---
title: "Metro Manila"
year: 2013
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/metro-manila"
fi1m_id: "metro-manila"
imdb_id: "tt1845838"
tmdb_id: 158091
wikidata_id: "Q14640617"
fi1m_score: 74
critics_score: 70
critics_reviews: 14
published: "2026-10-01T22:37:01.006158+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-01T22:37:13.888725+00:00"
region: "NZ"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Metro Manila (2013)

Directed by Sean Ellis · 2h 00m · Crime, Thriller, Drama, Action

## Identity

Metro Manila

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/metro-manila
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** metro-manila
- **IMDb ID:** tt1845838
- **TMDB ID:** 158091
- **Wikidata ID:** Q14640617
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1845838/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/158091, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14640617

**Fi1m score: 74** · Critics 70 from 14 reviews

*In a sentence:* An armoured truck turns out to be a complicated place to earn an honest living

> Sean Ellis makes the struggle to support a family matter enough to sustain a sometimes overworked crime thriller. Jake Macapagal and John Arcilla give it the human weight that its busier plotting risks losing.

## Synopsis

Ramirez (Jake Macapagal) wants a dependable living for his family in Manila. Alongside Mai Ramirez (Althea Vega), he faces a city where getting by takes priority over any longer plan. A job transporting money in an armoured truck offers a chance of stability and puts Ramirez alongside Douglas Ong (John Arcilla). At home, the family’s needs continue; at work, Ramirez has to learn how to deal with his new partner. The promise of a regular wage draws him into a business where trust matters, and where the cash he handles belongs to somebody else.

## Review

*Metro Manila* is a good crime thriller whose concern for a family’s survival makes its dangers matter. Sean Ellis gives Ramirez’s need to provide enough attention that a new job can carry real dramatic weight. The film is less sure-footed when the crime plot gets busier, occasionally pressing too hard for both suspense and sympathy. Even then, the people remain worth following, which is a considerable advantage in a story about money.

Jake Macapagal gives Ramirez an openness that could easily have become mere helplessness. He makes the character’s wish to support his family convincing without asking us to admire him simply for wanting it. Althea Vega, as Mai Ramirez, helps keep the family scenes from becoming an introduction we sit through while waiting for the crime. The film is particularly persuasive when their immediate needs are allowed to set the pace, without another complication being introduced to hurry things along.

John Arcilla gives Douglas Ong enough force to make Ramirez’s new working relationship the film’s most absorbing element. Their exchanges in the armoured-truck story bring a welcome uncertainty after some comparatively familiar scenes of family hardship. We felt tense watching Ramirez with his new partner, because his need for the job makes every exchange feel consequential. The performance holds our attention without requiring another piece of information to keep us interested, and the film benefits whenever it allows these encounters time.

Sean Ellis also handles the cinematography, and the detailed views of Manila do useful work beyond establishing a location. The scenes of everyday city life keep the family’s struggle connected to surroundings that do not exist solely to illustrate their difficulties. Ian Traifalgar’s production design contributes to that sense of a working, inhabited city, making the places where people live and work convincing. Occasionally the images seem too pleased with their own finish, but there is usually enough human activity to keep our attention on the people.

Richard Mettler’s editing is more effective once Ramirez and his partner begin to carry the suspense. The earlier family drama takes longer than it needs to establish how precarious their circumstances are, and at 120 minutes the film has room for some repetition. Robin Foster’s music adds pressure, although the performances have already supplied much of the anxiety. A little less insistence would have helped the passages that ask us to feel the family’s hardship most keenly.

The screenplay by Sean Ellis and Frank E. Flowers sometimes makes poverty too convenient a route into crime. Several of the family difficulties feel familiar before the film has found anything particular to say about them, and the later plotting asks for more indulgence than the quieter scenes do. We will not describe its turns. These reservations matter because the performances have encouraged us to expect behaviour we can believe, even when the circumstances become extreme.

