Boy Apache (Regal Films, Inc.) showcases a very exciting performance by actor Bembol Roco. His characterization of Boy, the cunning street fighter and motorcycle daredevil is memorable for its raw power. He is competent in scenes that call for bone-breaking fist fights as well as scenes that require toned-down emotions. Underneath a cool exterior, the sheer energy expelled by Roco in the film's fight scenes takes the notion of acting with sincere cruelty to a new ecstatic high. In Boy Apache, he becomes the symbol of social rage. He's an angry young man fighting for survival in a community where power bestows the privilege of abuse on a select few. In Boy's chaotic world, the police are no longer friends but foes. He is introduced as a diligent young man with simple pleasures. Except for his uncle Gardo (Dindo Fernando) who helped raise him, Boy's world revolves pretty much around his environment in the slums. When Mike (Freddie Quizon) and his gang of bikers rape and murder his two young sisters, Boy suddenly finds himself avenging their death. He eventually destroys his opponents by fist and gun.
Director Boy Soquerata and writer Franklin Cabaluna have created a fresh character who has neither the wealth nor the influence to assert social control but who has the ability to define his terms against those who wish to trample his domain. Boy Apache is difficult not to like. It has some of the most haunting images in recent movie memory. One of the film's most striking compositions shows Boy as he discovers his murdered sisters in an abandoned garage. As he grapples in the dark, we also see a brightly lit lamp post in a distance. This particular image is one of the film's more interesting allusions to the idea of the city as an agent of seduction and death. The city lures people on the promise of financial gain only to leave them in poverty and despair. The use of such expressive images is the key to the film's effectivity. Boy Soquerata's direction is outstanding. His clever use of environment, particularly the slums and streets of Manila which he turns into a visual maze is highly effective in creating feelings of fear and suspense. For sheer visual excitement, Boy Apache is hard to match. To pass judgement on the film on the sheer aspect of its violence is unfortunate. Considering its unique qualities and taking its story and direction as a whole, the film merits serious consideration even from the most discriminate Tagalog moviegoer.
Directed By: Boy Soquerata
Screenplay: Franklin R. Cabaluna
Cinematography: Ricardo Jacinto
Music: Tito Sotto
Film Editor: Ike Jarlego
Production Design: Fiel Zabat
Produced By: Regal Films, Inc.
Release Date: November 24, 1978
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