"Amigo" is one of John Sayles' better movies, although not the equal of his best work ("Matewan" and "Lone Star"). Set in the Philippines at the turn of the century, it's about the U.S. taking over from Spain in colonial activities in the Philippines. The story centers around a particular village ("Baryo" in Tagalog, which was the original name of the movie), where the village leader is the brother of the local head of the insurrection, who is out in the jungle trying to fight a guerrilla war. The village leader is caught between the occupying American forces, who are trying to win "hearts and minds," and his brother and his fellow freedom-fighters (who include the village leader's son), and is trying to find a space where the villagers can lead a more or less normal life in spite of all that is going on around them. The American occupation is far from benign, although certainly far less brutal than occupations can be. The storyline of the film follows the efforts of village leader struggling to navigate between the Americans and the Filipino freedom fighters, while attempting to stay on the good side of both. Needless to say, maintaining this sort of balance is a doomed effort, and the film plays out the consequences.

John Sayles apparently made a huge effort to insure authenticity in the film, and he succeeds. The sort of events that took place in the movie genuinely happened, and as Sayles has pointed out in speeches he has given promoting the film and his book "A Moment In The Sun," this war and America's actions in it are not a part of the American Narrative that has been taught to us, but are no less a part of our history. The movie is stunning, and the modern-day parallels are scary.

John Sayles' last few movies have been disappointments, with the exception of "Silver City", which I thought was excellent (except for the miscasting of Danny Huston, who was all wrong for the lead role). But "Amigo" is a huge step up from "Honeydripper" and "Casa de los Babys" and it deserves to be seen widely. Even more amazing is that "Amigo" was made on a budget of $1.5 million. You wouldn't know it from the finished product.

With nearly all they teach us of the Spanish-American war being focus solely on Cuba and Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders it's wonderful to finally hear a story set in the oft forgotten Philippine Side of the War.

The story focuses on a small unit of American Soldiers who occupy a small farming Baryo in Laguna Province South-East of Manila. Far from most of the heavy action of the war with nothing to do but wait for the Filipino Rebels/Freedom Fighters (depending on your point of view)to attack. The Americans set out trying to reorganize the Filipinos in the image of American Democracy while trying to win their hearts and minds but are also equally won over by the friendly and fun loving Filipino way of life.

The movie does a wonderful job of showing all sides in the conflict and express the struggles of the conflict well in the title character who they call Amigo, the new head of the Baryo the Americans occupy, who's caught in between the two groups and has one foot in both side of the conflict with a brother and son fighting against the Americans and most of the rest of his friends and family trying to live their lives in the village.

There are two things that I like most about this movie and that is first: how there are no bad guys or good guys. Both the Americans and Filipinos are right and wrong in what they are doing. The Americans might have noble intentions of establishing Democracy but are more or less stealing the Government from the barely victorious Filipino Government who just barely defeated the Spanish and claimed the Philippines as their own. Meanwhile they are split between those who are just trying to live their lives amidst the turmoil and those who fight for their countries freedom. Unfortunately the Filipinos are fighting against each other just as much as they are the Americans and Spanish inevitably doing almost as much harm as good to their own countrymen and cause for freedom and self-rule by killing or fighting against any who they see as not part of their noble cause.

The second thing that I love is the authenticity. I couldn't help but notice the beautiful pure Tagalog they speak in the movie since it is free of the annoying Taglish(Filipino-English mix) that permeates nearly all media in the Philippines these days. The language being more of the Native and Spanish mix that would have been used in that day and age. The Americans are expressed as being still somewhat racist towards those of darker skins and ignorant of any foreign culture that wasn't European based. The Americans even go so far as using an antagonistic Spanish Priest (who looks down on the Filipinos as being more his servants then equals) as their interpreter after rescuing him from the Filipino rebels.

The cinematography was also wonderfully shot and beautiful showing the true tropical beauty of the Philippine Islands. The movie is well directed, well acted and well scripted.

This is a movie well worth watching if not purchasing. I know I will treasure it in my collection

John Sayles is always worth the price of admission. He has a gift for finding little known pockets of American history and telling the story in an informative and entertaining way. This film is fictional account of the war between the U S army and the Philippines after the Spanish army was defeated in the Spanish American war.
he also makes contemporary analogies to our ill advised future foreign adventures in the 20th and twenty first century If you have any interest in American history you will love this film as I did