born on January 12, 1977, in Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center located in Malat ...
to play attorney Francis Coronel Jr.
The role of Daniel was originally written for
John Lloyd Cruz
John Lloyd Espidol Cruz (born June 24, 1983) is a Filipino actor, model and occasional TV host. He was a member of ABS-CBN's Star Magic, where he is an alumnus of Batch 5. He starred in the teen drama '' Tabing Ilog'', and is best known for his ...
, who was interested but had to decline due to scheduling conflicts; it went instead to
Gerald Anderson
Gerald Randolph Opsima Anderson Jr. (born March 7, 1989) is a Filipino-American actor. He is managed and under contract to Star Magic, ABS-CBN's home based talent agency.
Recognized as the "Action-Drama Prince" of Philippine industry, He is on ...
. After a discussion between Pascual and Anderson about the film, Anderson signed for the role. He had only two weeks to film his scenes, since he was involved with a
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
shoot at the time.
The role of Sergeant Joaquin Acosta was to be played by
Richard Gomez
Richard Frank Icasiano Gomez (; born April 7, 1966) is a Filipino actor, television presenter and director, politician, and épée fencer. He has been serving as the Representative of Leyte's 4th district since 2022, and was mayor of Orm ...
, but he decided to pursue a political career in
Ormoc
Ormoc (IPA: ”oɾˈmok, officially the City of Ormoc ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Ormoc; war, Syudad han Ormoc; fil, Lungsod ng Ormoc), is a 1st class independent component city in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 ce ...
.
Matti later cast
Joey Marquez
Joselito Perez Marquez (born Artemio Perez Marquez Jr.; October 7, 1957) better known as Joey Marquez, is a Filipino actor, comedian, politician and former professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association.
He was born to ...
; although Marquez was seen primarily as a comedian, the director believed that he could play a charming, obnoxious character.
Richard V. Somes was the film's
production designer
In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wo ...
and
action choreographer.
To prepare for the prison scenes, the production crew built a set in an abandoned building in
Marikina
Marikina (), officially the City of Marikina ( fil, Lungsod ng Marikina), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 456,159 people.
It is loca ...
and hired 200
extras to play convicts.
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
took 33 days on location in a number 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 ...
areas, including
City Hall, a
Light Rail train station, and
Caloocan
Caloocan, officially the City of Caloocan ( fil, Lungsod ng Caloocan; ), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in Metropolitan Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 1,661,584 people making it the fourth-most ...
.
The opening scenes were shot during the annual
Basaan Festival in
San Juan.
Filming was done in over 70 locations,
and the crew sometimes shot in several areas on a given day.
On choosing Manila as the film's key location, Matti said:
![Red EPIC camera](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Red_EPIC_camera.jpg)
Francis Ricardo Buhay III, who had also worked on Matti's ''Tiktik'' and ''Rigodon'' (2013), was the film's
cinematographer.
Rather than setting up and changing lights for certain shots, Buhay filmed with the
Red
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
EPIC camera;
with the Red EPIC's available-lighting function (including the ability to light an entire set), the film had a
modern noir style without appearing low-budget.
Music
Erwin Romulo, editor-in-chief of the Philippine edition of ''
Esquire'' until 2013, was ''On the Job'' musical director.
At their first meeting, Matti hired Romulo as the
music supervisor; Romulo's role changed, however, since he wanted to produce most of the tracks he had planned for the film. Romulo used lesser-known
original Pilipino music
The music of the Philippines ( fil, Musika ng Pilipinas) includes the musical performance arts in the Philippines and the music of Filipinos composed in various local and international genres and styles. Philippine musical compositions are ofte ...
tracks from otherwise-prominent Filipino musicians, such as "Maskara" and "Pinoy Blues" by the
Juan de la Cruz Band
The Juan de la Cruz Band was a Filipino rock group formed in 1968, that pioneered what became known as Pinoy rock. Founding guitarist Wally Gonzalez credited his fellow founding member, drummer Edmund Fortuno (a.k.a. "Bosyo"), with having intro ...
