“Ako si Kray. Babae. Palaban. Matatag ang kalooban. Gagawin ang lahat para sa buhay ng ibang tao (I’m Kray. A woman. A fighter. Strong-willed. I’ll do anything for the lives of others).”

This is how we meet Kray (Erich Gonzales), the stuntwoman heroine of director Richard Somes’ We Will Not Die Tonight. Kray’s 80s-style flips and jumps aren’t doing her any favors with directors who want fresh moves. Desperate for money to support her ailing father, she and her old band of friends unwillingly take up a job offer from her ex-boyfriend Ramil (Alex Medina). Things take a turn for the worse when the group discovers that their new boss, Bangkil (Paolo Paraiso), is the head of an illegal organ-harvesting business that preys on street children. Kray, her gang, and one of the abducted kids named Isabel, are forced to escape from Bangkil and his goons in one long, wild, and bloody night.

Somes’ We Will Not Die Tonight is an action film that has the all-out slasher goodness of Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof (2007) and the escape room thrill of Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room (2015). Fair warning: don’t expect any clean-cut or perfectly choreographed fight scenes. Instead, prepare for numerous running scenes as Kray and her friends try to hide and outsmart the bad guys. These scenes may be carried out for far too long, but what convinces audiences to stay is the raw fighting that makes this gory affair a real showstopper.

Another factor that contributes to the film’s success are its technical aspects. The low light hues, grainy resolution, and splashes of neon escalate the harrowing violence throughout the movie. The sound editing is precise; it’s easy to hear how crisp the clangs, stabs, and jabs were. Somes’ work combines flavors from high and low-end action pictures to deliver a film that is a good balance both.

Gonzales is the heart and soul of the movie, and it’s refreshing to see her in a new role that is wholly different from her teleserye and romcom characters such as leading lady Pinang in Be My Lady (2016) and Laura in Siargao (2017). With this film, she proves her flexibility as an actress who can take on different and challenging roles. Gonzales is able to effectively show the complexities of Kray’s calculating demeanor and nails her fight scenes—whether aided with a machete or in hand-to-hand combat—without missing a beat.

There have been many, many Filipino action films. Some are tacky like the superhero flick Gagamboy (2004) with its wacky stunts and bad special effects, while others are incredibly nuanced like Erik Matti’s gritty take on politics in On the Job (2013).  It’s safe to say that We Will Not Die Tonight is an impressive entry to its genre that will leave enthusiasts craving for more thrills. It’s a movie fueled by pure action and it kicks you right in the gut for it.

Photo retrieved from the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino Facebook page.