Lance Angelo Clarete Aug 24, 2018

BSED- Eng 3 Eng 42

An Analysis of the movie “Ang Utol kong Hoodlum”

A classic movie that talks about a man whose job is all about violence. “Hoodlum”

per se means a person who engages violence. Ben (Robin Padilla), who is the one being

explained as hoodlum, lives his life doing violence. He works for Salazar (Mark Gil), a

leader of a criminal syndicate, by collecting money from jeepney drivers. One day, he was

asked to do a job that he doesn’t want to do, which is to kidnap a daughter (Bing) of a

wealthy man (Eduardo). But he was forced to do this job for his adoptive parents was

kidnapped by Salazar as an exchange for Bing.

The first part shows about the setting. If you are from this place, then you could

already tell where was the filming location. It then shifted to the first scene, which is an

example of violence. A thug man collects grease money to jeepney drivers, aggressively.

The jeepney driver, being collected, answered the thug man that he already paid to Ben.

So, it shows that Ben is more hooligan than the man who was collecting. Afterwards, a

man suddenly punches the gang. We could also tell that this man characterizes hoodlum.

After the fight, police suddenly arrived beside the man who won the fight. But he was not

arrested because the police were paid. It shows that even in the past, and until now,

police could actually be bribe with money.

 Next scene is the introduction of the other characters who are also significant in

the story. One girl and six guys riding their bikes in a road that is for walking. This scene

actually tells about the arrogance of being a wealthy individual. But this girl is different

from the other guys who are with him. She acts as a gentle and respectful girl. The six

guys talk with their arrogance.

Using semiotic analysis from these two scenes, I could already tell that the main

character is a delinquent person. A man who fights to live. Signs and symbols that are

used from the main character are his thug clothing, knife, and the act of smoking. These

qualities explain a hoodlum. With these, it is already showed that this delinquent is the

main character.

A high-class man appeared in the next scene. Ben and his sidekick Mel (Dennis

Padilla) arrived at the place of the syndicate having a short amount of money from the

jeepney drivers for it was paid to the police. Expecting that the boss will be mad, he was

just accepting the reason of Ben for having a small amount of greased money, and even

gave Ben a payment for his hard work. It seems suspicious in this scene because Salazar

was too good and generous to Ben.

In the next scene, many was being showed and told. It was a big house, parents

of the Bing, also the setting of the story. The filming location is in Baguio. Bing explains

the coldness of Baguio and even used Baguio as a metaphor for her friends telling that,

“Mahangin na nga dito sa Baguio, mas mahangin naman yung mga kasama ko.”

After this scene, the family of Ben was introduced. Receiving a large amount from

Salazar, he bought many things for each individual in their small house. It was told here
that Ben was just adopted. And in this scene, his adoptive parents adopted another child

again. It shows here that even being poor, his parents are still willing to help.

The scene of where the wealthy people was showed and where the family of Ben

was introduced gives a big meaning of the movie. The comparison of the two. The attitude

of being poor and rich.

Madam Lily, a mother-like for Ben, told Ben that he should stop working for Salazar

because she knows Salazar so much. She told Ben that Salazar is a very dangerous

man. She uses a literary device to describe Salazar by saying, “Si Salazar ay isang mabait

nga tupa noon, pero isang mabangis nga hayop ngayon.” But this counseling of Lily had

no affect to Ben.

Next scene shows the true personality of Bing’s mom (Dexter). Dexter has a

relationship with Salazar. It was also told here that she just uses Eduardo (Bing’s father)

and awaits the death of Eduardo to have all his money.

Eduardo had to go out of town for his job and the only left in the house was Dexter,

Bing, and his younger brother. But Dexter went to Salazar, declaring to her children that

she would go to church. They were talking about how to get Eduardo’s wealth, Salazar

told Dexter to trust him. Here, I could tell that Salazar has a plan on obtaining Eduardo’s

wealth.

