Erik Matti didn't just make a movie. He basically ripped the lid off a pressure cooker that most people in the Philippines—and frankly, most people globally—would rather pretend isn't there. When the original On the Job film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival back in 2013, it didn't just get a standing ovation because it was a slick thriller. It got one because it felt like a punch to the gut. The premise sounds like something a pulp novelist would dream up after a fever dream: prisoners are temporarily released from jail to perform contract killings for high-ranking politicians, then escorted back to their cells before anyone notices they’re gone. The problem? It’s based on a true story.
Honestly, the reality is even weirder than the fiction. Matti heard the story from a driver who claimed to have been one of these "hitmen-prisoners." It sounds impossible. It sounds like a logistical nightmare. But in a system where the paper trail is as thin as the morality of the people running it, the On the Job film shows exactly how the perfect crime is committed by the very people supposed to prevent it.
The Gritty DNA of a Neo-Noir Masterpiece
You’ve seen crime movies before. You’ve seen the "one last job" trope and the "rookie cop with a conscience" bit. But On the Job (often referred to as OTJ) hits different because it refuses to romanticize the squalor. The lighting is sickly. The streets of Manila look like they’re sweating. It’s a sensory overload of wet pavement, crowded markets, and the cramped, claustrophobic interiors of a prison system that is bursting at the seams.
Gerald Anderson and Joel Torre play the central duo of hitmen. Torre, as the aging Mario "Tatay" Maghari, is heartbreaking. He’s a mentor. He’s a killer. He’s a man who views his work as a trade, much like carpentry or plumbing, because it’s the only way he can provide for a family that is slowly drifting away from him. Then you have Daniel, played by Anderson, the young, brash protégé who thinks he’s invincible. Their chemistry is what anchors the film. It’s not about the "coolness" of the hit; it’s about the banality of the evil they’re participating in. They aren't criminal masterminds. They are tools. Disposable, easily replaced tools in a shed owned by men who never get blood on their own expensive barongs.
Why the On the Job Film Matters in 2026
We live in an era of "true crime" obsession, but usually, that obsession is focused on the who or the how. The On the Job film is much more interested in the why and the who allows it. It’s a systemic critique. When you look at the political landscape today, the themes Matti explored over a decade ago feel almost prophetic. The blurred lines between law enforcement and criminal enterprises haven't exactly sharpened over time.
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Piolo Pascual plays Francis Corona, an NBI agent caught in the middle. His character is the audience's surrogate—the guy who thinks the system works until he realizes he’s just another gear in the machine. His father-in-law is a senator. His career is mapped out. But once he starts pulling the thread of a "simple" murder, the whole tapestry of the Philippine government starts to unravel. It’s messy. It’s frustrating. It doesn't have a clean, Hollywood ending where the bad guys go to jail and everyone claps. That’s because, in the world of OTJ, the bad guys are the ones who own the jail.
The Expansion: From Film to The Missing 8
If you’ve only seen the 2013 movie, you’re basically only seeing half the picture. In 2021, Matti released On the Job: The Missing 8. It’s a sequel, but it’s also an expansion. It was originally intended as a series for HBO Asia, and eventually, the whole saga was stitched together into a six-part miniseries.
This second chapter is where things get truly epic. It focuses on a small-town journalist, Sisoy Salas (played by the incredible John Arcilla, who won Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival for this role). Sisoy is a complicated guy. He’s a bit of a shill for the local mayor at first. He’s not your typical "heroic journalist." But when his colleagues disappear—the "Missing 8"—he’s forced to actually do his job. The contrast between the rural corruption of the second film and the urban decay of the first one creates a complete map of a broken society.
The Technical Brilliance Most People Miss
The editing in the On the Job film is frantic but purposeful. Jay Halili, the editor, uses a style that feels like a heartbeat skipping. It keeps you on edge. You aren't just watching a hit go down; you’re feeling the anxiety of the escape.
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- The Soundtrack: It’s not your typical orchestral score. It uses Filipino rock and indie tracks that ground the film in a specific time and place.
- The Cinematography: Ricardo Buhay III uses long lenses to make the audience feel like a voyeur. You feel like you're watching something you aren't supposed to see.
- Location Scouting: They filmed in actual prisons. Those aren't sets. Those are real people, real grime, and real desperation captured on digital sensor.
People often compare OTJ to the works of Martin Scorsese or Michael Mann. It’s a fair comparison in terms of craft, but Matti’s work lacks the "glamour" of Goodfellas. There is no "Layla" montage here. There is only the sound of a motorcycle speeding away and the silence of a victim left in the dirt.
Misconceptions and Real-World Echoes
One big misconception is that the On the Job film is an exaggeration for dramatic effect. Sadly, the "prisoner-as-hitman" phenomenon has been documented in various Philippine Senate inquiries. While the film takes creative liberties with the specific characters, the mechanism of the crime is rooted in actual police reports.
Another mistake people make is thinking this is strictly a "Filipino story." While the setting is specific, the themes are universal. It’s about the erosion of institutional trust. It’s about how poverty is weaponized by the elite. Whether you’re in Manila, Sao Paulo, or Chicago, the idea of the "disposable person" is a reality of modern capitalism and politics.
The Legend of the "Missing 8"
In the sequel, the focus shifts to the disappearances of journalists. This is a very real and dangerous issue in the Philippines, which has long been ranked as one of the most dangerous places in the world for members of the press. By pivoting the story from the hitmen to the people who report on the hits, Matti closed the loop. He showed that it’s not just the bullets that kill; it’s the silence that follows.
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John Arcilla’s performance as Sisoy is a masterclass in character arc. He goes from a man who sings karaoke with the corrupt mayor to a man who realizes that his silence was the currency the mayor used to buy his power. It’s a slow-burn realization that is more terrifying than any jump scare.
How to Watch the Series Today
If you’re looking to dive into this world, the best way to do it in 2026 is via the HBO GO / Max miniseries format. It combines the 2013 film (re-edited with new footage) and the 2021 sequel into a cohesive narrative.
- Watch the Miniseries version: It’s titled On the Job. The first two episodes cover the events of the original 2013 film but include deleted scenes that add more flavor to the hitmen's lives.
- Pay attention to the background: Matti loves to put world-building details in the background of shots—radio broadcasts, posters, the way people interact in the market.
- Research the "Davao Death Squad" controversies: If you want to see the real-life parallels that inspired the gritty realism of the scripts, look into the human rights reports from the early 2000s and 2010s in the Philippines.
Practical Takeaways for Film Lovers
Watching the On the Job film isn't just about being entertained. It’s a lesson in how to use genre filmmaking to deliver a message that would otherwise be too heavy to digest.
- Study the Pacing: Notice how the film alternates between high-speed chases and quiet, domestic moments. This contrast makes the violence more shocking.
- Observe the Moral Ambiguity: None of the characters are "pure." Even the protagonists have done terrible things. This is "grey-scale" storytelling at its finest.
- Support Regional Cinema: OTJ proved that a film doesn't need a Hollywood budget to have a global impact. It opened doors for other Southeast Asian filmmakers to tell their own gritty, unvarnished truths.
If you want to understand the current state of global crime cinema, you have to start here. The On the Job film is the gold standard for the modern political thriller. It doesn't ask for your permission to be brutal; it just is.
Next Steps for the Viewer:
Start with the first two episodes of the On the Job series on Max to get the foundation of the prison-hitman system. Once you've finished the series, look up Erik Matti's interviews regarding the production's safety challenges; the stories of filming in real jails are almost as intense as the movie itself. Finally, compare the depiction of the media in The Missing 8 to current events regarding press freedom—it's a sobering exercise in seeing art imitate life.