The film could have spent longer observing its people without moving them towards the next danger. Still, its attention to the reasons Ramirez cannot simply walk away from his work gives the thriller a substantial advantage: the prospect of losing a livelihood already carries a threat. That concern survives the more strained plotting and keeps the action from feeling disposable. Give it an evening if a crime story needs people worth worrying about to hold your attention.

*Fi1m score 74, published 1 October 2026.*

## Straight answers

**Is Metro Manila worth watching?**

*Metro Manila* is worth watching if we want a crime thriller with people worth worrying about, and we score it 74 out of 100. Jake Macapagal and John Arcilla make the working relationship tense and absorbing, though the family hardship becomes repetitive and the busier plotting sometimes strains belief.

**How long is Metro Manila, and what is it rated?**

*Metro Manila* runs 2h 00m. It is a crime and thriller film.

**Where can I watch Metro Manila in New Zealand?**

*Metro Manila* is available to rent from Apple TV from NZ$5.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Metro Manila, and is it suitable for children?**

*Metro Manila* has a UK 15 certificate, making it unsuitable for children under 15; the suspense centres on a precarious livelihood and an uncertain working relationship. We find those pressures tense, but cannot give a precise account of violence or gore from the material described, so the certificate is the clearest guide for families and squeamish viewers.

**How does Metro Manila compare to Bicycle Thieves?**

*Metro Manila* shares [*Bicycle Thieves*](https://film.one/film/bicycle-thieves)’ concern for a family dependent on precarious work, but builds a crime thriller around it rather than a drama centred on a stolen bicycle. We recommend *Bicycle Thieves* more warmly for its moving father-son performances; *Metro Manila* suits an evening that calls for suspense, provided we can forgive some strained plotting.

**What should I watch after Metro Manila?**

After *Metro Manila*, try [*Bicycle Thieves*](https://film.one/film/bicycle-thieves) (1948, Fi1m 93): Another precarious livelihood, with a family depending on work that offers no protection. Then [*A Simple Plan*](https://film.one/film/a-simple-plan) (1998, Fi1m 86): Ordinary needs make criminal temptation persuasive, then leave trust in short supply; and [*The Wages of Fear*](https://film.one/film/the-wages-of-fear) (1953, Fi1m 90): Dangerous transport work turns economic desperation into suspense that needs little explanation.