The next was the telling of Salazar’s new plan. He wants to kidnapped someone.

The one he entrusted to do this job was Ben. Ben told his Boss that he can’t do this job.

His reason was that he has also a good heart and he is also scared to be caught in that

job for it will have a lifelong imprisonment.

 There was this scene that Ben’s family was praying to the Virgin Mary. Each of

them had their own prayers. What made me curious was the way Mel signed the cross.

It was then I found out that Mel crosses himself from right to left, which is done by Eastern

and Oriental Orthodox Christians, rather than from left to right, which is done by Catholics

(Independent and Roman) and many Anglicans, Lutherans, and Methodists. It was also

in this scene the effect of the disapproval of the job offered by Ben. His family was

kidnapped. The conflict of the story is in this scene. The abduction of his family results

of his heroism act in the story. Ben then immediately went to Salazar and asked about

the job. He was told to kidnap Bing, the daughter of the wealthy Eduardo, and in

exchanged he will get his family back. So, this was the plan of Salazar to get Eduardo’s

money.

Without hesitation, Ben, with his sidekick Mel, abducted Bing and his younger

brother. A theme that talks about love and sacrifice about this scene. He went to Salazar

with Bing and her younger brother. But Ben had a plan, to save both sides, his family and

the two children for as what he had said, he had a good heart. He showed love for both

sides and sacrificed himself with this act. He already knew that doing this heroic act,

Salazar would be after him until Ben would be on his last breath.

Because of this heroic act, he undertook many challenges just to finish the

problem. First was the ironic scene and Ben even said this specifically. He was angry of

himself because of this ironic act. He was adopted by his adoptive parents and now, he

left his parents to a place that his parents will be cared for. A place for elderly people. He

felt that it was a traitor act.

 He also faces different bandits just to save the two children. They went to an

adventure to different places just to be safe.

There was this scene of their adventure that shows the irony of poor people. It was

in a funeral that poor people won’t stop in gambling. Ben was so angry of these people.

Ben said that poor people are too dumb to realized that they are wasting their money for

gambling. They had a hard time living and still, manage to be in gambling. It is as if Ben

is saying that how ironic this world is.

There was also this scene, in the ending part, that Ben explains the attitude of rich

people, but he was referring it to Bing. He was so drunk drinking with his utol Ben and

suddenly, Bing arrived. Ben told Bing to enter in his house and to sit down. He explains

here that even they are poor, they still respect the community. Ben is implying here

something about the rich people. But he continued to talk, telling Bing that she does not

belong in their place. That Bing should be there, to the people who are lying in cash, to

those who think money as god, to those people who praises money. Here, he is already

telling about the unjust way of living of wealthy people.

By also doing his quest, he did notice that he fell in love with “the” girl. Saving Bing,

his “utol”, will result to a different one. He lies to himself and also to many people that he

only loves Bing as an “utol” (brother). But these lies are too obvious for Bing.

Ben almost died many times just by saving Bing. He undertook long journey to

save these two individuals. Even if it means his death, he still continued the journey as

long as he would save Bing and his younger brother.

 The story ends with a happy ending. Thanks to the heroic act of Ben, Salazar failed

his plan and he was imprisoned because of his evil doings. At the very last part, both of

them (Ben and Bing) expressed their love with each other. A love that was from “utol”,

became a romantic love.

So, to talk about the heroic act, I could tell that the hero archetype that Ben

symbolizes is “the quest”. The battle with different people, the journey of his life to be a

soldier of someone, the obstacles, the courage or braveness for someone, these qualities

clearly tells that Ben symbolizes “The Quest” (savior) in this story. Because of the

abduction of his parents, Ben was called to an adventure just to save both sides. He

became a helper or savior to Bing and his brother and also became a mentor. He faced

many challenges because of this call, but managed to solved all this challenges in the

end of the story and rewarded to gain again his freedom to live by thinking that his family

is already safe.