Known in the English language as Triggered, Richard Somes Topakk has just played at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest. The film harkens back to the best martial arts crime thrillers as it spins its tale of corrupt cops, former soldiers, and those caught in the cross-fire.
Before Topakk arrives at any of the above, it begins somewhere within the Philippine jungle. There the audience is introduced to Miguel (Arjo Atayde) and his brothers in arms. They are partying to rock music, drinking, and having fun on the eve of a mission. The next morning the group enters enemy territory. Miguel is once more in high spirits, but after an ambush leaves him the only survivour, the young soldier is forever changed.
Dedicated to ‘all the brave soldiers who forever bear the scars of war’ Topakk is unafraid to show the horrors of combat. The opening ambush is confronting; Somes is unflinching in the execution of Miguel’s comrades. Bullets fly, body parts explode, and the true menace and malice of machetes is unleashed on the screen. Just like Miguel, the audience feel as though they have experienced a great trauma. But this is only the beginning…
Picking up an undisclosed time later, Miguel starts work as a night security guard at a local factory. The job should be easy, but one night his rounds are interrupted by two siblings in need of sanctuary. What follows is a nightmarish assault with violence begetting violence right until the bitter end. As his peaceful existence is shattered, Miguel finds himself once more in a war-zone, but the question looms as to whose side he should be on. Weng (Julia Montes) and brother Bogs (Kokoy De Santos) are on the run from a task force of police headed up by Romero (Sid Lucero). Romero and his men are on the local drug cartel’s payroll. The safest choice would be to hand the siblings, but once a soldier, always a soldier, and so Miguel finds himself drawn into the fray.
Topakk touches upon Miguel’s evident PTSD through his nightmares and day delusions, but, as in life, he isn’t afforded time to properly process them. If anything, Miguel’s fresh ordeal just adds fuel to future nightmares. Miguel’s condition is only fleetingly shown, teasing something bigger, but never properly exploring it. The audience is never afforded the time to know the man and instead the character becomes an instrument of violence. Somes treatment of his lead character conveys the perfect example of what life of a soldier is, and though it is not a traditional war being demonstrated, it rings true of urban crime zones.
The action is never-ending and the blistering constant of it will leave the viewer begging for respite. Unlike films like John Wick which follow a similar mantra, the violence presented here has a rabid dogfight quality to it. Nothing on display is glossy and ‘cool’, everything is a bitter battle to the death. The violence and gore goes hard and several extreme instances of injury detail will have the viewer winching and recoiling. With such a strong focus on brutality and little space for light, the audience gets the sensation that they themselves have entered a war-zone. Consequently, Topakk is far from an easy viewing experience. At just under two hours, and with hardly any let up, it will take a hardened person to make it through Topakk. Somes’ dedication to the brave pushes his audience into the same head-space and this shared trauma highlights the savagery of war perfectly.
Topakk
Summary
An horrendous assault on the senses, Topakk demonstrates the anguish and futility of war and violence in a boldly effective way.
Topakk was reviewed at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2023.