### Reviews we read (14)

- **IndieWire**, Nikola Grozdanovic (A-): The critic praises the film as an expertly handled, engrossing story of family survival, with a particularly impressive ending. They single out the vivid capture of Metro Manila and John Arcila’s performance as standout strengths. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-enticing-and-memorable-sundance-winner-metro-manila-273374/)
- **Empire**, Damon Wise (85/100, inferred): Wise recommends the film as socially aware world cinema with gripping crime-thriller elements. He praises Sean Ellis’s balancing of its disparate elements and the heist’s satisfying, unpredictable twist. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/metro-manila-review/)
- **The Guardian**, Damon Wise (80/100, inferred): Wise finds the film poetic, honest and compellingly unpredictable. He praises its searingly realistic view of Manila and neatly scripted crime-story twists. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jan/25/metro-manila-review)
- **Total Film**, Matt Glasby (4/5): The critic calls it an excellent, compassionate thriller and moving morality tale. They praise how the richly detailed character development makes the eventual thriller payoff especially affecting. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/metro-manila-review/)
- **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan (70/100, inferred): O'Sullivan finds the film touching and persuasive overall, despite an ending that does not ring true. She especially praises the detailed city-life scenes and the lead performances. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/metro-manila-film-review-8828770.html)
- **Screen Daily**, Mark Adams (64/100, inferred): The paywall prevents access to the critic’s verdict. It also obscures what the review singles out for praise or complaint. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/metro-manila/5051411.article)
- **The AV Club**, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky (C+): Vishnevetsky finds the film derivative and uneven, with its first two-thirds bogged down by conventional drama. He praises the interactions between Oscar and his new armored-truck partner, which effectively set up the twisty final third. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/metro-manila-is-a-nolanesque-take-on-life-and-death-in-1798181181)
- **Radio Times**, Brian Pendreigh (3/5): Pendreigh describes a crime drama that shifts from social realism into a more violent thriller. He singles out the turn toward secret cash and lethal gunplay as a striking change in direction. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-6lngzb/metro-manila/)
- **Time Out**, Trevor Johnston (3/5): Johnston gives the film three out of five stars, indicating a mixed assessment. The available page text does not reveal what he singles out for praise or criticism. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/metro-manila)
- **Variety**, Alissa Simon (45/100, inferred): The critic finds the film overlong and prone to cliché, though its blend of soap-opera melodrama and action caper offers some freshness. She praises its formal craftsmanship and visually exciting robbery scenes, while faulting its showiness and sentimentality. [Read](https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/metro-manila-1117949107/)
- **Slant Magazine**, Kenji Fujishima (1.5/4): Fujishima argues that the film relies on familiar immigrant-story clichés and lacks the curiosity of its Filipino setting. He gives some credit to its visual storytelling and emotionally weighty moral conflicts, but criticizes its predictable turns and last-minute twists. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/metro-manila/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Stefan Pape (5/5): Pape gives the film an enthusiastic verdict, praising its emotionally absorbing story of a family facing hardship. He especially singles out Jake Macapagal’s endearing performance as Oscar. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/metro-manila-review/)
- **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (90/100, inferred): Wilkinson gives the film a strongly positive verdict, calling it Ellis’s strongest work to date. She praises its gripping narrative, poetic imagery and tight scripting, especially how the thriller elements build toward a carefully crafted conclusion. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/metro-manila-2013-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson)
- **The Playlist** (75/100, inferred): The headline indicates a positive verdict, describing the film as enticing and memorable. The page content is blocked, so no further praise or criticism can be verified. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/review-enticing-and-memorable-sundance-winner-metro-manila-20140819/)

## Details

- **Director:** Sean Ellis
- **Director:** Sean Ellis
- **Screenplay:** Frank E. Flowers, Sean Ellis
- **Story:** Sean Ellis
- **Cinematography:** Sean Ellis
- **Editor:** Richard Mettler
- **Music:** Robin Foster
- **Production design:** Ian Traifalgar
- **Producer:** Mathilde Charpentier, Sean Ellis
- **Cast:** Jake Macapagal as Oscar Ramirez; Althea Vega as Mai Ramirez; John Arcilla as Douglas Ong; Ana Abad Santos as Dora Ong; Mailes Kanapi as Charlie; Moises Magisa as Buddha; Erin Panlilio as Angel Ramirez; J. M. Rodriguez as Alfred Santos
- **Runtime:** 2h 00m
- **First release (the US):** 20 January 2013
- **Genres:** Crime, Thriller, Drama, Action

## Where to watch in New Zealand

- Apple TV: rent NZ$5.99, hd
- Apple TV: buy NZ$8.99, sd

*Checked 2026-10-01.*

Also available in: AU, DK, FI, GB, IE, NO, NZ, SE. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- International Submission to the Academy Awards 2014: International Submission to the Academy Awards (nominated)
- Sundance Film Festival - Audience Award – Best Foreign Feature Film 2013: Sundance Film Festival - Audience Award – Best Foreign Feature Film (won)

## If you liked this

- *Bicycle Thieves* (1948), Fi1m 93: Another precarious livelihood, with a family depending on work that offers no protection. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/bicycle-thieves.md)
- *Ilo Ilo* (2013): A household under financial strain, observed with patience and without easy villains.
- *A Simple Plan* (1998), Fi1m 86: Ordinary needs make criminal temptation persuasive, then leave trust in short supply. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-simple-plan.md)
- *On the Job* (2013): Another Filipino crime thriller that makes corruption inseparable from earning a living.
- *The Wages of Fear* (1953), Fi1m 90: Dangerous transport work turns economic desperation into suspense that needs little explanation. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-wages-of-fear.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/metro-manila