Movie Review: The Witness

When I heard that my good friend Gwen Zamora was cast in the lead role of an international movie called "The Witness", it immediately became the topic of conversation everywhere I went.

You can't really blame me. I'm not really into the "local scene", as I call it. Heck, I don't even have cable television, so I've only actually seen Gwen once on Party Pilipinas, once on Bubble Gang and once on the big screen for "Si Agimat at Si Enteng Kabisote". And let's face it: a tagalog movie without subtitles + me = a little lost.

via Showbiz Portal

So, when I found out that she would be in an Indonesian movie that was mostly in English and had subtitles, I just could not wait for it to come out.

Well, at Resorts World on Monday night, the 19th of March, 2012, I was finally able to watch the premiere of "The Witness" along with my friend JC Ramos and a slew of other people who came to support the actors and moviemakers on their big night.

via Starmometer

"The Witness" starts off with just the right amount of intensity and it grips you right from the very first scene. It makes you question what is going on. It makes you wonder what the movie is going to be about. It makes you want to find out more about it. And all this is thanks to the brilliant director of the movie, Muhammad Yusuf.

After that first scene, the intense killing scenes begin, followed by an even more intense chase scene. And then things die down.

The next half an hour after that are filled with more - for lack of a better word - mindfuck scenes (and I mean that in the best way possible - think Christian Bale movies like "The Machinist" and "American Psycho"!) before things pick up again and the twist begins to unfold.

Most people will probably not be able to guess the twist, to be honest, but with JC and I being such awesome movie addicts, we pieced things together before the end. :) Woot!

via Pinoy Movie Blogger

I have one thing to say: Indonesians definitely know how to make movies. Everybody in the movie house was seriously screaming and sitting at the edge of their seats during the most intense scenes. I really hope that the Philippines collaborates with them more - especially for movies like this. Pang-Hollywood talaga ang dating!

Naturally, it has to be said that Gwen was simply amazing in this movie, as well - and I am not just saying that because she's my friend and I love her, either. Don't believe me? Then just check out the trailer, which is sure to leave you emotionally drained in itself:



What do you think? Intense, huh? I promise you: this movie is nothing like you have ever seen in Pinoy cinema before. You need to watch it.

"The Witness" starts showing in cinemas nationwide today, the 21st of March, 2012, so make sure you head for the nearest cinema to watch it! :)

For now, you can like The Witness on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.