. He approached
Dong Abay and
Radioactive Sago Project
Radioactive Sago Project is a Filipino jazz rock band formed in 1999 in Quezon City, Philippines. The band's sound is a fusion of spoken-word poetry, bebop jazz, and punk. Subjects in their material range from politics, drugs, alcohol, random mu ...
bassist Francis de Veyra to perform the songs, which were arranged by
Armi Millare. Additional tracks were performed by
Ely Buendia
Ely Eleandre Basiño Buendia (born November 2, 1970), popularly known as Ely Buendia, is a Filipino musician, singer, songwriter, author and film director who gained fame as the guitarist, lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the famed Fil ...
, the late
FrancisM, and local band Bent Lynchpin. Bent Lynchpin member Fred Sandoval was also the film's
music editor
A music sequencer (or audio sequencer or simply sequencer) is a device or application software that can record, edit, or play back music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically CV/Gate, MIDI, or Open Sound Cont ...
.
Romulo cited works by
Lalo Schifrin and director
Ishmael Bernal
Ishmael Bernal (30 September 1938 – 2 June 1996) was a Filipino filmmaker, stage and television director, actor and screenwriter. Noted for his melodramas, particularly with feminist and moral issues, he directed many landmark Filipino films s ...
's longtime composer, Vanishing Tribe, as influences on the soundtrack. He also considered
DJ Shadow
Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ, songwriter and record producer. His debut studio album, '' Endtroducing.....'' was released in 1996.
Biography Early years (1989–1995)
DJ Sh ...
's album ''
Endtroducing.....'' a significant influence, "albeit unconsciously".
Release
Theatrical run and distribution
''On the Job'' had its world premiere in the
Directors' Fortnight
The Directors' Fortnight (french: Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) is an independent selection of the Cannes Film Festival. It was started in 1969 by the French Directors Guild after the events of May 1968 resulted in cancellation of the Cannes festiv ...
section of the
2013 Cannes Film Festival
The 66th Cannes Film Festival took place in Cannes, France, from 15 to 26 May 2013. Steven Spielberg was the head of the jury for the main competition. New Zealand film director Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the Cinéfondation and ...
on May 24.
Although it did not win the
Caméra d'Or
The Caméra d'Or ("''Golden Camera''") is an award of the Cannes Film Festival for the best first feature film presented in one of the Cannes' selections (Official Selection, Directors' Fortnight
The Directors' Fortnight (french: Quinzaine des ...
prize, it received a two-minute standing ovation from the audience.
The film had its Philippine release on August 28, 2013, and grossed at the box office in three weeks.
It was released in North America by Well Go USA Entertainment on September 27, 2013.
Well Go USA had bought the North American rights for the film before its premiere at Cannes, and also acquired its
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
,
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
, and
video on demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of ...
distribution rights.
The agreement was made by Well Go USA president Doris Pfardrescher and
XYZ Films founders Nate Bolotin and Aram Tertzakian.
''On the Job'' played at 29 North American theaters in three weeks, grossing $164,620.
It was released in France by Wild Side Films,
and in Australia by
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatr ...
. The deals with the French and North American distribution companies secured $350,000 ().
The film was also made available on the North American market through
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
by Well Go USA.
Home media
It was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Well Go USA on February 18, 2014. Special features include
making-of
In cinema, behind-the-scenes (BTS), also known as the making-of, the set, or on the set, is a type of documentary film that features the production of a film or television program. This is often referred to as the EPK (electronic press kit) vid ...
footage and
deleted scene
A deleted scene is footage that has been removed from the final version of a film or television show. There are various reasons why these scenes are deleted, which include time constraints, relevance, quality or a dropped story thread. A similar o ...
s. Justin Remer of
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman.
History
Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
praised the Blu-ray's video and audio transfers, generally criticizing its special features.
