Willy Milan's 1985 movie "Alyas Junior Buang" had a few intriguing ideas but eventually ends up as an average and forgettable action flick. The film actually had potential based on its first act but because of its mediocre script, it failed to build any momentum.
The first problem with the movie is its misunderstanding of the concept of post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. The script interprets PTSD as a form of insanity when it is not. PTSD is a psychological condition brought about by exposure to a severely stressful environment; it is not pathological madness like schizophrenia but something else entirely. The second problem is the erroneous depiction and portrayal of the Vietnamese communist forces during the Vietnam war; the Vietcong in the film are portrayed as villainous caricatures, far from what these revolutionaries actually are in history. In the film, they are shown attacking a school filled with children or torturing captives; this is obviously rightwing propaganda associated with hollywood (which has long been a bastion of the CIA and other agencies meddling in the affairs of sovereign nations).
Even without the pro american slant, Milan's movie fails to stand on its own as an action oriented vehicle. Granted, the first few sequences showed promise but the narrative ultimately fizzled out and lost steam, degenerating into a poor imitation of Manuel Cinco's Batuigas: Pasukuin Si Waway and the Sylvester Stallone starrer, First Blood. Like in Cinco's film, the protagonist is tortured by cops and he also ends up later as a copkiller. Similar to the Stallone actioner, he is haunted by flashbacks of being subjected to torture by vicious communist foot soldiers resembling Raiden from Mortal Kombat.
The lead character in the film is played by late action star, Anthony Alonzo who turned out a workmanlike performance as a psychologically disturbed soldier. At the very least, Alonzo is an excellent casting choice; his pleasant unassuming demeanor is a perfect fit for the character's John Ramboesque persona. Though he was already in several Milan directed flicks before such as the campfest W Is War so it isn't surprising that he bagged the lead role.
Simply put, the film isn't Milan's finest work but hints of his later genius manage to worm their way into a few of the sequences. But getting back to an earlier issue with the film which is the cartoonish portrayal of the Vietcong, he would of course depict communist rebels in a more sympathetic light in his latter movies but ultimately, the director has a tenous grasp of marxism and its core fundamental concepts. This ignorance of basic leftism would be most glaring in Chuck Perez's debut solo film (Ang Pumatay Ng Dahil Sa 'Yo) where he erroneously thought of the revolutionary armed struggle as merely a misguided type of nationalism, ignoring the main roots and causes of social inequality.
To conclude, "Alyas Junior Buang" is a wasted opportunity in presenting a fascinating premise. It could've been much more interesting if the lead character was an actual psychotic or a schizophrenic serial killer instead of what the movie's predictable and mediocre plot had to offer.
The first problem with the movie is its misunderstanding of the concept of post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. The script interprets PTSD as a form of insanity when it is not. PTSD is a psychological condition brought about by exposure to a severely stressful environment; it is not pathological madness like schizophrenia but something else entirely. The second problem is the erroneous depiction and portrayal of the Vietnamese communist forces during the Vietnam war; the Vietcong in the film are portrayed as villainous caricatures, far from what these revolutionaries actually are in history. In the film, they are shown attacking a school filled with children or torturing captives; this is obviously rightwing propaganda associated with hollywood (which has long been a bastion of the CIA and other agencies meddling in the affairs of sovereign nations).
Even without the pro american slant, Milan's movie fails to stand on its own as an action oriented vehicle. Granted, the first few sequences showed promise but the narrative ultimately fizzled out and lost steam, degenerating into a poor imitation of Manuel Cinco's Batuigas: Pasukuin Si Waway and the Sylvester Stallone starrer, First Blood. Like in Cinco's film, the protagonist is tortured by cops and he also ends up later as a copkiller. Similar to the Stallone actioner, he is haunted by flashbacks of being subjected to torture by vicious communist foot soldiers resembling Raiden from Mortal Kombat.
The lead character in the film is played by late action star, Anthony Alonzo who turned out a workmanlike performance as a psychologically disturbed soldier. At the very least, Alonzo is an excellent casting choice; his pleasant unassuming demeanor is a perfect fit for the character's John Ramboesque persona. Though he was already in several Milan directed flicks before such as the campfest W Is War so it isn't surprising that he bagged the lead role.
Simply put, the film isn't Milan's finest work but hints of his later genius manage to worm their way into a few of the sequences. But getting back to an earlier issue with the film which is the cartoonish portrayal of the Vietcong, he would of course depict communist rebels in a more sympathetic light in his latter movies but ultimately, the director has a tenous grasp of marxism and its core fundamental concepts. This ignorance of basic leftism would be most glaring in Chuck Perez's debut solo film (Ang Pumatay Ng Dahil Sa 'Yo) where he erroneously thought of the revolutionary armed struggle as merely a misguided type of nationalism, ignoring the main roots and causes of social inequality.
To conclude, "Alyas Junior Buang" is a wasted opportunity in presenting a fascinating premise. It could've been much more interesting if the lead character was an actual psychotic or a schizophrenic serial killer instead of what the movie's predictable and mediocre plot had to offer.
