Inclubabu Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

YouHeart I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

asassinlxl I need it for school, my teacher wants me to have a copy of this so we can watch it during our class.

Desertman84 José Rizal is a Filipino film biopic that depicts the life of the José Rizal,the national hero of the Philippines.It is touted as one of the biggest films ever made in the history of Philippine cinema with a record-breaking P80-million budget(close to $1.7 million) despite the fact that historical films in the Philippines are often notorious flops during that time. The movie features Cesar Montano on the title role as Jose Rizal,together with Joel Torre,Jaime Fabregas,Gloria Diaz,Gardo Versoza,Pen Medina and Mickey Ferriols.The movie was directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya.The film was told in flashbacks of Jose Rizal's life as he awaits execution in a Manila prison.Accused of treason,Rizal meets with his government-appointed counsel, Luis Taviel de Andrade.The two build the case and arguments for the defense as significant events in the central figure's life prior to his incarceration unfold. Upon hearing his life story, Taviel begins to realize that the accused is not only innocent but exhibits in fact all the qualities of an ordinary man. When the mock trial unreels, Taviel is all set to act as the prime advocate for his client as Rizal himself is about to give an earth-moving speech to defend his honor and address his countrymen.Meanwhile, the Spanish authorities have worked out the vast political machinery to ensure a guilty verdict. A revolution awaits in the wings. Blood is shed when the Katipunan, founded by Andres Bonifacio, attacks the Spaniards and Father Rodriguez who order the execution of Jose Rizal.Apart from that,parts of Rizal's novels,Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, were told in parallel with his life story.Jose Rizal is definitely a landmark in Philippine cinema.The movie is great in visuals and production design.The cinematography was superb.The acting was brilliant especially from Cesar Montano,who captured the personality of not only Jose Rizal himself but a person who is totally dedicated to providing freedom and great things for his country.Aside from that,the movie also made it a point be historically accurate with the events surrounding that have both happened in Rizal's life and the history of the Philippines as well.It also made it a point to completely capture Rizal's execution taken on December 30,1896 with the presence of the dog based on the photograph taken that day.Aside from that,the direction of Diaz-Abaya was excellent as she made it an effort not only to tell the story of the most famous Filipino freedom fighter but also to make this movie the greatest Filipino film ever made.

Kennethmeanshandsome Established Filipino director Marilou Diaz-Abaya apparently saw lots of promise in Cesar Montano and cast him as her José Rizal; I can think of better actors but otherwise her film is a visually dazzling, well-mounted biography of a Filipino hero. Cesar Montano enthusiastically bites into the quintessential role of José Rizal, with impressive Spanish lines and good affectations. He made Filipino viewers forget his beginnings as a vapid bold actor. 1969 Miss Universe Gloria Diaz is luminous as José Rizal's mom (winning a Best Supporting Actress MMFF award, her first in 29 years), yet her scenes are actually too brief to be considered memorable. Pen Medina, Subas Herrero, Ronnie Lazaro and (MMFF Supporting Actor winner) Jaime Fabregas lend okay support. Gardo Versoza, Tony Mabesa and Joel Torre (usually reliable thespians) are lacklustre here; Versoza's "Andres Bonifacio" is ludicrous. Chin Chin Gutierrez (as the complex character "Josephine Bracken"), acclaimed Broadway actress Monique Wilson (as fictional "Maria Clara") and starlet Mickey Ferriols are totally wasted here. We don't learn anything at all about Bracken, the love interest of Rizal. The effectively moody music of Nonong Buencamino won an award, and I also liked the lavish sets and costumes, starkly beautiful cinematography by Rody Lacap and the stunning visual effects by Mark Ambat. The Ricardo Lee-Jun Lana-Peter Ong Lim script is muddled and lacks a strong dramatic structure (conversations seeming to lead somewhere interesting are left suspended, and questions posed by the characters are never addressed at all) and the novelty of having the real-life José Rizal interact with the lead character of his novel is more confusing than engrossing. The script displays blatant biases, fallacies (a matter of opinion) and a ludicrous "deus ex machina;" it weighs down to actor Montano to carry the film with his insightful delineation of a favorite, if little-understood national hero. Marilou Diaz-Abaya has proven that women directors can come up with substantial gems in filmdom.

songfta Jose Rizal is a lush, vivid, graphic portrait of the achievements of the National Hero of the Philippines. The direction and cinematography are first-rate, as is the acting. The picture strays from many "Hollywood" constructs in laying out the final days of Rizal, although flashbacks play a major role in depicting the development of Rizal's revolutionary pro-independence philisophy. I recommend this film for anybody interested in world history and anybody who wants to see a top-notch non-Hollywood production. I would *not*, however, recommend this film for anybody under the age of 16, as the subject matter is very disturbing and can be confusing to those lacking the maturity to process intense psychological drama.