--- title: "Metro Manila: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/metro-manila/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/metro-manila" critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 14 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): what the critics said Critics' score 70 from 14 reviews: 8 positive, 5 mixed, 1 negative. ## IndieWire — Nikola Grozdanovic Rating A-. 19 August 2014. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-enticing-and-memorable-sundance-winner-metro-manila-273374/) ## Empire — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2013. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/metro-manila-review/) ## The Guardian — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 January 2013. Festival review. Wise finds the film poetic, honest and compellingly unpredictable. He praises its searingly realistic view of Manila and neatly scripted crime-story twists. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jan/25/metro-manila-review) ## Total Film — Matt Glasby Rating 4/5. 15 September 2013. 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 the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/metro-manila-review/) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 January 2015. 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 the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/metro-manila-film-review-8828770.html) ## Screen Daily — Mark Adams Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 2 February 2013. Festival review. The paywall prevents access to the critic’s verdict. It also obscures what the review singles out for praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/metro-manila/5051411.article) ## The AV Club — Ignatiy Vishnevetsky Rating C+. 22 August 2014. 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 the review](https://www.avclub.com/metro-manila-is-a-nolanesque-take-on-life-and-death-in-1798181181) ## Radio Times — Brian Pendreigh Rating 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-6lngzb/metro-manila/) ## Time Out — Trevor Johnston Rating 3/5. 16 September 2013. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/metro-manila) ## Variety — Alissa Simon Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 27 January 2013. Festival review. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/metro-manila-1117949107/) ## Slant Magazine — Kenji Fujishima Rating 1.5/4. 18 August 2014. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/metro-manila/) ## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape Rating 5/5. 27 April 2013. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/metro-manila-review/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2013. 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 the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/metro-manila-2013-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 19 August 2014. 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 the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-enticing-and-memorable-sundance-winner-metro-manila-20140819/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/metro-manila.md