There are few filmmakers who could lift the idea of a sequence from “The Godfather” — hit men targeting a hospital patient — and make it exciting. Filipino director Erik Matti does just that in “On the Job.” Along with the opening, another hit in a crowded market area, the hospital scene is a high point.
The hit men are inmates in a brutal Manila prison. A corrupt bigwig has found an ingenious way to bump off his enemies: The prisoners do their killing on furlough, then return, with perfect alibis. (It’s based on a real-life scandal.)
Matti uses this setup to show the rot in Philippine society, and it’s often compelling stuff — filmed mostly on dirty streets and in moldy, ramshackle buildings.
The film is stocked with familiar, even if well-played, types: the weary old guy looking to get out of the criminal life (Joel Torre), his young hothead partner (Gerald Anderson), the handsome young cop from a good family (Piolo Pascual). They’re weighed down by the sociological points they’re being used to make. The firefights and chase scenes, no matter how much they adhere to genre, seem more real than the people trapped in the corruption.