Kevin Yeoman of ''High-Def Digest'' and Jeffrey Kauffman of ''Blu-ray.com'' rated the release 3.5 out of 5, and agreed about the transfers and special features. ''On the Job'' amassed $167,128 in North American video sales.
Reception
Critical response
''On the Job'' received good reviews from critics.
Several critics praised the cast,
with their performances called "well-acted"
and "top-notch". Mikhail Lecaros praised the lead actors' "parallel depiction of the relationship between fathers and sons" in
GMA News
GMA Integrated News and Public Affairs (formerly known as ''RBS News Department'', ''GMA Radio-Television News'' and ''GMA Rainbow Satellite News''; and commonly GMA (Integrated) News) is the news division of the GMA Network Inc.
The division ...
;
according to Philippine Entertainment Portal's Mari-An Santos, they "provide the heart of the story".
In ''Variety'',
Justin Chang
Justin Choigee Chang (born January 3, 1983) is an American film critic and columnist for the ''Los Angeles Times''. He previously worked for ''Variety''.
Early life
Justin Chang graduated from the University of Southern California in 2004. Chan ...
praised Torre's departure from his usual "good-guy persona with a superbly menacing but very human performance".
Santos said that Pascual "holds his own, but with a consistently excellent ensemble, his acting pales in comparison";
according to Lecaros, he "acquits himself well as a law enforcer whose crises of faith would be right at home in a
Johnnie To (''
Election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
'', ''
Breaking News
Breaking news, interchangeably termed late-breaking news and also known as a special report or special coverage or news flash, is a current issue that broadcasters feel warrants the interruption of scheduled programming or current news in orde ...
'') or
Michael Mann
Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television who is best known for his distinctive style of crime drama. His most acclaimed works include the films ''Thief'' (1981), ...
(''
Collateral
Collateral may refer to:
Business and finance
* Collateral (finance), a borrower's pledge of specific property to a lender, to secure repayment of a loan
* Marketing collateral, in marketing and sales
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Collate ...
'', ''
Miami Vice
''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs, two M ...
'') film."
Although Santos praised the female roles,
''Film Business Asia''
Derek Elley called them "minimal and not especially memorable"; a ''
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' magazine reviewer called them "essentially talking props, which lessens the impact of developments".
Critics praised the film as engaging and well-made, but considered its plot convoluted.
Neil Young, in ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'', found Matti and Yamamoto's script conventional and "many of the dialogue scenes operat
ngon a functionally prosaic level".
Lecaros and Santos praised the script, which Lecaros said "puts traditional notions of right, wrong, family, and loyalty through the wringer—and then some!"
Although the
police procedural subplot was described as "particularly colorful" by
IndieWire
IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...
,
''The A.V. Club''
Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
Ignatiy Igorevich Vishnevetsky (; russian: Игнатий Игоревич Вишневецкий; born September 5, 1986)Vishnevetsky, Ignati''Time Indefinite'': "A Talk with Sergei Loznitsa"
'' Mubi'' is a Russian-American film critic, essayi ...
called it dull and "occasionally heavy-handed".
Young said that Matti's "muscular handling of fast-paced action sequences consistently impresses",
and ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' Jeannette Catsoulis wrote that his "pitiless view of Filipino society may be deadening, but his filming is wondrously alive".
Catsoulis made ''On the Job'' her "critic's pick",
and
Rappler Carljoe Javier said it "serves as a shot of adrenaline, not only to the hearts of
ilipinoviewers, but hopefully also to mainstream
hilippinecinema".
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
gives the film a score of 94%, with an average rating of 6.63 out of 10, based on 16 reviews from critics. On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
it received "Generally favorable reviews", with an overall weighted average of 70 out of 100, based on 11 critics. In the Philippines, members of the
Cinema Evaluation Board
The Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB) is a body of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, tasked with grading Filipino films by quality. It is represented in the Philippine Film Export Services Office.
The CEB was established in 2003, succ ...
gave the film an "A" grade.
