Film Review: Amigo

Amigo is the seventeenth film by writer/director John Sayles, arguably the king in the world of independent cinema. In the film, head man of his village, Raphael (Joel Torre), has a responsibility to protect his citizens. His brother, Simon (Ronnie Lazaro), is one of the major leaders of a group of guerilla revolutionaries attempting to take the Philippines back from the Americans, their newest masters. Due to his family connections and personal political beliefs, Raphael favors his brother’s cause and aids the revolutionaries whenever he can. However, when the Americans come to occupy his little village, he is forced to choose between aiding the Americans for the safety and welfare of his people or standing up for his brother and his own beliefs by betraying them. Raphael is torn in two, an unfortunate victim of the Philippine-American War.

Other than Academy Award-winning actor Chris Cooper (American Beauty, October Sky, Syriana), who plays the role of a ruthless American colonel, the actors are largely unknowns. Their lack of renown takes nothing away from their excellent performances. Joel Torre’s performance as Raphael evokes an emotional response from the audience, who sympathizes with the poor man’s struggles. Also very striking are the juxtapositions between the different types of American characters. Chris Cooper’s character, Colonel Hardacre, is coldhearted and views the Filipinos as subhuman enemies not to be fraternized with. By comparison, the lieutenants and privates that occupy Raphael’s village, played by Garret Dillahunt, Lucas Neff, Dane DeHaan, Bill Tangradi, and Stephen Taylor, spend each and every day with the natives and have created a kind of camaraderie with them. We feel an emotional resonance with these men who, although they are forced to cause harm from their orders, seem to be generally benevolent, lending an element of humanity to these characters. Perhaps an even more despicable a character than Cooper’s Colonel Hardacre is Yul Vazquez as the Spanish friar Padre Hidalgo. All in all, the acting in Amigo is outstanding.

Amigo’s relevance in our world is incontrovertible. There are countless films detailing the events of just about every other American war that’s occurred, with specific emphasis on those that we’ve won. There are innumerable films about the Civil War, Vietnam War, or Revolutionary War, for example. Why, then, are there so few films about the Philippine-American War? From what I heard from those in the theater while I was viewing the film, many people did not even know that it had happened. Sayles weaves his beautiful story and his obviously extensive research into a film that tells the story of this silent war from a very interesting perspective, the perspective of the civilians of a small, remote village. It does not patronize either side of the war effort, but shows the war for what it was to the civilians that were forced to live in its path.

Although Amigo is a very small independent production, that won’t open widely, I highly recommend it seeing it. If it does not come to any theaters around you, please seek it out when it is released on DVD, iTunes, or Netflix. It is a very interesting, heartbreaking tale that is not only very informative but also exceptionally entertaining.