No One Wins in This War: A Sociological and Formalist Autopsy on BuyBust’s Drug War Reel
deskvalor
Mar 26
4 min read
By: Ybarro Pangilinan
Introduction
Matti’s BuyBust (2018), a Philippine action-thriller film featuring Anne Curtis, depicts an anti-drug police team trapped in a deadly mission within Manila's impoverished neighborhoods. Created during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s Drug War (2016-2022), a period associated with over 12, 000 state-sanctioned deaths (Reuters Staff, 2025), the film exposes institutional corruption through its raw depiction of systemic violence. The title BuyBust, referring to undercover police tactics, symbolizes the relentless cycle of brutality in which both law enforcement and vulnerable communities become victims of systematic failure.
The film’s representation of socio-political issues will be analyzed through a sociological and formalist approach. Sociologically, the cramped slum setting highlights deep-rooted social disparities, while the formalist analysis explores the film’s rapid pacing and prolonged action scenes, noted for their technical skill (Abrams, n.d.).
Body
The film follows an elite anti-drug unit led by Nina Manigan, played by Anne Curtis, as they attempt to apprehend drug lord Biggie Chen in Manila's slums. The mission deteriorates into chaos, forcing the team to navigate a labyrinthine urban environment while confronting armed gangs and corrupt officials. The cinematography captures the claustrophobic nature of the slums, highlighting the entanglement of poverty and violence (Kotzathanasis, 2018).
The narrative unfolds through relentless, high-octane action sequences, characterized by shaky camerawork and prolonged close-ups that immerse viewers in the visceral chaos. The stylistic choices amplify the disorientation and moral ambiguity faced by the protagonists, who are depicted as both perpetrators and victims of systemic corruption. The film's muted color palette, dominated by grays and browns, mirrors the bleakness of its socio-political context, while abrupt shifts between day and night scenes heighten tension and unpredictability.
Central themes include the cyclical nature of violence and the dehumanization of marginalized communities. The narrative critiques the human toll of the drug war, depicting civilians caught in the crossfire and law enforcement’s disregard for collateral damage. The film also explores the institutional failures that trap both police and citizens in a zero-sum struggle for survival symbolized by confined spaces and inescapable traps (Rappler, 2018).
Critical Analysis
From a sociological angle, BuyBust functions as a filmic mirror of the structural violence of the Philippine drug war and the socio-political environment that engendered it. The film’s representation of inner city slums emphasizes the exclusion of impoverished communities, leading to widespread violence (Human Rights Watch, 2019). By highlighting the vulnerability of ordinary people sandwiched between drug syndicates and vicious law enforcers, the film offers a harsh criticism of state-initiated extrajudicial killings as a crime-fighting solution (NPR, 2024). In addition, the depiction of police corruption, involving members of law enforcement regularly employing brutal and indiscriminate forms of violence, reflects real-life allegations against the Philippine National Police (Human Rights Watch, n.d.). Such representation is critical and challenges the state narrative that the drug war is a necessary tool for national security.
From a formalist standpoint, Erik Matti’s direction justifiably mines a visceral impact through relentless tempo, oppressive framing, and staged long takes that pump up the film’s spiritual tenor. The handheld camerawork and neon-saturated alleyways convey a visceral sense of tumult, thrusting the viewer into the middle of it all and the carnage (Tsui, 2018). The action sequences in the film are meticulously staged, lifting elements from martial arts and survival horror in ways that keep you from losing interest. This is good technical craftsmanship, but some critics say this overwhelming emphasis on action dilutes social commentary, losing the weight of its political message (Hunter, 2018). This stylized brutality risks numbing instead of provoking thought, as in the politicized moment when violence is real just to remember this is a violent movie (NPR, 2024). While some critics argue that the emphasis on action may overshadow deeper social commentary (Hunter, 2018), the film succeeds in promoting reflection on the human cost of aggressive anti-drug policies.
Fundamentally, BuyBust reveals itself as both a detonating adrenaline thriller and a pointed socio-political critique. The film exposes flawed contradictions of the drug war, showing force does not solve crime. On a less nuanced level, the film’s brutal obsession with violence becomes a metaphor for the cycle of state violence, in which no individual criminal, civilian, or enforcer can win. BuyBust may not entirely nail the balancing act of working a spectacle while indicating that spectacle, but as a response to unflinching geopolitics from the East, and endemic violence from the West, the film appears as a cultural artifact that invites its audience to interrogate policies that cleave justice from vengeance.
Conclusion
BuyBust serves as a visceral portrayal of the complexities inherent in the Philippine Drug War, emphasizing the cyclical nature of violence and the entrapment of individuals within systemic corruption. The film's relentless action sequences and claustrophobic settings immerse viewers in the chaos experienced by both law enforcement and civilians, highlighting the thin line between heroism and villainy. By showcasing the dehumanization of marginalized communities and the moral ambiguities faced by those enforcing the law,
BuyBust challenges audiences to question the efficacy and ethics of state-sanctioned violence and extrajudicial tactics. In conclusion, the film serves as a stark reminder of the necessity for nuanced strategies that address the root causes of societal issues rather than perpetuating cycles of brutality and violence.
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