The Ravagers

The Philippines was seemingly chock-a-block with low-rent WW2 flicks in the early 1960s until a public appetite for more exploitative fare opened the eyes of its producers to the lure of horror and adventure flicks. THE RAVAGERS is handled, as are most, by genre maestro Eddie Romero, who uses every bit of his budget to deliver a film replete with gun battles and low rent action.

The story sees a group of US and Filipino soldiers teaming up to tackle a squad of crack Japanese troops who are menacing a local nunnery. In a nicely surprising plot twist, the arrival of the Filipino soldiers ends up putting the nuns into more danger, thanks to the machinations of stock Filipino regular Vic Diaz, here up to his neck in sleaze as a shady guy with his eyes on some of the Catholic sisters. Thankfully, square-jawed hero Fernando Poe, Jr. (THE WALLS OF HELL) is on hand to put an end to his plans.

There isn't too much time for plotting however as this is a film that's all about the action. If you're a fan of repetitive, long-winded and seemingly endless gun battles then you'll be pleased with this; unfortunately for me, I like a bit more finesse when it comes to action choreography so these were a chore to sit through. The special effects budget is put to good use, however, in the myriad explosions, and John Saxon is always good value. Here he's the imported American star given to gruff mannerisms and basically telling people where to go. THE RAVAGERS is a justly forgotten movie which nonetheless made a recent showing on television here in the UK thanks to the actions of Freeview channel Movies4Men.

A question might be posed concerning the title of this Philippine film as to who the ravagers might be, since its storyline during the WWII setting in and about a convent commandeered by Japanese troops and subsequently attacked by an American (John Derek) led local guerrilla force, reveals that only the latter group includes sexual as well as military aggression in its style. Director Eddie Romero patently believes that use of dialogue adds little to a movie's sense of purpose and as with a great deal of his work, this effort is composed essentially of long scenes of various combinations of men shooting at each other, but with such as the wooden Derek and the rather untalented Bronwyn Fitzsimons as leading players, it is perhaps an advantage to let the guns do the talking.

The Ravagers is a fairy standard WW2 Resistance themed war film, only made memorable when compared to its competition by its low production quality. Almost all shots in the film are very dark and blurred - being more consistent with films made in the 1930s & early 40s, than the mid-1960s. There are elements of the first half of the film that are near unwatchable because they are so poorly lit - for no apparent reason. Luckily the final battle is significantly better lit so the viewer can actually see what is happening. This is a shame because most of the locations look visually interesting (from what I can tell by squinting). As this is the only Philippine film from the period I have watched I cannot comment whether this reflects the quality of other Philippine films or whether The Ravagers is just very poorly made. The film is redeemed slightly by most of the actors putting in fairy good performances, but again this is let down for the English-speaking viewer by the bad and inconsistent dub - which does not even translate all dialogue in the film. The film feels like a missed opportunity to explore the Japanese occupation of the Philippines - which was a very interesting time in the country's history. Most of the vehicles and military equipment is also incorrect to the period being portrayed. This is made more surprising when it is considered the amount of Japanese equipment left-over in the Philippines after their occupation was defeated. This makes it very puzzling why almost all of the Japanese soldiers' equipment in the film is incorrect - except for the odd cap, helmet and water canteen. Overall, a thoroughly forgettable film only notable for its surprisingly poor production quality.

Walking about Manila and the surrounding countryside during the early sixties, film crews noisily reenacting the war in the Pacific must have been almost as common a sight as roadworks are in London today.

The relative brevity of John Saxon's role suggests his scenes were shot fairly quickly; but in addition to the usual picturesque locations and energetic gunplay, this one is enlivened by the novelty of nuns and Maureen O'Hara's daughter Bronwyn Fitzsimons in her first (and last) film lead as the big-haired American blonde they are sheltering.