subject: Uno (philippines) [print this page] Uno is a slightly oddball comedic action movie about a rivalry between two hitmen for hire who the police seem to believe are the same person, called Uno - or Number One.
Their assignments seem to throw them together in ways that don't really make sense -- but who cares about that. There's a tough crime lord with a large number of hired gunslingers so it's not clear why he's so willing to pay an outsider to do his killing for him, but let's not get technical.
I once knew a man who, a mutual friend told me, was paid by a local politician to murder people. He seemed like a nice guy, and a very ordinary one.
The background of these two men and how they got to their current positions is not explained. They're proficient at shooting guns, but I suspect that if they went against the highly trained assassins of American crime fiction they wouldn't stand a chance.
One of the hired guns backs out from an assignment when the target's little girl jumps into his arms, and even waves at the killer while he's holding a gun hidden by a newspaper.
The assassin thinks about his own little girl, and can't pull the trigger. I just kind of thought that trying to kill a man in a public park was poor planning anyway. How did he think he would get away? And even so, to shoot the man while he was holding the child would have been poor performance. Abort mission, and try to get him in a back alley.
But the real Uno is a weirdo comic relief man who works for the gang lord. He wants to be a tough guy, but keeps a blow up doll in his little room. He dresses her, puts a wig on her head and talks to her as though she's a real woman he's in love with. Some combination of acute psychological insight and comedy.
The two assassins have a series of clashes. One even helps the other save his daughter, but they remain rivals -- even while helping each other trash some ordinary thugs causing trouble for their girlfriends inside a restaurant.
And why did they wind up dancing on the same dance floor?
Again, don't look for much rational consistency.
The final scene where the gang lord kidnaps the daughter and takes on both assassins is full of a lot of pretty good action. The weirdo protects the girl, then takes the rap for both assassins, so he can be the real "Uno." Or at least play at it for the benefit of the police.
Not really a satisfying or insightful action film, but not bad either.