Accolades
In addition to being featured at the Cannes Film Festival, ''On the Job'' was screened at the 17th
Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival
The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (), or BiFan, is an international film festival held annually in July in Bucheon, South Korea. Prior to 2015, it was known as the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival or PiFan. Inaugurate ...
in
Bucheon,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
.
Joel Torre won the Best Actor award, and the film received the Jury Prize.
At the
62nd FAMAS Awards
The 62nd Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards Night was held at the Solaire Resort and Casino in Parañaque on July 13, 2014. KC Concepcion won Best Actress and ER Ejercito won Best Actor. Erik Matti won Best Director for his film ...
, the film won six of its twelve nominations:
Best Picture
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
,
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to:
Film awards
* AACTA Award for Best Direction
* Academy Award for Best Director
* BA ...
(Matti), Best Screenplay (Matti and Michiko Yamamoto), Best Editing (Jay Halili), Best Story (Matti), and Best Sound (Corinne de San Jose).
Piolo Pascual
Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual (, born January 12, 1977) is a Filipino film and television actor, singer, model, and producer.
Early life
Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual was born on January 12, 1977, in Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center located in Malat ...
also received the
Fernando Poe Jr. Memorial Award for Excellence
Fernando Poe Jr. Memorial Award for Excellence is an annual award made by the Metro Manila Film Festival in honor of actor Fernando Poe Jr. Star Cinema's '' One More Try'' was the first recipient, in 2012. for his performance. The film received eight nominations at the
37th Gawad Urian Awards
The 37th Gawad Urian Awards or ''Ika-37 na Gawad Urian'' were held on June 17, 2014, at the Dolphy Theater in Quezon City. They honored the best Filipino films for the year 2013.
Nominations were announced on April 29, 2014, at a press conferenc ...
, winning two:
Best Actor (Torre) and Best Sound (de San Jose).
Sequel, miniseries and planned remake
''On the Job: The Missing 8''
''On The Jobs sequel ''On the Job: The Missing 8'' was screened in competition at the
78th Venice International Film Festival
The 78th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 1 to 11 September 2021. South Korean director Bong Joon-ho was appointed as the President of the Jury, marking the first time a South Korean director has been picked as the festiv ...
on September 10, 2021.
Miniseries
''On the Job'' is a six-part Philippine
miniseries created and developed by
Erik Matti
Erik Matti (born December 21, 1970) is a Filipino filmmaker. He is known for directing '' On the Job'' (2013), ''Honor Thy Father'' (2015), '' Seklusyon'' (2016), '' BuyBust'' (2018), and '' On the Job: The Missing 8'' (2021).
Matti co-found ...
for
HBO Asia Originals. It was adapted from the two ''On the Job'' films: the 2013 film and its sequel ''The Missing 8'', both of which are directed by Matti. The first two episodes of the miniseries are a
re-edited and remastered version of the first film.
Planned remake
An American version of the film was confirmed in June 2013, which would be directed by Icelandic filmmaker
Baltasar Kormákur
Baltasar Kormákur Baltasarsson (born 27 February 1966) is an Icelandic actor, theater and film director, and film producer. He is best known for directing the films '' 101 ReykjavÃk'', '' The Sea'', '' A Little Trip to Heaven'', '' Contraband ...
and produced by Kormákur's
Blueeyes Productions
Blueeyes Productions was an Icelandic film production company. The company was founded in 1999 by director Baltasar Kormákur and his wife Lilja Pálmadóttir. After producing 12 films, RVK Studios has superseded the company and movies like Ev ...
.
XYZ Films, the production and sales company holding the international rights, will co-produce the film and release it worldwide.
Footnotes
References
External links
*
*
Well Go USA: On the Job (US Distribution)
{{Erik Matti
2013 films
Films about contract killing
Films about corruption
Films about families
Films set in Manila
Neo-noir
Philippine action thriller films
Philippine crime thriller films
Philippine New Wave
2010s police procedural films
Reality Entertainment films
Star Cinema films
2010s Tagalog-language films
Films directed by Erik Matti